By Peter Ssebulime
The Conservative Party (CP) has called upon the government of Uganda, through its permanent representative to the United Nations General Assembly, to persuade the rest of the member countries therein, to ensure that the rights to a clear and healthy environment is promoted to the status of the Fundamental Human Rights enshrined in the UN Rights Charter.
The CP president John Kenny Lukyamuzi aka ‘The Man’, revealed this during a press conference held Thursday at the Party’s head office in Kampala, where he said in order to successfully fight against COVID-19, the government should ensure that during this critical moment, clean water is available to every Ugandan at no cost, densely populated places like towns should be distanced from industrial air pollution among others.
Lukyamuzi stated that president Yoweri Museveni’s 15 addresses to the nation so far have never related the Coronavirus pandemic to a degraded environment.
“The President is always talking about the short-term preventive measures and not the long-term, referring us to ‘the Tonsemberela’ scenario and the use of face masks,” Lukyamuzi said.
He added that; “But factories that emit toxic gases like methane in the centre of Kampala should also be relocated to Namanve, and above all wetlands and forest covers should jealously be protected from encroachers to guarantee the natural flow of oxygen.”
Commenting about the Revised 2021 Elections Roadmap of the Electoral Commission, Lukyamuzi said the revised roadmap is not relevant currently and urged the Commission to meet all registered political parties in the country to hear their side of the story and what should be done before elections are held.
About postponement of the 2021 elections, Lukyamuzi warned the President that if he does so, he will be dragged to courts of law and that he can only do so if he first declares a state of emergency.
“The key players in the Electoral Commission’s review of the Roadmap for the 2021 general elections in accordance with Article 71, and 72 of the constitution are the registered political parties. So with whom did the EC review the said roadmap?” Lukyamuzi wondered, adding that “The Conservative Party therefore wishes to reject the revised roadmap for next year’s General Elections”.
He noted that “What the EC refers to as digital campaign or scientific campaign does not exist in constitutional law. What is in existence pursuant to the constitution demands the Electoral Commission to organize elections where the people express their will and consent on who shall govern them and how they shall be governed through regular, free and fair elections.”
