Ugandan MPs have passion. That is a good thing. It is just that they express their passion when they are demanding new districts (ref: MP Geofrey Ekanya’s suicide-by-necktie honourable move on the floor of Parliament) or new constituencies or ministerial positions. And, of course, when defending their fat allowances. These fat cats!
The MPs recently provoked widespread public criticism for passing a law that allows them to not pay tax on some of their allowances, especially mileage. I hold no opinion on this. But I find it crazy for the MPs, in the midst of the storm, to threaten not to pass the 2016/17 Budget unless they get their way. They seem intent on going over the cliff.
Their arrogance is impressive. Instead of explaining themselves better to Ugandans what it is they are doing and why, they are instead threatening to shut down the government by denying it money. They are essentially showing Ugandans the middle finger.
Younger MPs – Henry Musasizi and Peter Ogwang – are leading the heedless charge, as if to remind us that we should not have hope in their generation to grow up into politicians of stature.
Their mad rush is quickly setting up a confrontation with President Yoweri Museveni, who is likely not to sign the amended income tax law that contains the exemptions. Of course, MPs have the power to disregard what Mr Museveni thinks and make the law go into effect. As it has been shown repeatedly, Mr Museveni has won in confrontations with MPs. He will win again.
Reset mode
The President is in reset mode. The early signs after his contested February re-election are that he must be seen to be doing something to improve delivery of public goods and services. He quietly visited Mulago and Naguru hospitals to gauge the temperature of those key healthcare facilities. (His action comes 30 years late, but no matter).
So he is likely to not only want to be seen siding with the common wananchi, but also he may chafe at the idea of being pushed around, threatened by MPs.
I see the MPs losing this fight and losing badly because of their exaggerated sense of self-importance as the elected people’s representatives who must get their way or else they withhold the money that should go into providing services to the very people who elected them. Tactically and strategically, the MPs are acting crazy even if they may have a point to make about their mileage allowances.
The appetite for money, which I suppose a vast majority of humanity has in abundance, has proved a problem in Uganda’s Parliament. MPs play fast and loose with their money, falling in debts and then running to President Museveni to rescue them. It is this behaviour that has allowed MPs to emasculate themselves and cede so much ground to the President.
Who knows, if there had not been millions of shillings, probably presidential term limits may have stayed in the Constitution. Assuming a new president had taken over in 2006, this past February we would have elected yet another person. But here we are with the air full of tension from the February fallout.
Next up
Next up is money changing hands in Parliament for MPs to change the Constitution to remove the clause that bars a person running for president when above 75 years of age.
It may turn out, therefore, that Mr Museveni is playing hardball now with MPs to look good before Ugandans only for him to open the cash spigots at the right time. With that MPs will recover money they lost paying tax on their allowances, and the Big Man will get his nth kisanja. With these politicians, you can never be sure who is standing on principle or opportunism.
Mr Tabaire is the co-founder and director of programmes at African Centre for Media Excellence in Kampala.
bernard.tabaire@gmail.com
Twitter:@btabaire
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