Prime
It’s inconsiderate to compel uneducated to take oath in English
Al-mahadi Adam K
What you need to know:
- This, however, seems not to be the case for Uganda where an oath is literally taken for its sake.
Last week, the country concluded the 2021 Electoral Commission Roadmap with the election of chairpersons and directly elected councillors and woman councillors at the sub-county.
The President, Members of Parliament, and local government leaders will by law take an oath of office before assuming their offices. Why? Because they are servants of the people who should commit paying allegiance to them and their country.
Depending on their religion, the official lifts in his or her right hand either a Bible or Koran while taking the oath. This effectively denotes that an oath is not taken merely for formality, but a public pledge that the official understands the requirements of the position, and will work to meet or exceed those requirements.
It is indeed a formal promise which, traditionally, invokes God, to act as a witness to the oath taker’s sincere intention to fulfil that promise. Those taking the oath must fully consider its meaning and all of its important implications.
This, however, seems not to be the case for Uganda where an oath is literally taken for its sake.
In August last year, Parliament passed the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2019, dropping the education qualification of Advanced Level requirement for persons seeking to contest for the positions of chairperson or mayor of a municipal council, town council or division council.
Minimum education qualification of Ordinary Level for district and city councillors, was also rejected.
The regulation had earlier in the year been passed, but the President refused to assent to it on grounds that the need for education qualifications would disenfranchise people by limiting them on the choice of Ieaders they can elect into positions of leadership, is discriminatory and not realistic in some instances where it requires qualifications of persons in certain offices yet these people perform different roles, which require different competencies.
Whereas the President’s argument is valid, it did not address the accompanying issues arising from allowing the illiterates to assume elective political offices including taking the oath in English language.
The essence of an oath is for the takers to understand what they are committing to and not doing it for formality. What is the value of gambling with English words seen and heard for the first time (of course, not understood). Is that still considered as an oath? Do we understand why it is administered?
Since we allowed everyone regardless of their academic credentials to offer themselves for elective positions, we ought to allow them take the oath of office in local languages especially for local government leaders starting with the coming political term of office. This will not only help them understand the oath they take, but also save them from the embarrassment of struggling with the foreign language.
The other related issue is the literature involved, including the Local Government Act, Physical Planning Act 2010, Public Health Act, Land Act 1998, Circulars from Ministries and other necessary laws which are currently in English language.
Government ought to translate it all to local languages to aid their duties, short of which, we are likely to witness constant bickering between local government leaders and the technical staff (who are highly educated by the way) over matters accountability and boundaries of duty.
In conclusion therefore, an immediate intervention by government, on the language used in taking the oath of office, as well as having all the literature for local governments in local languages is needed.
We accepted to have illiterate leaders, therefore we can’t hide our heads in the sand anymore and pretend they do not exist.
Mr Al-Mahadi Adam Kungu is a Ugandan journalist with a passion for current African affairs. [email protected]
