MPs, beware of the wolves in your midst

Oct 11, 2004

They argued seemingly in the best interest of workers, but it was all a façade.

By Sam Lyomoki
--Members of Parliament should assist the Executive in finding ways of sealing the leak on the workers’ purse
They argued seemingly in the best interest of workers, but it was all a façade.
A resolution was hastily passed urging President Museveni to stay the transfer of NSSF from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to that of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. If the Members of Parliament (MP) had taken time to study the issues workers have for long advanced in the debate for reform of the social security system, they would have realised that someone was using them for some reason other than the defence of ‘workers’ interests’.

To the workers at the grassroots, the value and range of services offered by NSSF and the necessity of a credible, strong and independent board directly responsible to contributors are more important than the location of the Fund. NSSF in its current form has failed to meet the aspirations of these toiling masses that now view the deductions as yet another tax reducing on their income. So to them anything that appears to change the status quo breeds hope and this is the view they have of the President’s directive.

Is it not the President who appoints ministers and therefore a fight with him over where he/she should place the person he/she has designated as minister responsible for social security, unworthy the energy? What if the President places labour under finance, as is the case in some countries? As a sign of serious degeneration, some brains have argued that the ‘motive is to have a minister who appoints a weak board so as to facilitate picking money…’

Does this mean the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development is immune from this mischief? Why then has this Ministry presided over a situation where three consecutive NSSF regimes have fallen under similar circumstances?

As I pondered over the emotions in the August House, it was history repeating itself. In the sixth Parliament, there was word that NSSF was to be taken up by Finance and that if this was to be done, then workers’ money was to disappear in thin air. There was talk that IMF was in a conspiracy with the Finance Ministry to eat up the workers’ money. Before we could confirm the authenticity of the information, we mobilised our colleagues to pass a resolution condemning the move. We took to the floor “… motion without notice…in public interest…” Before we could go far, the Hon. Minister of Finance cleared the air.
Having been a key person in the debate, I was disturbed by the events of that day and decided to pursue the discipline of social security. What I have discovered has delivered me from bondage: I am no longer guided by sentiment but reason.

As Parliament was in the heat of a similar motion last Tuesday, I was bleeding inside. Honourable colleagues were emotionally charged but the whole debate was based on fallacy. “… The workers of this country strongly oppose the President’s move…and the safety of their money should be guaranteed…” the debate continued. Though I could not catch the speaker’s eye so as to dispel this falsehood, I was sure this was not the popular view of the workers. Just a few days ago I had addressed over 500 workers contributing to NSSF, listened to their testimonies of their experiences with NSSF and seen the joy in their eyes as contributor after contributor commended the President’s move.

As I continued to wonder about the dichotomy between the real workers’ views and now the seemingly popular version in the August House, I recalled a popular children folk tale called Chicken-Licken. A nut fell on Chicken-Licken’s head and thinking it was the sky falling, she and the other birds went to warn the king. On the way, they met cunning Foxy-Loxy. He tricked them into his den saying it was a shortcut to the palace. He ate them all.

Some Workers’ Members of Parliament claimed they had a petition from some source (I hesitate to say from workers). They thought they had a big point and so they ran to colleagues for assistance so as to warn State House. “ … Workers are saying…” was a popular cliché as speaker after speaker captured the sentiment of the hour.
But were the voices in Parliament echoes of the workers at the grassroots and a personification of the aspirations of the real NSSF contributors? Were these voices now pushing for certain courses of action originating from workers at the grassroots? What was being referred to as workers positions were views of the corrupt cult at NSSF and the voices of two NOTU officials.

These officials are the same workers’ representatives on the sacked NSSF Board: one of them was the chairman of the NSSF land committee that handled the now scandalous Nsimbe land and the other is under investigation by the IGG over mismanagement of Posta Pension Fund. The voices of these two who had betrayed the workers were now being echoed in Parliament as the voices of the workers. Even if the people talking on behalf of NOTU were clean, NOTU would still lack enough mantle to talk for all NSSF contributors for the simple reason that whereas workers contributing to NSSF are over 400,000, the membership of NOTU is less than 80,000(Statistics indicate that the total number of workers organised in trade unions in Uganda is about 140,000). About a year ago some unions with a membership of 60,000 formed a new national centre, COFTU. This new centre has strongly supported the President’s move.

MPs should not be tricked into blocking a move aimed at giving security and value to the hard-earned workers savings. If workers’ savings are better managed there can surely be value addition instead of devaluation. Members of Parliament should assist the executive in finding ways of sealing the leak on the workers’ purse. After this emergence measure the Fund should then be restructured to meet the needs of those it is meant to protect. But I know the truth shall set all of us free.
The writer is a Member of Parliament for Workers
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