President Yoweri Museveni who is National Chairman for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has declared the 317 MPs who championed the removal of the constitutional Presidential age limit as the new party historicals.
The President said this during a victory fete organized in Kiboga district on Sunday to celebrate and appreciate legislators that voted in favor of the Constitutional Amendmnent No 2 Bill, 2017 that was later ascented into law.
Parliament on December 20, last year passed the Bill that repealed the upper (75) Presidential age limit from the constitution following a vote that saw a majority (317) of the MPs vote in support of the Bill while 62 voted against it and 2 abstained.
The voting came at the backdrop of an intense and controversial debate characterized by anxiety, chaos and confrontation between the NRM party and the opposition.
“I appreciate those that touched the constitution. It is the opposition that provoked us by daring us not to touch and we proved to them that we can touch it,” Museveni said in Kiboga district on Sunday.
“You are the new historicals, the elderly are the old historicals; each war is fought differently. You have been in the battle of words, for us we were in the battle of the gun,” Museveni told the 317 MPs.
He went on to praise them saying they fought a battle by contributing to the stability of the country.
Museveni noted that since the resolution to amend the constitution was passed, many businessmen have called him assuring that they are free and ready to continue with business without fear of uncertainties as was the case.
Earlier at the same event, the NRM Secretary General, Justine Kasule Lumumba had equally lauded the 317 Parliamentarians for braving the abuses, threatens and intimidation from the opposition.
“You were abused, threatened and scoffed at but you persevered. You stood the test of time, the party is proud of you and is indebted to you. That is the spirit of the NRM,” Lumumba said.
She also thanked the Independent MPs as well as one opposition MP who voted in favor of the amendment.
The Secretary General however made an appeal to President Museveni to reign in on individuals who continue to threaten anti-age limit MPs. She cited cases where MPs have faced harsh resistance from their constituents for having voted to remove the Presidential age limits.
Sunday’s party held at Saza grounds was hosted by the Kiboga district woman MP who doubles as NRM chief whip, Ruth Nankabirwa. It attracted a large section of NRM MPs, Ministers, party delegates, local leaders as well as hundreds of residents of Kiboga.
