MPs reject Steadman corruption report

Aug 21, 2008

MPs Frank Tumwebaze, (Kibaale), Margaret Muhanga (Kabarole) and Jimmy Akena (Lira Municipality) are panelists on the Vision Voice programme, Vision Parliament, which runs every Monday from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. This week, they discussed the findings of a survey by Steadman Group that Parliament is one o

Charles Odongtho (moderator): You are supposed to check corruption and the way the Government does its work. What is your take on the report?
Akena: The report shows that the public does not know the role of an MP. An MP has little influence in most of the matters which have been highlighted. Do MPs award contracts? There is need for the public to be sensitised on the role MPs.

Odongtho: Tumwebaze, do you agree that our population is ignorant about the role of an MP?
Tumwebaze: We need to question the context of this research. I wish I could look at the questionnaire. The research has interviewer’s biases and it is not value free. If the research proved that MPs take bribes to pass Bills, that is debatable. But if it is tribalism, so what about it in Parliament? I wish the researcher could come and tell more about the report.

Odongtho: The ethics state minister, Nsaba Buturo, says the report is good because it manifests the level of corruption in the country.
Tumwebaze: How were the questions asked; were they oral interviews or questionnaires? I wish they asked about service delivery and if there is corruption in this area, then the research would have made sense.

Odongtho: Muhanga, do you think the research failed to broadly assess corruption?
Muhanga: This research is shallow in terms of content and presentation. It does not identify individuals who are corrupt in Parliament. We have MPs, the Police, auditors, secretaries and accountants. Which of these does the report pin on corruption?

Odongtho: I know of some MPs who falsify mileage. Isn’t this corruption?
Tumwebaze: This does not mean that there are no wrong doers in Parliament. We have MPs who have presented fake documents to the Electoral Commission so that they can be elected in their constituencies. Therefore, if one MP is found to be corrupt, that does not mean that the entire Parliament is corrupt.

Odongtho: Akena, Do you want to add on what Tumwebaze has said?
Akena: The biggest aspect of corruption in Parliament was the kisanja (third term). That was absolute corruption which involved the Executive and Parliament.

Tumwebaze: The sh5m was an issue of the NRM and its members. This is why the people from the opposition never shared the money and it had nothing to do with the Government against Parliament.

Akena: The NRM uses government resources.
Tumwebaze: Why didn’t the Uganda People’s Congress take the Government to court for bribing MPs?

Odongtho: Why were NRM MPs given the sh5m each?
Tumwebaze: This money had terms of reference attached to it. It was given to NRM MPs to explain to the people the white papers which PAFO members were circulating in Jinja and Mbarara. When the NRM deploys its members to divert the population from lies of the opposition, do you called that a bribe?
Odongtho: MPs rejected Odonga Otto’s bribery allegations. Do you think this has created a perception in the public that you are corrupt?
Tumwebaze: The Otto bribery accounts may have come out and other forged papers, but none of these account for these perceptions.

Odongtho: Tumwebaze, the public says you want the 60 million cars and money. What does this mean?
Tumwebaze: This has shown us what the interviewer was asking. These are people’s views with the interviewer’s biases. MPs are not needy.

Muhanga: There is a big problem with what people regard as perception. If MPs are needy, then where do they get money to fund election campaigns?
Odongtho: The report shows the frustration of the public which says corruption is on the increase and that something needs to be done. As MPs, what should be done? I heard of the Bills on money laundering, whistle-blowing and the private members Bill. Can one of you push Parliament to pass these Bills?
Akena: You need support from the public and the Government in order to pass these bills. But the IGG should investigate this and come up with a solution. However, when Otto took on the role of whistle-blower, his allegations were not taken seriously.

Odongtho: Muhanga, what do you think MPs should do to change people’s perceptions about corruption?
Muhanga: The biggest problem with our people is that they do not know the work of Parliament. They think you have been elected to give them money and other things. Sometimes they invite you for functions when parliamentary work is going on. We in committees even do not have powers to pass Bills; there is a possibility that it might be opposed when we finally pass it to the House?

Odongtho: Tumwebaze, what is your last word?
Tumwebaze: Any oral interview has interviewer biases and the public will end up giving you negative answers. This research should open more doors for further research so that people do not draw wrong conclusions about MPs, otherwise people might not vote again.

Odongtho: Akena, what is your last comment about corruption?
Akena: We must fight corruption as a society and it should be addressed from the top. The sooner we fight it, the better. If it is in Parliament, we should tackle it, if it is government institutions, then we should fight it so that it does not spread.

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