Members of Parliament from the opposition side have vowed not to attend President Yoweri Museveni’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), saying it’s a waste of time.
As a way of fulfilling Article 101 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, President Museveni will today at 2 pm deliver the State of the Nation Address to Parliament and the country at large at Kololo Independence grounds.
However, MPs such as Ssemujju Nganda (FDC) from Kira Municipality, the Spokesperson of the National Unity Platform Joel Ssenyonyi (Nakawa West), among other opposition legislators have vowed not to attend the event.
According to the sources within the opposition, the order not to attend SONA directly came from the office of the Leader of Opposition as a way of expressing their dissatisfaction and the long incarceration of their fellow lawmakers; Allan Ssewanyana(MPMakindye West) and Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) as well as other political prisoners who are still rotting in the different prisons.
Another issue which has forced them to snub SONA is government’s poor response to the economic situation in the country which has led to the rapid increases of prices of essential commodities. Other MPs have alluded that they expect nothing new from the President’s speech.
“We won’t go to Kololo because nothing new is going to be there, I have spent a couple of years without attending the budget speech and State of the Nation Address. I don’t want Mr Museveni to turn me into his audience. Everything I choose to do in life must be of value,” said Ssemujju.
He added; “Museveni’s speech will not be new to the MPs but also Museveni has a habit of indulging in irrelevances I have covered him as a journalist, one time we were at kyankwanzi when I was working with Daily Monitor, he started with the creation of man in Bigobyemugenyi and he spent two hours speaking nothing regarding what had taken us to cover, so I know. That is why many dignitaries sleep during his speech.”
On the other hand, Ssenyonyi said; “There is nothing much he is going to tell u but just wasting our time.”
However, Emmanuel Dombo the Director Communicationa at the National Resistance Movement attacked members of the opposition for their planned move to snub SONA. He said it’s because there is no money to give out that is why they are not going to attend.
“This is their usual way of doing things, they always want to divert people, they refuse to go to Kololo because they are not giving them money to attend but if there was money to pay to everyone attending, all of them would be going. So we know them they are money, makers not leaders. Last time they boycotted parliamentary sittings but they were in the canteen every day eating food,” he said.
He, however, revealed that whether they attend or not the ceremony will go on as the constitution stipulates and nobody will lose. “I know most of them will be listening to him at their homes so we don’t care whether they come or not as long as Mr Museveni will be there to deliver his speech.”
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