Mao's job as justice minister is to prepare for Museveni's successor [Editor's Opinion]

If you doubt this, Mao himself has already come out to say that elections are top of his to-do list.

“Everyone knows my contribution to coming up with the citizens compact on free and fair elections document,” Mao said.

“The rigging of votes is a hot issue. First on my agenda is ensuring a free and fair election,” he added.

It must be noted that free and fair elections are not guarantors of democracy. If they were, we would not have the phenomenon of an elective dictatorship.

The phrase "elective dictatorship" (it is also termed executive dominance) describes a rule in which the Westminster system, a model of parliamentary government, is dominated by the party in power.

Here, the legislative programme of Parliament is determined by the ruling party.

Government bills pass through a ruling party-guided legislature and the fate of the bills are determined by the ruling party because of the nature of the winner-take-all electoral system.

Parliamentary system

A parliamentary system or parliamentary democracy is a democratic form of governance where the executive obtains its legitimacy and power from the legislature.

It is different from Uganda’s current presidential system in that the head of state is not the same as the head of government in a parliamentary system.

The head of government, usually called prime minister, calls the shots in a parliamentary system, thanks to majority support in parliament as the leader of the largest party in parliament.

The current 11th Parliament of Uganda has 529 members of which over 336 are from the ruling NRM. This means, under a parliamentary system, the head of government will come from the NRM.

Again, the head of government or prime minister will not have to be elected by the people, only appointed by the party and this will ensure that whoever the NRM (read Museveni) appoints will be the next leader of Uganda.

Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs

This ministry's work is to "carry out legal advisory services, including the drafting, perusal and clearance of contracts and treaties. It also has the authority to provide legal opinion on government borrowing. To draft bills and statutory instruments. To regulate the legal profession and legal education."

You can be sure that Mao will soon bring a bill to parliament amending the constitution to allow for a parliamentary system of rule in Uganda.

If this happens, the NRM may choose anyone to head government, including the president’s son, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Why Mao?

Nobert Mao has the legal knowledge and oratorical skill to ensure clarity of messaging.

He is reportedly the person who coined the “Togikwatako” phrase (don’t touch the constitution) after the July 26, 2018, Constitutional Court ruling approved the lifting of the presidential age limit of 75 from Uganda’s constitution to clear the way for the then 73-year-old Yoweri Museveni to run for a sixth term in 2020.

With “Togikwatako” as the battle cry, a series of protests, arrests, and violent episodes convulsed the nation and recast the political landscape.

Government is sure that Mao can bring the same level of instensity to the “Gikwatekko” side (those in favour of changing the constitution) to ensure that, when Museveni appoints his successor, there shall be minimal protest and maximum support.

Mao will also be able to carry the north and possibly northeast of the country with him, being a Catholic too adds to his value as a game changer.

However, the factionalism in the ruling NRM may cause a major split when the party's glue, Museveni, exits the stage. This could either lead to a coalition government or an outright military dictatorship.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Pulse as its publisher.