Sh10b for MPs: Our Parliament is an invoice

By SsemandaAllawi

As the country braves economic meltdown and Ugandans feeling the pinch caused by Coronavirus world over, it is clear that life is becoming hard for people to survive as different countries Uganda inclusive embraced lockdowns as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The impacts COVID-19 has caused from social, to economic, have largely affected people irrespective of one's status - but arguably, low earners and many who live on hand-to-mouth jobs have been affected more than any other group of people.

As the government is trying to reach out the vulnerable with food assistance and rallying those who can to support the most vulnerable, news that Ugandan legislators allocated themselves sh10b in the supplementary budget came in which left some of us questioning our honourables' priorities when it comes to countering challenges as a country.  Do they really think about country and Ugandans first or it is every man for himself and God for us all?

The decision by our MPs to choose to take sh20m each at a time when one would imagine that our health workers should be given more facilitation or that there should be more money going to Coronavirus National Taskforce so that such money is used to ensure a wider number of vulnerable Ugandans is reached and helped, it is inconceivable and a selfish act - it is betraying Ugandans to say the least seeing MPs in cash bonanza!

Actually, MPs decision to allocate themselves sh10b when the country is clearly in distress, to me it was a clear confirmation that our 10^th parliament is just an invoice! It is evident that irrespective of their political affiliations when we voted our members of parliament who call themselves honourables to represent us, we voted for an invoice and this is the time to feel it!

 

By voting members of parament and allowing them to be paid as they wish, we issued a blank cheque to our leaders who like to be called honourables as I often see them during introductions calling themselves; " I am called Honourable so and so…" Sadly, at a time of crisis like we are in now, they have abused our trust  with the recent decision of allocating themselves taxpayers money from National treasury.

 

I have seen some arguing that what they did is not against the constitution. Of course, they argue that constitution allows them to decide how much they should pay themselves.

Put differently, our constitution states that after electing our MPs, it is like family holding a referendum to move them from for example Katanga or Kisenyi to reside in Muyenga or Munyonyo.

If the family passes the referendum, the decision becomes an invoice - by all means you will have to pay current rent in Muyenga or Munyonyo even if you cry that you can only afford Katanga or Kisenyi rent. Those of us saying that MPs are becoming a burden to sustain, this is where we are today. Our MPs are overtly telling us that because we voted them to be called honourables, we must maintain them as honourables even if it requires many of us to go hungry and die not of Covid-19 but of hunger!

Sadly, your honourables will even argue this is right because the constitution ‘allows' them to do so!  Therefore, unless we think of amending constitution, we should know that our MPs always have an invoice for us, and we must pay for it. Other than the monthly invoice, where natural calamities like Covid-19 comes in, we still must be ready to pay the bill so that our MPs can take care of themselves and later those who will be lucky, they will come and help us using the very money we paid them through nose as taxes.

I have listened to some of our MPs reasoning how they bought ambulances and want to fuel them using this money or that they want to help some of us who are starving as a result of lockdown. The question here - you may say it is illogical but I am still wondering if the MPs want to help their constituents - I will not call them voters, why should they use money from national treasury? Isn't it prudent that they use their salaries we have been paying them timely on a monthly basis? Maybe it is time we think again? Maybe we should think of amending our constitution which allows MPs to decide how much is enough for them?

Aware that helping is done at one's discretion, if our MPs want to be paid so that they can help their constituents, would I be wrong to ask that of what importance are MPs to the country?  Aren't they just a burden considering the burden of maintaining them? Can't we do without parliament? In name of the so-called democratic practices, I know some may think my idea that we can do without parliament is crazy since. But as Robert Moses observed in his book; Public Works: A Dangerous Trade; "Pure democracy has neither the imagination nor the energy the disciplined mentality to create major improvements in society."

@SsemandaAllawi is the author: Global Governance and Norm Contestation: How BRICS is Reshaping World Order.