LOP Statement on Return to House Feb 2007

Rt. Hon. Speaker,
Hon. Members of Parliament, and Fellow Ugandans.

On 30th January 2007, exactly 3 weeks ago today, I stood before this August House to make a brief Statement on the deep concerns that we in the Opposition held on the Executive's breach of the fundamental tenets of Freedom and Good Governance, namely its obligation and duty under our Constitution to uphold Human Rights, respect for the Rule of Law, and the Principle of Separation of Powers between the Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary.

In my Statement, I outlined how, arising from the above Executive breaches, helpless Ugandans were suffering needlessly in safe houses and in the hands of security agencies; how so many have needlessly choked with teargas and red pepper sprays in the name of Law and Order; how so many are being incarcerated in jails and have been denied justice for far too long; how the neutrality and independence of the Prisons Service and the objectivity and civility of the Uganda Police Force are being compromised and eroded; and how rulings of our Courts of Judicature are being disregarded with impunity, and the dignity and authority of Courts consequently undermined. I also pointed out that, to us, these were grave signs for our Country.

Hon. Speaker, given Uganda's turbulent past and our oversight obligation and duty as the Opposition, we had to act urgently and be very bold, loud and clear about it. Accordingly, we the Opposition in Parliament temporarily withdrew our participation in the Plenary of the House. On that eventful day, I led a walkout of the entire Opposition from the House.

Today, Hon. Speaker and Hon. Members, I am again most privileged to lead the entire Opposition back into the House.

As we return to the House, allow me Hon. Speaker to briefly address the various issues that arose following our walkout and, in particular, the merits or demerits of our action and what we may have learnt from, and achieved or failed to achieve by, our action.

Before I do so, however, we the Opposition would like to register our deep and most sincere appreciation to the whole country for the support we received.

Hon. Speaker, our walkout caught the entire country by complete surprise, although we made the decision to do so two days earlier. Even President Yoweri Museveni, the guerilla leader and proud believer in his intelligence system was caught by complete surprise!

Let me, therefore, take the first opportunity to thank and applaud the entire Opposition in Parliament for the seriousness and maturity demonstrated in holding in strict confidentiality our decisions, in acting as one body, and for the trust you put in us your leaders.

To our Independent Members, to our CP Member, to our JEEMA Member, to our DP Members, to our UPC Members and to our FDC Members I say: webale nyo nyo, yalama noi, awadifo tu, webale inyo, wanyala nyabi, ma anzo okposi, wasinja, apwoyo matek. Yes, colleagues, thank you so-so much, and let us keep up the good work.

Hon. Speaker, allow me to next convey my sincere thanks to, and respect for, our Hon. colleagues who sit on the Government side, and in particular those who saw our walkout from a nationalistic and patriotic standpoint.

At the risk of being misunderstood, you respectfully urged your Government to address the issues that led to our walkout. You held out and urged us to return to the House so that we, as a National Parliament, may decide issues that concern our country collectively. Hon. Members, we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. I assure you that, in being there at our time of need, you are friends indeed and we shall never forget.

Beyond our partisan beliefs, we are, as Parliament, enjoined and commanded by our Constitution in Article 79(3) that: "Parliament shall protect this Constitution and promote democratic governance of Uganda". Let no one among us forget that command and betray the Constitution, democracy and our beloved Country!

Allow me to also convey the appreciation of the entire Opposition to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, for the understanding and support shown us. We recognize that our sudden walkout momentarily unbalanced the Speaker, but you have since assured us of Parliament's concern. You have also urged us to return to the House so that we may execute our constitutional obligations together as one.

While outside the House, we attempted to visit Luzira Prison, we held various public rallies around Kampala, and we met the Uganda Human Rights Commission. We also met the Heads of our Courts of Judicature: The Chief Justice of Uganda- The Hon. Justice Benjamin Odoki, The Deputy Chief Justice- Justice Leticia Kikonyogo, and the Principal Judge- Justice James Ogoola.

In these interactions, positive engagement was established. I acknowledge in particular the co-operation of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda (Ndugu), and of the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kaihura, who kept their teargas throwers out of our way.

Leaders and supporters of our various Political Parties, the Uganda Law Society, the media and the entire Ugandan population expressed various concerns on the issues that led to our walkout from the House. As Parliamentarians, we merely carried out our duties. It is you, all, who went beyond the call of duty to support and encourage us. We pray to the Almighty to protect and reward you all abundantly.

Rt. Hon. Speaker and Hon. Members, when we walked out of the House, we were not acting against Parliament; neither did we neglect our responsibilities to the country. For the record, our Members continued to lead and participate in crucial activities of Parliament. Proceedings of the Committees on Public Accounts, Local Government Accounts, and on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises, that are led by us the Opposition, bear us out.

Hon. Speaker, the primary objective of our walkout was very specific: to act against and express out extreme displeasure at the conduct of the Executive that threatened constitutionalism, freedom, democracy, rule of law, good governance and the stability of our Country. For those who did not realize, our act of walking out in itself fulfilled that very objective.

