Will NRM survive the NSSF fracas?
Sep 29, 2008
LAST Saturday on Vision Voice’s “<i>That’s it</i>†programme, Charles Rwomushana from the President’s Office, Leander Komakech from the Refugee Law Project and Monica Amoding from the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association discussed the NSSF land saga. Charles Odongtho moderated the talk s
LAST Saturday on Vision Voice’s “That’s it†programme, Charles Rwomushana from the President’s Office, Leander Komakech from the Refugee Law Project and Monica Amoding from the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association discussed the NSSF land saga. Charles Odongtho moderated the talk show. Below are excerpts.
Odongtho: Monica, you are from the civil society. What do you make of the NSSF saga?
Amoding: It is unfortunate that we are still having this kind of things in public service. NSSF saga brings out the symptom of a deliberate abuse of law and procedure. This is not unique to NSSF. It’s something within our society and is becoming an order of the day. There was the Global Fund saga, rumours of corruption in Parliament and MPs being bribed to pass certain laws. Corruption has become so entrenched in our society that we have began to think it is the order of the day. Our society is a reflection of what we are. I hope that the probe committee will do a commendable job that will be of importance to all Ugandans.
I was so disappointed to know that NSSF has all that money to give to one individual when poor Ugandans who save there are suffering. When my father died I moved for years without accessing his money.
Odongtho: Rwomushana, do you agree that corruption has eaten our society to the core?
Rwomushana: We have been let down by people we thought could be symbols and pillars or centres of gravity that if they are hit then you wouldn’t be surprised if we are over ran by part time thinkers like the group of Besigye and others. It is unfortunate and that is why Amama Mbabazi must be dealt with firmly and the punishment should send a message to the population that we are very serious. An opportunity has come. If we handle him ruthlessly, then the message would sink down to those who steal public funds at the district level and sub-county level. But if we don’t, where will you get authority to punish me if I got a tyre of my official vehicle and put it on my private vehicle?
Odongtho: Komakech, what do you make of this?
Komakech: Either the dogs have come to this country or this country has gone to the dogs. The people who are supposed to be beneficiaries off the Fund are caught between the tiger and crocodile.
How do you have someone who is supposed to be in charge of security saying it was a good deal! A deal in terms of definition is a corruption term. If you say you made a deal, I think that is very clear that you are corrupt in this country. It’s embarrassing and the best Amama Mbabazi would do for this country is to resign.
Odongtho: Hon. Tinkasimire accuses Hon Jim Muhwezi, Banyenzaki and others of fighting Mbabazi based on personal political disagreements.
Rwomushana: I have restrictions from the same minister that I should not discuss intelligence in the media but this is no longer a secret. That rhetoric from Tinkasimire was actually given by his own camp. I can testify; they gave me strategies and the strategies are up to CID wanting to crack on MPs on the probe committee. This is what worries me most. The other day I landed into a group of Bakiga youth who have been mobilised to attack MPs on the other side.
Odongtho: That sounds serious. Did you report this to police?
Rwomushana: Yes, I gave it to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). Police is implicated in this matter. And Tinkasimire has been spying on his fellow MPs. I am among those thinking of hitting back. It gets nasty when it goes ethnic or tribal.
Odongtho: Why should ethnicity come in when Jamwa is from the east and Kagonyera from the west?
Rwomushana: They are saying the parliamentary probe is aimed at bringing down Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda because he is a Mukiga. They are bringing in Mutebile, Suruma so that the whole thing appears to be ethnic and they have mobilised young men within security agencies and outside. They are mobilised by Hope Mwesigye and Amama Mbabazi’s wife.
Odongtho: The chairperson of the probe committee, Hon. John Odit, was sacked by chief whip of the opposition. Monica, was this the right time?
Amoding: The chairperson did something that was not proper at such a point. This saga is of utmost importance to all Ugandans. For him to leave and go to visit Iceland was not proper. Another person from the opposition could have taken his position to travel with the President. He did not communicate his travel to the leader of opposition. He would have postponed the journey or given it to another person.
Odongtho: Rwomushana, what do you see playing out in one or two weeks?. The censure of Suruma and Mbabazi?
Rwomushana: My prayer is that Mbabazi should help us and give way. Not because he is guilty but the saga is taking a different direction that is damaging the party and the President. There is also a risk of damaging the country.
