Last week, the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda the Rt Hon Anita Annet Among ordered the striking Opposition MPs to stop going for foreign trips as well as Parliamentary Committees if they don’t want to attend the Plenary!
First, whereas the Speakers directive was received with mixed reactions, leadership some times requires taking tough & bold decisions for the good of the country and that’s what Hon Among is doing!
Secondly, MPs were elected to represent their people in Parliament and that is their Cardinal role and responsibility which they should not abdicate at any given time. By them spending three weeks without attending Parliament, they are cheating their own voters who elected them!
Thirdly although the lives of the 18 people who disappeared matter, and whereas government should account for them, it doesn’t stop the lives of the 45 million Ugandans from moving forward as government handles the issue. Reality is that even when a head of the family dies, the family members will have lunch & super that day. The unfortunate disappearances do not stop the country from moving forward just like the ‘good’ MPs have continued drawing salaries despite the missing people. In any case even when Caine killed Abel in the bible, the world did not stop!
Therefore if indeed the Opposition mattered about these lives, why did Kyagulanyi continue to campaign in 2021 when his people were allegedly being killed or harassed? If indeed they think Parliament is not doing a good job, why didn’t they resign like Waswa Zilitwawula did in the 1989? Why should they keep destroying the image of same institution they are serving? Aren’t they acting like parasites (worms) which eat & kill the animal they are feeding on?
Moreso, the argument regarding the 18 missing persons is another execuse they are giving. There is no way how the statement can be presented if the MPs who demanded for it are not in the house to receive it. In any case the government has presented countless statements regarding those people and so Mathias Mpuuga is simply recycling old claims for purposes of securing his reappointment as Leader of Opposition. It’s sad that he is playing politics at the expense of Parliament business!
Moreso, if the MPs have a quarrel with the Executive, why should they boycott Parliament? Why shouldn’t they instead block or fight government business within Parliament instead of going outside the house? How can you fight a war by running away from the battlefield?
Therefore, the Speaker is right because these MPs are just hypocrites who want to sign for allowances to go for trips abroad but then want to masquerade before cameras that they are boycotting Parliament!
Lastly if indeed they want to punish Parliament, let them forego the allowances, the trips, the vehicles etc and then we shall know that they are serious, they can not eat their own cake and have it! The Speaker is the custodian of Parliament, Rules of procedure and the law, she has a duty to ensure discpline among the members!
The author is a political analyst! georges2010ug@gmail.com
