Watching video clips and reading about Hon. Ofwono Opondo’s submission in the house on what legal minds have described as illegal arrests and abductions, reminded me of Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s era, may he continue to rest in power.
The member of parliament (MP) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, Representative of Older Persons of Eastern Uganda, Hon. Opondo, came well prepared, well researched; and eloquently delivered his submission.
He, Hon. Opondo, provided an excellent example of Evidence-Based Debate.
“This house should demand a thorough explanation from the Ministry of Defense, the Attorney General, and Ministry of Internal Affairs. Praise Aloikin was lured to a Police Station, and was arrested. It is unacceptable for NRM to preside over impunity and torturing citizens.” This was the gist of Hon. Opondo’s submission.
Evidence-based debate is an art and skill which, unfortunately, many in Parliament are challenged to master and execute.
Case in point, when he was interrupted by the Hon. MP Enos Asiimwe, Representing Kabula County in the 12th Parliament, Hon. Opondo did not miss the opportunity to school the house.
“This is an NRM Government (administration of Uganda current) and those institutions (‘security agencies’) are supervised by the NRM Party in Government,” Hon. Opondo educated the house.
He did so in response to a jaw dropping mal-point of order from Hon. Asiimwe demanding that Hon. Opondo “distinguish between the Uganda Police Force or security services and NRM. It is not NRM that arrests or arrested.”
The jaw dropper from Hon. Asiimwe espouses the kind of inferior quality debate that Speaker Oulanyah decried and decreed not fit for the floor of Parliament.
The kind not desirable to be recorded in the Hansard for future generations of academics, according to Speaker Oulanyah.
I mean, how is it that Hon. Asiimwe does not know that the political party in power, the party with the mandate to administrate the state, is responsible for the actions of the state?
How now?
I pray that Hon. Asiimwe and the entire 12th Parliament hid Hon. Opondo’s advice for them to take the time to learn, before embarrassing themselves and the entire Parliament on the floor of the house; and among us citizens.
As a basic minimum, MPs must familiarize with Article 79 of the Constitution of Uganda, in which the constitutional roles of parliament are articulated.
Among said roles is “Oversight and Scrutiny: Parliament Scrutinizes Government Policy and Administration.”
An MP should know this, their constitutional role, already!
Which begs the questions:
How is it that no MP belonging to political parties not the ruling party were not as daring and as eloquent in their submissions on this matter?
Or were they and I missed it?
To what extent does Kakwenza’s characterization of ‘opposition MPs’ hold true?
Let’s Chat…