By CHANGE OF GUARDS
A few months ago, an online media campaign dubbed the “Parliamentary Exhibition” was initiated by rights activists to expose corruption within Parliament. The exhibition showcased documentary evidence of alleged gross misuse of public resources by the institution of Parliament, specifically targeting the Office of the Speaker and Anita Among in particular. It revealed that four members of the Parliamentary Commission had awarded themselves a “Service Award” totaling Shillings 1.7 billion. Shockingly, among them, the former Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga, had pocketed half a billion Shillings from the Shillings 1.7 billion.
Efforts by some MPs to demand an open debate on these allegations were stifled by Speaker Anita Among. Rather than ordering criminal charges for computer misuse against the so-called exhibitors, Museveni conspicuously remained silent. Speaking at a public function organized by Speaker Anita Among, he confirmed that he had “been receiving intelligence” about the exhibition. He went on to praise her:
“I have been hearing some people attacking her and other MPs. It is the traitors who are working for foreigners. Those are the real traitors. How can you talk so much on social media about Anita Among? How about those working for foreigners? I have been monitoring them through intelligence. We are going to expose these traitors. I really want to salute Anita Among… you don’t need to put her on social media; that means there is something wrong with you.”
This statement was merely a smokescreen designed to mislead Anita Among as the attack against her continued to gain momentum.
Immediately after, a censure process was initiated by a few MPs against the four Parliamentary Commissioners mentioned earlier. This move coincided with orchestrated protests against the institution of Parliament, particularly targeting Speaker Anita Among. The purpose of these actions seems to be to shield the executive from public scrutiny over corruption and misuse of public resources, while simultaneously pressuring Anita Among to either resign or have her political influence curtailed.
As the mobilization for signatures gained momentum, the majority of regime-aligned MPs sought the usual official stance. Anticipating that Museveni would, as usual, intervene to undermine the effort, the regime’s Chief Whip, Hamson Obua, ignorantly ordered regime MPs to shun the exercise, citing the need to “await guidance from the party leadership”—guidance that never came. When the process stalled, orders were issued through Museveni’s son, Crown Prince Gen. Muhoozi, instructing some MPs to append their signatures.
Once the petition gathered the required number of supporters, it was submitted to the Clerk of Parliament, who then passed it on to the Speaker for inclusion on the Order Paper for open debate.
Make no mistake, this censure motion is ultimately targeting Speaker Anita Among. It’s no surprise that the petitioners are threatening to ask Museveni to dissolve Parliament if the Speaker chooses to block the petition.
INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM
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