Besigye should have listened to Speaker Rebeca Kadaga

By Michael Senyonjo

OPPOSITION leader Kizza Besigye of FDC and his activists for change should have listened to House Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and not caused any undue commotion during the 126 IPU conferences in Kampala.

Try to look at it from a neutral point of view.  Besigye has made his point; his walk to work campaign has been a painful political stick against the Government simply because ordinary citizens want to walk out of inflation, corruption and political uncertainty. 

But let’s face the reality, the challenges facing Uganda and for which Besigye has made a platform don’t effect only opposition politicians and their supporters, they affect us all.  This is why Besigye has not been alone in pointing out these hardships and neither can he claim that the Government is not listening. 

You will recall that it was an NRM dominated House that voted to place a moratorium on petroleum contracts until enabling laws are in place. It is also an NRM dominated Parliament that is spearheading continued investigations on possible corruption in awarding of oil contracts.  

Three cabinet ministers including Foreign Minister, Sam Kutesa, have left over the matter. Furthermore, former Finance Minister Sayida Bumba and former Attorney General Kiddhu Makubuya had to resign from the cabinet because of their involvement in the Bassajjabalaba sh160b compensation saga.  

Therefore, when it comes to corruption, everyone is welding the stick to punish the corrupt and clean up the Government. We are in it together.

When it comes to the opposition claims of Police brutality, the Government has gone ahead and hired a foreign firm of consultants to advise the Police force on how to handle agitated crowds.  No one wants to see images of Gilbert Arinaitwe beamed all over the world via facebook and YouTube.

The Government might be making mistakes, but it is learning equally fast and well.  Whatever has been achieved directly or indirectly by this pressure group has been largely because of the actions of majority of NRM MP’s in Parliament and certainly the actions of speaker Rebecca Kadaga.

Unlike her predecessor, Edward Ssekandi, Rebeca Kadaga has handled house issues from a truly neutral perspective.  She has allowed many motions for discussion on the floor of parliament that would, under former Speaker Ssekandi, simply accumulate dust on his desk.  Kadaga has brought a new and accommodating style when it comes to dealing with parliamentary business.  She has tried hard to be neutral sometimes provoking anger from her NRM party.  

I was, therefore, not surprised to hear Rebecca Kadaga issue a public plea to Besigye and his A4C requesting them not to demonstrate or be seen to cause commotion during the IPU conference in Uganda. 

I get the feeling the executive told Kadaga: “it’s your monster, you horned it, now cage it and save us embarrassment during the IPU conference”.  Besides, the host of this parliamentary forum of parliamentarians from all over the world was Uganda’s Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kadaga. If Besigye had to heed any advice, it had to come from Rebeca Kadaga and if anyone from the Government needed a favour from the opposing it had to be Rebecca Kadaga. 

In politics, there are risks, expenditure time and payback time.  Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has taken enough risks and spent enough time and effort to accommodate opposition politics in Parliament.  

Unfortunately, for her the first and only time she thought she would cash in on her efforts, she was kicked in the teeth because the opposition led by Besigye caused commotion in the city of Kampala on the day the conference opened.  I think Besigye was ill advised into this action if advised at all.  

Besigye and A4C had a whole week with world parliamentarians to show whatever they wanted to show during the conference. They did not have to uncover anything on the streets of Kampala or anywhere even after a plea from the Speaker of Parliament. 

Many people have been sympathetic to Besigye and his campaign, but on this one, they find it hard to pinpoint the basis of his judgement. Failure by Besigye an A4C to respond to calls by the Speaker of Parliament has failed to measure in many people’s estimation of him and his Walk-to-Work actions. 

We all wish things could be better.  We might not be drawing the whole curtain to cheer him on but we pip through the little whole anyway.  Why? Because we don’t want to see permanent social disorder.  Having known that the Police’s hands are tied when it comes to restraining him, Besigye should have remained in Kasangati on March 31, and not cause commotion in Kampala on the day the conference opened.  

Because you have disagreements with people in your households doesn’t mean that when visitors come you start showing them how dirty your linen has become and start washing right in the visitors lounge! 

In all our households we treat visitors as messengers from God. We must show hospitality by avoiding acts that may cause our visitors to question our hospitality.  The Bible also admonishes us to not forget to welcome strangers, for by doing so people have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). 

Writer is a Political Analyst/Strategist