On Tuesday during the plenary, Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi voiced her concerns and criticism towards Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa for what she perceived as prioritizing attendance at a local wedding ceremony over the solemnity of Cecilia Ogwal’s burial.
The assertive former Minister accused the presiding officer of the August House of failing to prioritize official duties over local ceremonies. She also critically raised questions about his commitment to the House, especially given that the deceased was one of the longest-serving legislator.
“You excused yourself from the burial and indicated that you had an official function to attend. The Vice President while giving her speech informed the mourners that you left to go and attend a wedding. I felt extremely disappointed and embarrassed and I don’t know how to describe it, whether that isn’t a scandal because ideally, the host of this whole arrangement was Parliament,” said Opendi.
Nevertheless, Opendi’s inquiry directed at the presiding officer of the nation’s most respected assembly created a tense atmosphere throughout the entire House. Even Deputy Speaker Teyabwa himself expressed discontent, accusing Opendi of prioritizing such a trivial matter on the national stage, despite the accessibility of his office for addressing such concerns.
“What has surprised me is that Hon.Opendi was with me today, she never indicated such an issue to me. I wrote a chit to the Vice President, informing her of the issues I have, and seeking her guidance. I was born in a way that I respect people, if she took it that way, I am really sorry. We buried our colleague in peace and I don’t want the burial of our colleague who taught us to be humble to be overridden by whatever individual who has issues. I will personally look for the Vice President and explain it to her. I am sorry about this,” he said.
Despite his explanation, the House remained angered at Opendi for disregarding the Speaker of the moment. Although Tayebwa had called off the matter, MPs Ssemujju Nganda (Kira Municipality) and Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County) managed to voice their dissatisfaction with Opendi’s way of handling the matter. They demanded that her perceived malicious remarks be expunged from the hansard.
Nganda, openly revealed his discontent and frustration driven by his dissatisfaction, he took decisive action by moving a motion within the parliamentary proceedings. The motion had a clear objective – to expunge Opendi’s remarks from the official record, known as the hansard.
Ssemujju’s motion resonated with a significant number of Members of Parliament, as it garnered overwhelming support from their ranks. This widespread backing underscored the collective concern among MPs about the nature and impact of Opendi’s comments.
Muwanga Kivumbi, representing Butambala County also expressed his strong disapproval of Opendi’s statements, characterizing them as malicious. In his candid assessment, Muwanga emphasized the need for a certain level of decency in the realm of politics, referring to it as a “game of the beast.” He argued that despite the competitive nature of politics, there should be a baseline of respect and decorum.
Muwanga highlighted a key point, asserting that there were no provisions in the Rules of Procedure preventing a Speaker from leaving a function. Therefore, he deemed Opendi’s insinuation that Deputy Speaker Tayebwa’s attendance at the burial was against protocol or had wrong motives as unfounded. In his view, such accusations had no place in the official records of parliamentary proceedings.
To address this, Muwanga also urged for the expunging of Opendi’s remarks from the record, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a factual and respectful discourse within the parliamentary setting. His statement reflected a commitment to upholding the integrity of parliamentary proceedings and ensuring that statements made were in accordance with established rules and decorum.
The move to expunge her remarks from the official record indicated a unified stance among parliamentarians in distancing themselves from what they deemed as inappropriate or objectionable statements made by Opendi during the proceedings.
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