NRM won't miss rebel MPs if expelled

By John Semakula

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party is ready to do away with four rebel MPs if convicted of the cases they face before the disciplinary committee.  

Justine Lumumba, the NRM Chief whip told New Vision online that the party would better work with the opposition than the rebel MPs within the party.

“What is the essence of having big numbers that are not useful to you? You would rather have people pulling you from the other side,” Lumumba said.

She added that it was high time rebel MPs realized that under a multiparty dispensation, that one is either with the ruling Government, an independent or with the opposition.  

“If you disagree with that arrangement under multi-party system, you resign. But these MPs have gone very far. That is individual indiscipline,” Lumumba said.

NRM party spokesperson Ofwono Opondo added that there is no institution in the world built on indiscipline and that it was the reason the four rebel MPs will go.

“Discipline makes institutions stronger and more durable. Do you think the Catholic Church will get weaker after expelling Fr. Musala?” Ofwono asked. “If they are guilty of the offense, the punishment is expulsion.”

Ofwono said NRM party would get stronger if the MPs are expelled.

The ‘rebel’ MPs are; Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga), Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East), Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga West) and Mohamed Nsereko (Kampala Central).

They are accused of violating the party’s code of conduct by defying party positions in Parliament and hobnobbing with members of the opposition.

Ofwono said, “If we go back for the by-elections, NRM will win some seats but even if we were to lose all of them, our majority across board will not be shaken.”

He noted that the main reason why the rebels MPs were not voluntarily quitting NRM was that they are not sure of an outright victory in case of a by-election.

But when contacted for a comment, Tinkasimire said they were ready for a show down with the flag bearers of NRM in case of a by-election.

“You joke with the will of the masses. Let NRM be tempted to remove us from Parliament, they will learn a lesson. They will not garner 10% of the total votes in any of our Constituencies,” he said.

Tinkasimire said the MPs were being fought because they supported the health budget and opposed the Oil Bill which wanted to give powers to corrupt Ministers.

Political commentators say NRM will lose nothing by expelling the rebel MPs since the party’s figures in Parliament can’t significantly be affected.

But they observed that the country would benefit from the expulsion of the MPs.

Golooba Mutebi, Kampala- and Kigali-based researcher and writer on politics and public affairs, said that if expelled the rebel MPs’ return to Parliament in a by-election as independents or members of the Opposition will add their voice to the much needed growing opposition against NRM.     
 
But he noted that the mere fact that there will be a by-election doesn’t mean NRM will lose. Golooba said the party still has the mechanism of winning an election.