Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah has told Members of Parliament that the 11th Parliament has to have a unique and memorable legacy for itself as a people-centred Parliament.
To achieve this in a race against time and an increasingly skeptic public, Speaker Oulanyah vouched for well-researched debates and a clear statement of the Legislature’s philosophy on what needs to be achieved within the next five years.
“The era of throwing figures and statistics whose sources are ourselves, that era is over. You will not speak if you have not done research, [your speech] must be evidence based; the society is watching and watching keenly, ” he said.
Oulanyah said in the coming days, MPs will have an exhaustive debate on the future of the country, for onward transmission to the President and government, which will be the guiding philosophy upon which the Legislature’s decision making will be based.
“I want to propose that we debate generally on the Uganda we want; a general debate without a vote on the Uganda we want; on the things that affect the people so that whenever proposals from government are brought, our position is known,” he said.
To pull this off, Speaker Oulanyah said he is going to consult with the Government Chief Whip, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and all stakeholders, and that technocrats in Parliament will pick out the key issues and reduce it into a workable document that will be a guide to the thinking and philosophy of Parliament.
The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon Mathias Mpuuga was in agreement.
“The left hand side of the Speaker [opposition] is sharpening it’s edges; we are here to execute the mandate and we hope the right hand side of the Speaker [government side] will listen to the minority; we are learning, we are unlearning and we hope to make this House better,” he said.
MP Patrick Oshabe (NUP, Kassanda North) wondered whether the result of the discourse will be meaningfully implemented in the policy arenas in government.
“Are we having the government ready to take it [the proposals hence discussed] or our debate will go to National Planning Authority to be integrated into the National Development Plan,” he said.
Speaker Oulanyah said after the thoughts being reduced into writing, it will be submitted to government as a guide for its actions.
MP Ibrahim Ssemujju (NUP, Kira Municipality) who started by admonishing Cabinet Ministers for absenteeism, said for debate in the House to be enriched, there has to be a new method for choosing MPs who will contribute to a particular debate.
Ssemujju says debate doesn’t improve by the quantity of contributors but rather by their quality.
Oulanyah also officially welcomed Clerk to Parliament, Hon Adolf Mwesige Kasaija, who took office last week following his appointment last month by President Museveni.
Hon Mwesige’s story, said Oulanyah, is that of perseverance, which should inspire youngsters to surmount obstacles and rise highest.
