Rescue CPA from UK Dominance- Speaker Among

Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among has urged African countries to rescue the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) from UK dominance.

Among was speaking at the 86th Executive Committee Meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) at the Protea Hotel in Entebbe on Monday. CPA is an organisation of the international community of Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.

While presiding over the meeting, Speaker Among, who is also the President, CPA, Uganda Branch said one of the key issues that CPA Africa Region should handle with unity of purpose is the rejection of the Status of CPA as a Charity Organization in UK.

“Africa has more charitable causes due to colonialism, imperialism, unfair trade and climate change disasters than UK. Africa should desist from contributing resources in form of subscription fees to a Charity Organization in the UK. It is not fair and it is not right. This meeting should decide that enough is enough,” Among said.

She said that African countries should fight for the independence of CPA from UK.

“We need to remain a member of CPA but CPA that is not a charity, but an international parliamentary organization. If UK does not want to enact a law changing the status of CPA from a charity to an international parliamentary organization, and it appears it has refused, Africa should be ready to work with other regions of the commonwealth to rescue the CPA from the control of the UK Government,” she said.

Among said she is confident that this meeting will serve as a catalyst for positive change. “To achieve this positive change, we shall need to work as a united team in our negotiations with the wider commonwealth,” she said.