I GUESS THEY DID NOT ONLY SLEEP, THEY DID SOME THINGS. Read this, some parts are totally hilarious. -------------------------- Far from the vibrant, autonomous legislative body that it promised to be at the onset, the 9th Parliament has lost most of its bite. Upon being sworn in in May 2011, MPs asserted themselves on a number of issues, tasking the executive to explain its excesses and taking the lead role in a short-lived crusade against corruption. This year, however, the MPs were such a huge shadow of their former selves that in July, the deputy speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, came out and openly criticised the quality of debate in the 380-member strong House. “You look at the quality of debate; look at the level of research…. Someone just comes into the chambers and starts debating. I used to read the Hansard but I have stopped reading it. We miss the big picture because in our debates, we are so political because politics is the only thing that does not require research,” Mr Oulanyah said. In this survey, The Observer looks at the Hansard records to bring you a comprehensive picture of what transpired in Parliament. The Hansard records that we scrutinised over the period from January14 when Speaker Rebecca Kadaga recalled the house from recess to discuss and later ratify the controversial deployment of UPDF in South Sudan to December 3 when Parliament stopped its recordings of the year pending conclusion of the last sittings of December. According to the Hansard, Parliament sat 70 times. However, a considerable number of legislators, including some ministers, did not make significant contributions to the debates during that time. In fact, some did not even utter a single word on the floor. Some senior cabinet ministers abandoned their duties to their junior ministers. For instance, Attorney General Peter Nnyombi and Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa do not appear anywhere in the Hansard. Instead, their respective deputies Freddie Ruhindi and Okello Oryem feature prominently, as they represented their ministries more regularly on the floor. Mr Kutesa, of course, has spent most of the year out of the country, initially to campaign for, and then serve as, President of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, USA. Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and First Lady and Karamoja Affairs Minister Janet Museveni have each spoken once during Parliament’s 70 sittings. The biggest contributors from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party are Government Chief Whip Justine Kasule Lumumba and the state minister for Internal Affairs James Baba, who spoke 30 times and 60 times respectively. Mixed picture The Hansard indicates an improvement in the performances of some individuals and a considerable decline in the contributions of others. Some of those who have gone quiet were previously the House’s most vocal contributors. They include Muhammad Nsereko [Kampala Central], Barnabas Tinkasiimire [Buyaga West],Vincent Kyamadidi [Rwampara, NRM], Rosemary Sseninde [Wakiso Woman, NRM], Abdu Katuntu [Bugweri, FDC]; Gerald Karuhanga [Youth, Western region, Independent]. As seen in the table attached, the Hansard did not capture a number of MPs because they didn’t speak throughout the year. The most active legislators of 2014 included Beatrice Anywar [Kitgum, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)], Medard Bitekyerezo [Mbarara Municipality, NRM], Jacob Oboth Oboth [West Budama South, Independent], Paul Mwiru [Jinja Municipality East, FDC], leader of opposition Wafula Oguttu, and Muwanga Kivumbi [Butambala, DP]. Others are former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi [Kinkiizi West, NRM], Godfrey Lubega [Kassanda North, Indepement], Cecilia Ogwal [Dokolo, FDC], Jack Wamanga Wamai [Mbale Municipality, FDC], Kassiano Wadri, [FDC] and Betty Amongi [Oyam South, UPC]. Bills passed Despite lukewarm participation from the MPs, Parliament passed 12 bills. They include the HIV/AIDS preventions and control bill, the Public Private Partnership bill, 2012; the Finance bill, 2014 and the Excise Duty bill, 2014, which drew controversy to the extent of forcing the President to refer the last three to Parliament for reconsideration before signing them into laws. Parliament also handled other business, including 12 reports, 21 ministerial statements, passing 14 motions and disposing of eight petitions over the last six months of its fourth year. “[It] has been an eventful year with many milestones achieved and a couple of challenges along the way,” said Speaker Kadaga at her year-ending press conference. “It has been a very successful year for the ninth Parliament.” Limitations This analysis, however, does not delve into the substance that each MP contributed to the discourse in the House. Some of those captured only a few times in the Hansard may complain that they brought much more quality debate to Parliament than their colleagues with higher numbers. As deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah has complained, quantity may not always mirror quality. Neither does the Hansard capture contributions made by MPs during committee sittings. Reporters know that some MPs cannot bring themselves to raise their hands before the full House but can hold sway in a small room with MPs, witnesses and a handful of journalists. Yet at a time when absenteeism of MPs is reaching crisis proportions, these numbers are a useful indicator of who is present and active in the House. Key moments of 2014 January 14: Speaker Kadaga recalls the house to approve the deployment of UPDF in South Sudan where they have been since December 2013. February 18: Brigadier Innocent Oula took oath to succeed General Sejusa after the house committee on rules found him guilty of the charges against him. February 19: Parliament adopts a report by PAC to exonerate Janet Museveni and Amama Mbabazi, the then premier of any wrong doing in the multi-billion OPM scandal, despite a minority report by Kalungu West’s Joseph Ssewungu, which held the officials liable. July 22: House designated members to a select committee to investigate matters pertaining to the mismanagement of NSSF November 11: Speaker names a select committee to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway [SGR] observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35678:-most-active-dormant-mps-of-2014-revealed&catid=34:news&Itemid=114
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 20:56:58 +0000
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