Censuring me is unconstitutional,Namuganza

In Summary
  • "...I want to thank the so many who are with me and are more than those who have signed and they are saying that you have helped us, because this parliamentary leadership has become a problem..."
Hon.Persis Namuganza on the floor of parliament
Image: Courtesy

https://capitalradio.co.ug/news/2022-12-20-among-provoked-me-firstnamuganza/

Will you talk to the voices that accuse you of being problematic owing to the fact that you had a feud with the previous speaker and now the current speaker?

Of course, in every situation, people will always pick words to use to blackmail you and make sure that they inform the public that you are the wrong person. None of these situations have been the one that started them and by the time I come out to speak is when I have been pressed so much.

 
 

Like in the case of Rt.Hon. Kadaga, when I came out to speak, they had even involved my family members to blackmail me including a real biological brother, who said they did not know me in the family when it reaches that level it ceases to become an issue you can handle in a sluggish way, and now even with this one it is the same case, she has looked around and tried to find out whether I have any scandals.

Journalist, Edwin Muhumuza alongside Hon.Persis Namuganza after the interview in the Capital FM studio
Image: Edwin Muhumuza

Now she picked on Naguru land which has a lot of issues with different investors fighting one another over the same piece of land, whether it implicates me or not. Now if I may ask, am I the one who told her to come and put my husband under duress, to forge her marriage between Magogo and herself? These are serious issues.

Why and when do you expect me to remain silent to show discipline because she is a speaker? I have never started a war on these people because am a busy person always minding my own business. Then you see people provoking you. How do you show discipline in case of fraud where your husband has been made to sign the wrong papers that he wedded, Among and Magogo when actually they have not appeared before him? How do you remain silent and behave in a humble way because you were brought up well?

My relationship with members of parliament is very okay, I greet them, they come to the ministry f they have land issues and we handle them at that level. So this level of interaction where they say that I am proud and I do not go with them to bars and discos, no, that's not me!

Finally, do you feel betrayed by the over 170 that have so far signed to censure you?

Those who have signed are proceeding unconstitutionally and are breaking the law straight away no matter what the chief of rules, Hon. Katuntu is advising them. They will come to know that they broke the constitution because we are picking all their signatures and they will be sued. We take an oath as an individual.

I want to thank the so many who are with me and are more than those who have signed. They are saying that you have helped us, because this parliamentary leadership has become a problem, victimizing us, we do not have freedom of speech, and every time you rise to speak you are at the mercy of the presiding officer and such voices are the majority who say they cannot sign for such silly motions.

Namuganza appearing before the Rules,Privileges and Discipline committee
Image: Courtesy Photo

Personally, I never signed a motion to censure Hon. Francis Zaake who is not even my friend but when they brought up an issue that he tweeted insulting the speaker and the speaker was the first to insult, I said how can I really go and censure someone over a Twitter message? I am principled and I want to thank members who are principled and are tired of this leadership. So when situations like this happen, you never know that it is when members can have peace to represent their constituents.

If you watch public sessions of parliament you see that there is a serious problem in the 11th parliament. They don’t allow you to raise an issue. Hon Zaake is in the committee of discipline again because he raised the issue of abductions but that is a national concern. It may even be the rebels abducting people to stain the NRM government. Why would a presiding officer say keep quiet, “I am the one who told you to speak and the one who told you to keep quiet, I have sent you to the disciplinary committee.”

That’s not their work to intimidate members to fear the parliamentary leadership and so they want to use it so as to remain respected when in actual sense they have a confidence crisis.