The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LOP), Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, has called on the government to emulate the Catholic Church in the management of public affairs.
Speaking at the 125th anniversary of Our Lady Queen of Virgins Parish Church, Kisubi, in Wakiso district on Sunday, 21 August 2022, the LOP said that there are so many lessons for the Government to draw from the Catholic Church’s success story.
“The church offers a virtual blackboard for those who want to learn; when you look at what Kisubi parish has achieved over the 125 years and compare it with the journey Uganda has walked in its 60 years of independence, you will agree with me that there is a lot for Uganda to learn from the Catholic Church,” the LOP said.
“I have been reflecting on the story of Uganda at 60, it is one tainted with acts of gross human rights violations; torture, killings and forcing political opponents into exile,” he added, further criticising attempts by the Government to stop religious leaders from involvement into partisan politics.
Drawing contrasts between Uganda’s past elections and the recently concluded Kenyan general elections, Mpuuga scalled for concerted efforts to end electoral violence and malpractices in Uganda.
“We are also capable of having an election where opponents participate freely, without any abductions and other forms of rights violations and rigging,” he said.
In his homily, the Archbishop of Kampala, His Grace Paul Ssemogerere, emphasiSed the need to respect basic freedoms.
“The Constitution guarantees the freedom to worship, expression and association. It is wrong for anyone to force the other to act contrary to what they believe in,” the prelate said.
He lauded the parliamentary leadership for promoting a harmonious co-existence despite the divergent political beliefs among the parliamentarians.
The LOP handed over a cash donation of Shs20 million from Parliament to support the parish’s development programmes.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
