Uganda, Egypt unite for PAP

Ugandan and Egyptian MPs at the Pan African Parliament have pledged to work together to fast track the ratification of the Malabo Protocol granting full legislative powers to the South African based Assembly.
The Leader of Uganda’s delegation to PAP, Hon. Jacquiline Amongin (NRM, Ngora district) together with Egyptian MP, Mostafa El Gendy made the pledge during a meeting with the Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah, held at Parliament Building, on Tuesday 25 April 2018.
Mostafa El Gendy is standing for PAP Presidency, while Amongin is seeking nomination for the Vice Presidency by the Eastern Caucus, before being elected for the same position at the continental Assembly.
Currently, the Malabo Protocol has been ratified by 11 countries, while 18 including Uganda are yet to ratify it.
Mostafa revealed that once the PAP becomes a fully operational legislative body, Africa’s heavy dependency on donations from developed countries will greatly reduce.   
“If we want to have our identity, we have to take care of our issues as Africans through making laws without being influenced by the Western world. We can only do this if we are independent,” said Mostafa.
Mostafa also noted the need for Uganda and Egypt to work together to win the leadership of PAP, saying that the Parliament provides the two countries with the much needed platform to present and defend ideas of the African Region.  
Amongin said that Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry is finalising the process of ratifying the declaration.
“We met President Museveni recently and he committed that soon, Uganda will ratify this declaration. We hope that by 2021 or 2022, we shall have a fully operational African Legislative Assembly,” said Amongin.
Amongin however blamed the PAP members for failure to fully utilize the current advisory powers to ensure that most of the African Union policies are ratified, adopted and implemented by National Assemblies.
“There has been a lacuna in that area and I think that as we contest, those are the areas we need to focus on, so that the people that we represent feel our relevance as a continental Parliament,” said Amongin.
The Deputy Speaker advised Mostafa to consider Amongin his running mate, saying that the two countries need to form a synergy and win the leadership.  
“Whatever we do, we cannot disagree because God bound us together through the source of the Nile. Even when the British came, they could not ignore that fact for they knew that these set of countries needed to be together because their future is linked,” said Oulanyah.
Election for Vice President is scheduled for 7 May, 2018 while other positions including President and Vice President will be elected on 10 May, 2018.