Daily Monitor UGANDA
Mr Radi (R), also Speaker of Morocco Parliament, receives a bouquet from Ruth Nantambi as Ms Kadaga (L) looks on at Entebbe Airport yesterday. Photo by Geoffrey Sseruyange.
By Mercy Nalugo ERCY NALUGO (email the author)
Posted Wednesday, March 28 2012 at 00:00
IN SUMMARY
Taking points. The Inter-Parliamentary Union is expected to focus on improving governance and health.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) president, Mr Abdelwahad Radi, yesterday upon arrival hailed Uganda for having made big strides towards achieving full democracy.
Addressing journalists at Entebbe Airport, Mr Radi, visiting the country for the first time, said Uganda is one of those African states making democratic progress.
“I am happy that this IPU conference is taking place in Uganda which is one of Africa’s biggest democracies. Africa is making big progress towards achieving democracy and Uganda is one of the countries achieving this,” he said.
The Moroccan is here to preside over a one-week conference that has attracted more than 2,000 delegates and was received by the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga.
About Shs30 billion will be spent on the 126th IPU assembly that will run from March 31 to April 5.
Mr Radi praised Ms Kadaga’s election as the first female Speaker in Uganda, saying it is a big step towards democracy.
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Under the theme “Parliaments and the People, bridging a gap,” the conference will focus on good governance and maternal health among others.
“The conference is a big opportunity for the people of Uganda as it will market the country but also we are hoping to be strengthened by our colleagues coming in where we shall take positions on health, governance and economic development,” Ms Kadaga said, adding: “We intend to lay strategies so that we draw Parliaments closer to the people and to know more about the European Union, Latin America, Asia, South Africa so that there is a lot we can learn from each other.”
Meanwhile, Activists for Change (A4C)members have dismissed a warning from Ms Kadaga against holding rallies that are intended to disrupt the conference.
“It’s the IPU coinciding with our programmes and not us interfering with theirs. We shall invite the delegates to our rallies so that they go back with a true picture of Uganda and not a cosmetic one,”A4C coordinator, Mathias Mpuuga (Masaka Municipality) said.
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