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New Vision (Kampala)March 10, 2004
Posted to the web March 10, 2004
Hamis Kaheru And Joyce Namutebi
Kampala
MPS yesterday traded insults over the Saturday fracas in Jinja in which members of the Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO) were roughed up by pro-Movement hooligans.The House was tense as energy state minister Daudi Migereko (Butembe) and Moses Kizige (Bugabula North) presented statements of personal explanation. PAFO had accused them of hiring the hooligans.
Kizige provoked exchanges with Salaamu Musumba (Bugabula South) when he tried to narrate how she walked out of the Women's Day celebrations in Kamuli on Monday."She walked out not because she was offended by what the President said but because she could not stand insults she was receiving from the crowd," he said.
An angry Musumba stood up on a point of order and said Kizige had made her the subject of his speech for lack of anything to say, attracting applause.Speaker Edward Ssekandi advised Kizige not to mention other people in his speech. Musumba moved out briefly and returned with two glasses of water. She was about to sip from the second glass when Kizige mentioned her name again."Mr Speaker, the MP has continued to mention my name, which shows his emptiness. He seems not to know rules on personal statements.
Straighten him up," she said.Ssekandi told Kizige to edit his statement so that he did not mention Salaamu's name again. But later Kizige said PAFO members were the best brains in the country, prompting protests from Justine Lumumba (Bugiri)."Is he in order to grade brains in this House," Lumumba said, causing a bout of laughter.
Migereko was interrupted several times with shouts of "shame" from MPs, notably Miria Matembe (Mbarara woman).Migereko denied that he was behind the disruption of the PAFO meeting in Jinja on Saturday."I condemn thuggery (intended) to disrupt order in such meetings. We have a duty to ensure this does not happen again, particularly at this time of political transition," he said.
But he attracted heckling when he said, "As members of Parliament we need each other if we are to have a smooth political transition and sustainable democracy."Ssekandi urged the MPs to cool down and prepare for the debate of the issue of amending the Constitution.
"What will happen when we come to the real issue. Prepare as individual MPs to listen to each other," Ssekandi said.Migereko said the trouble in Jinja started when PAFO turned away invited participants. He said he had encouraged local leaders to attend.
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the state."
- Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda minister
