PARLIAMENT’S 103M CAR SCHEME SMACKS OF HIGH LEVEL DISHONESTY

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart The last batch of Members of Parliament received 103 million on their accounts in form of a vehicle grant by the government on 20th February 2012. The first batch had received theirs late last year. The whole scheme had been kept as a top secret because the crafters were aware that the whole issue was bound to arouse public resentment and disapproval in unqualified measure. True to their expectations, there was a lot of public outpouring when the issue was finally made public by one of the parliamentarians who assented that he had indeed already got the money. The whirlwind this issue generated was expected. But also the way the public has once again been left helpless was expected as well due to the fact that civil society in the country is not yet up to the task of holding our political leaders accountable in every way possible. At a time when Ugandans had started to celebrate that the 9th Parliament was going to rescue them from the executive arm of government that is hell bent on spending public resources on unnecessary expenditures, the legislature compromised its reputation by accepting 103 million as a grant to purchase private vehicles. The news couldn’t have been more shocking as it was maddening. Ugandans braved one of the hardest economic times in recent times last year when the country underwent an untold economic down turn. Members of Parliament from both the ruling party and the opposition identified with the condition and called on government to find lasting solutions to ameliorate the situation. When teachers downed their tools in a nationwide strike to force government to increase their monthly pay, MPS were on the teachers side pleading with government to increase the salaries of these underpaid civil servants. The 9th parliament was in all its initial character a 'peoples parliament' The question on many minds of ugandans is what could have gone wrong with parliamentarians who had been enigmatic in their approach to dealing with national issues. Politicians have been described world over as people who need not to be trusted but the level of betrayal exhibited by our parliament makes one wonder whether one still needs to vote or not. They all acted in unison to resoundingly chorus the same argument that they rightfully needed the money. Soon after the story had come out, two prominent opposition MPS appeared on a regular radio talk show. Hon. Abdu Katuntu and Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda fiercely defended the whole saga as if their life depended on the said money. I have personally never been so disappointed. It is painful when the person in whom you have a lot of confidence disappoints you but it is even more painful when that person does so for purely selfish reasons. Hon Semujju reasoned that 'even if I was given one Billion I would take it'. He said that he was entitled to the money and argued that it is MPS representing the army and other groups like ministers who should not be facilitated. This was a clear case of a tragic self seeker who did not have the decency of feeling remorseful about the predicament of millions of Ugandans languishing in poverty at whose expense he wanted to drive an expensive vehicle under the pretense that he was working for their interests and aspirations. On his part, Hon. Abdu Katuntu was even more annoying and quite arrogant, to say the least. Ugandans who know Katuntu can describe him as a thoughtful, resourceful, and intelligent legislator who spares no effort in working for the common good of the masses. On the day he appeared defending the said money, the first time listener of Abdu would have thought that Katuntu was one of the most heartless parliamentarians in the country. Katuntu arrogantly declared to the public that he used to drive a more expensive vehicle before he was a member of parliament. He said that according to the work he is doing in parliament, the said money was in fact not enough to purchase a vehicle of his status and calibre. This statement came like a thunderbolt to my ears. I adjusted the knob of the radio to make sure I was listening to the voice of Hon Katuntu that many have come to associate with compassion and uncommon temperance. I had many questions which I wanted to pause to Abdu but I knew that the greedy nature that had got hold of him would not allow him to answer them in a sober way. I wanted to ask him some of these questions; Was Abdu forced to vie for election in his constituency, why did he leave his job which he still thinks was better paying than being a parliamentarian, when he was campaigning to become an MP, did he want to go to parliament to make money of to serve his people. Did he know that parliament is not supposed to be a place for people who need to accumulate wealth, Does Abdu think he is the only capable person to represent his people in Bugweri constituency? What type of work does an MP do that requires such huge amounts of money as facilitation. Many members of parliament take Ugandans for granted. For an MP to declare that they were getting more money in their jobs and expect to be paid highly is not only detestable but it is nauseating. It smacks of self-seeking behavior in its worst form. When respectable members of parliament cannot hide their true coluors because the issue at hand directly touches on their personal characters. When parliamentarians feel they have nothing to lose when it comes to defending their emoluments, it makes one wonder to whom Ugandans can turn for solace in solving their problems. Hon Katuntu said on the same talk show, just as many ugandans have been chorussing that the current parliament is quite big and this factor alone renders it ineffective. I am yet to meet a ugandan who genuinely supports a large parliament like ours. A lean parliament would be more efficient and better facilitated than a huge one. It would also enable the system of electioneering to bring only the best persons fit to occupy parliament. Now, it defeats any logic for Ho. Katuntu to say that even before the size of parliament is trimmed, he should be remunerated as though we had a smaller parliament. How I wish that Hon Katuntu together with other likeminded politicians can join hands to bring a motion to reduce the numbers of the current parliament. In the current circumstances when a medical doctor earns less than one million shillings, a nurse, less than five hundred thousand, a teacher less than five hundred thousand and a police officer less than three hundred thousand, any form of argument in favour of MPS emoluments should be considered both inconsiderate and treacherous. It is a breach of an agreement between the people of Uganda and their representatives, an ultimate price citizens have to pay for because they are represented by representatives who with all intents and purposes seek to join parliament under the pretext that they are going to push for peoples agenda when in actual sense they are doing so for personal selfish motives. The writer is the Executive Director of Uganda Road Sector Support Initiative (URSSI)