Africa-Press – Uganda. The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, while opening the two-day induction for Members of Parliament counselled all legislators that opposition in the House is about issues on the floor, but not centred around political parties.
As a member of one of the Opposition parties in Parliament, I cannot agree more with the Speaker. The most resonant and reassuring lines that he uttered were: “You are not here as an individual; you are here as part of all these people. Whatever you do, you must do it knowing that it can bring this entire group of intelligent and dignified people into disrepute.”
He further added: “It does not matter whether a member is from the minority party or the ruling party; it doesn’t even matter which region the member comes from. Every Member of Parliament has rights equal as any other member of this House. Accord each member respect.”
However, knowing our Speaker as a man of unequalled appellation when it comes to delivering well-crafted speeches, many members of the August House are waiting to see how he will match these great promises with the way he is going to conduct business. The jury is out on whether Mr Oulanyah will rise to the occasion to mean every word he said during the induction. And as I call upon all parliamentarians to hearken to his glad tidings of engendering democracy in our country, let me add that perhaps this will be the first time, since multi-party dispensation was re-introduced in Uganda in 2005, that “opposition” is being defined from the outset. So, let it be on national issues, but not about parties and party colours.
There are several reasons why it is imperative for the Speaker and his deputy, along with the majority NRM MPs, to treat the members from the Opposition parties with respect and dignity.
First, there is an urgent need to restore sanity in the August House as well as restore the independence of the Legislature. The disturbing videos of the honourable members of the 10th Parliament in a fierce physical fight in the house during the debate on the age limit Bill in September 2017, cast our civilization as a country in the worst possible light. Sadly, this emotional ghost continues to haunt the house. This insanity and vulgarity must stop, and the Speaker must do everything to restore trust and decorum. Parliament is a vanguard that allows for cross-fertilisation of ideas, not an arena for ineptitude and mediocrity.
Second, the Daily Monitor June 8 asked a pertinent question thus, “Can the 11th Parliament help revive Uganda’s economy?” The best answer the Speaker can give is to re-position the Opposition in Parliament. To do so, he must use his great public speaking skills to persuade the President to recognise the role of the Opposition in questioning the government in power to ensure that the government is accountable to the people of Uganda. The President as a fountain of honour needs to reflect on his futile actions of suffocating Opposition parties in Uganda for 35 years. It is this perpetual error of always being in combat with the Opposition that has made his government’s fight against poverty dismal. As such, all the poverty alleviation programmes that could have gone a long way in lifting Ugandans from poverty, have all gone to waste. Had he allowed the Opposition to point out the gaps in their design and implementation, the middle-income status he talks about would be within reach.
The parish development model that was recently approved by Parliament will only create an impact if dissenting voices both in opposition parties and within the ruling party itself come out to challenge why it may not work in all corners of Uganda, and to keep the people implementing it accountable and transparent. It takes a robust Opposition, not only the NRM voting numbers, for Parliament to enact laws and develop policies that allow for refraction in different contexts.
All democracies ride on the strength of the Opposition in raising no confidence motions, and their ability to utilise the media to reach the electorate with their views.
Ms Joan Acom Alobo is the Woman Member of Parliament for the new Soroti City.