So in the interest of the country, the President, the party and his family, he should give way.
Odongtho: Komakech, the opposition has been quiet about this matter?
Komakech: This is generating a hurricane within UPC and FDC yet the focus should be the scandal in NSSF. I believe Odit has been compromised because it is strange for the chairman of such a committee to jump into the President’s jet to Iceland.
Odongtho: Monica, you are from the civil society. What do you make of the NSSF saga?
Amoding: It is unfortunate that we are still having this kind of things in public service. NSSF saga brings out the symptom of a deliberate abuse of law and procedure. This is not unique to NSSF. It’s something within our society and is becoming an order of the day. There was the Global Fund saga, rumours of corruption in Parliament and MPs being bribed to pass certain laws. Corruption has become so entrenched in our society that we have began to think it is the order of the day. Our society is a reflection of what we are. I hope that the probe committee will do a commendable job that will be of importance to all Ugandans.
I was so disappointed to know that NSSF has all that money to give to one individual when poor Ugandans who save there are suffering. When my father died I moved for years without accessing his money.
Odongtho: Rwomushana, do you agree that corruption has eaten our society to the core?
Rwomushana: We have been let down by people we thought could be symbols and pillars or centres of gravity that if they are hit then you wouldn’t be surprised if we are over ran by part time thinkers like the group of Besigye and others. It is unfortunate and that is why Amama Mbabazi must be dealt with firmly and the punishment should send a message to the population that we are very serious. An opportunity has come. If we handle him ruthlessly, then the message would sink down to those who steal public funds at the district level and sub-county level. But if we don’t, where will you get authority to punish me if I got a tyre of my official vehicle and put it on my private vehicle?
Odongtho: Komakech, what do you make of this?
Komakech: Either the dogs have come to this country or this country has gone to the dogs. The people who are supposed to be beneficiaries off the Fund are caught between the tiger and crocodile.
How do you have someone who is supposed to be in charge of security saying it was a good deal! A deal in terms of definition is a corruption term. If you say you made a deal, I think that is very clear that you are corrupt in this country. It’s embarrassing and the best Amama Mbabazi would do for this country is to resign.
Odongtho: Hon. Tinkasimire accuses Hon Jim Muhwezi, Banyenzaki and others of fighting Mbabazi based on personal political disagreements.
Rwomushana: I have restrictions from the same minister that I should not discuss intelligence in the media but this is no longer a secret. That rhetoric from Tinkasimire was actually given by his own camp. I can testify; they gave me strategies and the strategies are up to CID wanting to crack on MPs on the probe committee. This is what worries me most. The other day I landed into a group of Bakiga youth who have been mobilised to attack MPs on the other side.
Odongtho: That sounds serious. Did you report this to police?
Rwomushana: Yes, I gave it to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). Police is implicated in this matter. And Tinkasimire has been spying on his fellow MPs. I am among those thinking of hitting back. It gets nasty when it goes ethnic or tribal.
Odongtho: Why should ethnicity come in when Jamwa is from the east and Kagonyera from the west?
Rwomushana: They are saying the parliamentary probe is aimed at bringing down Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda because he is a Mukiga. They are bringing in Mutebile, Suruma so that the whole thing appears to be ethnic and they have mobilised young men within security agencies and outside. They are mobilised by Hope Mwesigye and Amama Mbabazi’s wife.
Odongtho: The chairperson of the probe committee, Hon. John Odit, was sacked by chief whip of the opposition. Monica, was this the right time?
Amoding: The chairperson did something that was not proper at such a point. This saga is of utmost importance to all Ugandans. For him to leave and go to visit Iceland was not proper. Another person from the opposition could have taken his position to travel with the President. He did not communicate his travel to the leader of opposition. He would have postponed the journey or given it to another person.
Odongtho: Rwomushana, what do you see playing out in one or two weeks?. The censure of Suruma and Mbabazi?
Rwomushana: My prayer is that Mbabazi should help us and give way. Not because he is guilty but the saga is taking a different direction that is damaging the party and the President. There is also a risk of damaging the country.
So in the interest of the country, the President, the party and his family, he should give way.
Odongtho: Komakech, the opposition has been quiet about this matter?
Komakech: This is generating a hurricane within UPC and FDC yet the focus should be the scandal in NSSF. I believe Odit has been compromised because it is strange for the chairman of such a committee to jump into the President’s jet to Iceland.