You see, Hon. Speaker, it is so easy for Ugandans, most of whom are now pre-occupied with basic survival, and some with excessive self-aggrandizement, to dismiss the threat to our stability that the said conduct of the Executive poses, and thus to trivialize our walkout.

But then our country Uganda is composed of various ethnicities, with diverse social values and cultural norms. We have cultures that value loyalty to traditional rulers and Kings; we have cultures that allowed murder for honour, we have cultures that exalt corruption and even treachery as smartness.

We must also contend with our tragic history where past leaders who were so praised and adored as they assumed power, but who, once raw power went into their heads and we the people refused to sanction their excesses, turned against us, incarcerated us, brutalized us and murdered us. And, yes, we must truly contend with our fatalistic tendency to gravitate towards that past.

In spite of our diversity and disjointed pull, we were brought together as a country, and remained stable and progressive, by the steadfast will and institutional mindset of the colonialists. As long as our institutions work and the excesses of individuals kept under check, our country shall remain stable and shall prosper. When the authority of the State is undermined, in favour of the whims and command of individuals, we must all be very afraid indeed. We then have no option but to act together and resolutely.

Hon. Members, many questions have been asked as to whether in our walkout we achieved anything, and whether the walkout had any impact on the Executive.

At a lighter and personal level, the Opposition walkout earned me positive, albeit mischievous, mention in John Nagenda's Saturday column in the New Vision newspaper. Even our poet Judge, Justice James Ogoola, was inspired to christen walkouts as: "doing a Latigo". Of course, like all good politicians, I love the free publicity. More importantly, however, the walkout was visibly most compelling. The sight of our Parliament in Session with the Government side of the House full of Members struggling for space while the Opposition side remained completely empty was like the 5 sight of a decent man walking out of his house in the morning with only one leg of the trousers worn! Even the most idle minds, watching this daily spectacle, wonder what the matter was! Surely, which "a thousand words" spoken on the Floor of the House would have beaten that "picture" and more effectively conveyed our concerns to the people of Uganda and the whole world?

Hon. Speaker and Hon. Members, beyond Parliament, our walkout revealed dangerous fears and potential scion in some of our key national institutions, and also refreshing hope among our people. After the attempt to visit Luzira Prisons, our first institutional call was to the Uganda Human Rights Commission, on Tuesday, 6th February 2007. Our mission was to delivery a letter of "Appreciation, Encouragement and Support" to the Commission, in view of the pro-people and objective positions on Human Rights that it has consistently taken and courageously held.

Except for one woman Commissioner, who in a truly bizarre scene wanted to attack our very mission of support to the Commission, our visit went on well and we were very well received. We thank the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Margaret Ssekajja, for her civility and courage.

Unfortunately, the woman Commissioner, not satisfied with what transpired during our visit, again went to the New Vision newspaper and, waving her "I am a Lawyer" credential published, on 12th February 2007, an article in that newspaper titled: "Human rights commissioner speaks on PRA suspects". The article was supposedly a response to the media, but was in fact intended to counter our visit to the Commission.

In that sycophancy and fear for her job, where was the Commissioner's law to advise her on her collective obligation as a Commissioner to the defense of Human Rights? If she felt so out of step with the Commission, why did she not do the only honourable thing and resign, rather than bring the whole institution of the Uganda Human Rights Commission into disrespect, and expose it to ridicule?

Hon. Speaker, our next institutional call was to The Hon. Chief Justice of Uganda, on Friday, 9th February 2007. Although the Justices in their wisdom may term it institutional caution, we again witnessed institutional fear that must concern all Ugandans.

Our first attempt to meet The Hon. Chief Justice on 5th February 2007 failed, but the following day the Ag. Chief Registrar, Mr. Lawrence Gidudu, informed us that we would be received that Friday. Unfortunately, and undoubtedly out of fear and in near contempt, he threw caution and decorum to the winds and wrote to us that:

"The Hon. Chief Justice has agreed to receive your letter in person provided it is presented to him by you in the company of two other members in a diplomatic and quiet atmosphere.

For this reason, the Hon. Chief Justice shall not meet large numbers of members mobbed by the press in a demonstration mood"

Maintaining our objectivity and dignity, we wrote back to him that:

"Let me also take this opportunity to let you know that we took great exception to the paragraph in your letter that said: "For this reason, the Hon. Chief Justice shall not meet large numbers of members mobbed by the press in a demonstration mood". After the preceding paragraph, this statement was without basis, presumptuous, highly discourteous and almost disrespectful of us as Members of Parliament; for: (i) we never requested that the press be present at the meeting with the CJ, (ii) we are not responsible for the conduct of the press but recognize their rights under our laws to report events, (iii) management of the press in the precincts of Courts are not our responsibility". "As much as we are coming to demonstrate our support for the dignity and authority of our Courts of Judicature, we equally expect Officers of the Courts, regardless of their political inclinations, to treat all Members of Parliament with some respect and with the honour bestowed upon them by our laws".

