Dear MPs, we shall not look on as our country is raped

Dear MPs, we shall not look on as our country is raped The Mouthpiece — 02 June 2011 The 9th Parliament has started on a wrong note. Wrong because instead of members preoccupying themselves with the problems affecting us as a nation, the first preoccupation was self-aggrandisement. I was appalled that when it came to their emoluments and demand for vehicles, both the opposition and NRM members sailed in the same boat. What appalls me so much is that Elijah Okupa an opposition MP is the one who called for the locking out the media from covering the parliament proceedings. This makes me surmise that MPs are just that – Money Parasites. I am enraged that the Parliament Public Relations Officer could have the audacity to invoke the rules that allow the eviction of journalists if the matter under discussion threatens national security. Who defines national security? Does the matter of MPs emoluments threaten national security? We may be fooled to think that the issues that were being discussed were concerned with national security threats, let the MPs tell us when they are going to debate their emoluments. To begin with, although the law allows MPs to determine their own pay, that law is both immoral and illegitimate. It contradicts the rules of natural justice that no man can be a judge in his own case. Accordingly, I call upon you to support me to challenge the constitutionality of this bad law. We have come to understand that MPs will now get 19million per month and if we are to go by the press reports each MP is going to be paid 190million for a vehicle. What amazes me is that many of these MPs make negative contribution to Uganda. I am cock-sure that out of 375 less than 100 MPs will make some contribution albeit minor. A lecturer at Makerere University is given a gross pay of shillings 1.9million and takes home not more than 1.3. Do those MPs think that they play a more effective role than university lecturers? Tarsis Kabwegyere in his book, People’s Choice, People’s Choice says that “Wealth built by majority but enjoyed by the few is very vulnerable”. Kabwegyere further argues that, “Deprivation leads to violence and extreme deprivation leads to extreme violence”. Because of the poor reading culture, many Ugandans including MPs have not read Kabwegyere’s book so as to be guided. But also, because of intellectual dishonesty, Kabwegyere has since somersaulted from his views which incidentally he put in black and white in 2000. I would encourage all of you to read Professor Kabwegyere’s book and Museveni’s, “What is Africa’s Problem?” At the end of it all we should examine what could have been the cause of the mismatch. Ugandans pay a plethora of taxes which include, 30% of Pay As You Earn (which Mwenda used to call Pay As Yoweri Enjoys), 18% of Value Added Tax, Local Service Tax, Trading Licenses, Import and Export duties and so forth. It is clear then that we are deprived of our hard earned money to cater for a few. Personally, before I was maliciously thrown into jail in Luzira, I had declared my intentions to join Parliament. However, I had made it clear that I would fight the practice of having MPs determine their own pay or fight to ensure that the pay for an MP shouldn’t go beyond Sh 5million. I know many people would ask me how I would do that. I would first debate the matter from the floor of parliament and if defeated because of the mob in the house, I would take the matter to the court of public opinion. I would bring the matter in the media and call upon the people to organise themselves into a social movement to demand that MPs and ministers don’t fleece the taxpayers. I know the NRM is not ashamed to confront with guns people demanding accountability for their taxes. I also wanted to fight the practice of having MPs appointed ministers to ensure the doctrines of separation of powers and checks and balances work. Hon Banyanzaki, was for instance critical as a backbencher. But I am pretty sure that since he is a cabinet member, he will be bound by collective responsibility and I am sure that the NRM has succeeded in gagging him. Finally, I will not tire to call upon all of you to strongly demand accountability from the leaders that we have for our taxes. There is no way we can continue to be fleeced by the people who for many years promised to ensure our dignity. As a human rights defender I understand that rights and freedoms are not given on a silver platter. Let me end with Kabwegyere’s words, “The people must have sufficient power and strength to collectively say no to leaders who don’t uphold their promises after receiving the people’s mandate”. This power, he adds, “must be exercised under provisions of a constitution and if there’s a blockage in these areas, the people have a natural right to rebel”. There is glaring evidence that the government has violated the constitution and I am wondering whether we have no right to rebel. Dear MPs, we shall not look on as our country is raped. For God and my country! Mr Nuwagaba is a human rights defender vnuwagaba@gmail.com