Following this response, the Ag. Chief Registrar, on early Friday, telephoned me to let us know that the Parliamentary Reporters could accompany us. Clearly, our Judicial Officials were initially scared as to how the powers-that-be would react if they received us openly and with the dignity that we deserve.

Hon. Members, the other matter that would otherwise have been a positive development in this Human Rights and Law and Justice saga is the application for Amnesty by some of the PRA Suspects.

We have indisputable information that the President's assertion that the PRA suspects "will never come out unless they asked for amnesty"- clearly intended to undermine their faith in the Court processes- that was later absurdly denied and then also asserted by Minister for Security, Hon. Amama Mbabazi, is now being used as the stick to force the suspects to ask for amnesty. Most unfortunately, some legal officers of the Amnesty Commission and Prisons Officers are reportedly involved in this exercise contrary to the law.

Surely, what kind of people are we who take pleasure in driving suspects to obtain amnesty under duress? Where is our sense of humanity, forgiveness and reconciliation upon which the Amnesty Act was premised?

To make matters worse, these prisoners are even being enticed with the suggestion that they write proposals for Government to fund their resettlement upon their release. Ho, how lowly must we really sink?

Hon. Speaker and Hon. Members, it is often said that: "every dark cloud has a silver lining". In deed, positive things have also emerged out of our walkout.

During out time outside the August House, we held various rallies throughout Kampala, where the public participated actively and peacefully, although with very heavy hearts. True to the commitment made by both the Inspector General of Police and Minister of Internal Affairs, no teargas-wielding Policemen were deployed against us.

Those peaceful rallies were the most glaring evidence that the Opposition mean well for this country, and that, without recourse to strong-arm tactics, we can still do our things and enjoy being Ugandans together. We hope and pray that, in spite of the President's pronouncement on teargas, this new trend will continue.

Hon Speaker, we have also been reliably informed that, on the day of our visit to Luzira Prisons, Prisoners assembled in the yard to await our arrival. When they were told that we were no longer coming, a near riot situation developed.

While this was disappointing and painful, it was most gratifying that the Prisoners, for whom we walked out of Parliament, appreciated our action. More importantly, they still recognized their rights to meet us even when they are in prisons. Surely, must we not all stand up for our rights no matter the circumstances?

For our brothers and sisters in the prisons, we promise to make up for the lost opportunity, and may the Good Lord protect you all!

As I end my Statement, Hon. Speaker, allow me to briefly respond to the question as to whether our walkout had any impact on the Executive, and to address those who, following President Museveni's assertion on the PRA suspects and use of teargas, asserted blindly that "the opposition will never intimidate or blackmail our Government".

As a matter of fact, given the all-powerful and the know-all attitude of some leaders in the NRM Government, we never considered for a moment that we would objectively influence their decisions. No!

On the contrary, we would have been most pleasantly surprised if during our walkout Government invited us to discuss our concerns. We would even have been much more surprised if the President and his Ministers did not respond defiantly the way they did! But then, we draw our conviction from the events since the advent of the NRM Government in 1986.

Hon. Speaker, on 29th January 1986, before the steps of this very Parliament, Yoweri Museveni, upon being sworn in as President of Uganda, solemnly stated that: "This is not a mere change of guards, this is a fundamental change. Never again shall Ugandans.".

With that pronouncement, Ugandans received the NRM Regime with such emotion, hope and love, and they put all their trust in it. Yoweri Museveni became a cult hero- loved, adored and imitated by many. Hope for democracy and freedom filled the air. As we look back now, can someone tell Ugandans what happened since, what went wrong, and where that hope and love went? 9 Is the incarceration of individuals, torture, tear-gassing of opponents, and even killings by State agents, the freedom and the "never again" that was promised to Ugandans in 1986? Will intimidation, violence, Police brutality, abuse of due processes, and all that we are talking against, bring back the love and trust that were so freely given in 1986? Will ill-gotten wealth, oil money or even fear, buy long-term support and security for those now despised and hated by their victims? When will it be time to stop, reflect, and to say no, not again?

For us, we are but just like the Roman soothsayer who told Julius Caesar, the Great Emperor, that: "Beware the ides of March". We are also merely following the great Ugandan actor and playwright from the President's own district, Mr. Mwiine who, before us, in his one-man prophetic play titled "Mwerinde biro" warned our dear leaders to "Beware of time!"

Yes! We may, like Field Marshall Mobutu of Zaire, enjoy maximum protect and treat State resources as if it were our own. We may, like Jean Bedel Bokasa of Central Africa, crown ourselves Emperors. We may, like Idi Amin, falsely believing in our powers and immortality, declare ourselves Life Presidents. We may even, like Saddam Hussein, build formidable armies, 'win' rigged elections and erect monuments to glorify our deeds.

But nay, history and time will surely march on. If we continue in false-belief and we do not pull back, we will certainly end up in the same dung-heap of history where we consigned others in 1986.

Having done what we did and said what we said, our job is done- upende hau usipende.

Take it or leave it.

Rt. Hon. Speaker and Hon Members, I thank you all.

Prof. Morris. W. Ogenga-Latigo (MP)

HON. LEADER OF OPPOSITION.