Speaker Kadaga opening a ‘Women in Politics Conference’, organised by FOWODE, in Kampala
NEWS EDITOR
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KYAMUSWA County MP-elect Moses Kabuusu has blasted elements in Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) who are attacking party elected Members of Parliament for attending Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga’s function in Munyonyo on Wednesday as she commissioned her campaign Task-Force.
This FDC MP has instead advised them to find something else to do because their wars don’t add anything to the party!
Speaker Kadaga hosted a number of gazetted legislators for the 11th Parliament and talked to them on why she is again presenting herself for Speakership.
Among the invited MPs, where those from the opposition FDC who included Mama Cecilia Ogwal (Dokolo district Woman MP), Fransis Mwijukye, Moses Kabuusu, Dr. Batuwa Timothy Lusala Jinja South, West Constituency,
Harold Tony Muhindo of Bukonzo County East, Godfrey Katusabe Bukonzo West among others. They saluted this Kamuli district woman MP for her selfless leadership.
Their attendance and support shown to Kadaga did not go well with some FDC members who seriously attacked them via social media for what they termed as betraying their mother party. One Barnabas Nasasira Kifefe from FDC on Wednesday posted on his facebook page that, “On 18th March. 2021, the Fdc institution held it’s second NEC meeting in 2021, at our party headquarters. Non of those MPS attended the meeting. The invited people were the outgoing mps and the incoming mps. The agenda was to discuss the speakership race and other secretive matters. As FDC party, we have a candidate and that’s the Kira Municipality MP Ssemujju Nganda.”
“It’s annoying to see FDC party Mps in this multiparty system of governance, attending NRM’s Kadaga speakership meeting.” Said FDC’s Nasasira.
FDC is fronting Kira Municipality legislator Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda for Speakership.
However, all indicators show, this veteran journalist has been rejected by his own colleagues from the Najjanankumbi Blue-Party.
Hon. Kabuusu has said, FDC Mps should be left to freely listen and interact with all candidates before they elect their best Speaker.
In a statement released by MP Kabuusu who is a lawyer by profession, election of a Speaker of Parliament is a business of members of parliament who have sworn in and it’s the first Business of the house which they will execute when time comes.
“Parties with biggest numbers of members of parliament have always won elections and where there is some form of alliance or cooperation between the opposition party and the party with the biggest numbers, then some opposition party members can scoop some positions but not that simple and with that hatred and divisionism you want to promote.” MP Kabuusu’s statement to FDC members attacking them for attending Kadaga’s meeting, reads.
He said, “I discourage blackmail and propaganda, don’t endanger the only few 32 MPs FDC party has got. If you know how the party headquarters or the party itself benefits from having a single MP, please value the 32 you have and don’t tarnish them. You do not know how they managed to win an election. It wasn’t only because they were party flag bearers but a combination of many factors.”
ON SSEMUJJU NGANDA
In his statement posted on his Facebook page, counsel Kabuusu shockingly revealed that, “I have since my election not received any telephone call from Hon. Ssemujju Nganda either congratulating me upon my victory or asking me to vote him for Speaker whether as a friend or a party member.”
“I have not received any telephone call from Hon. Jacob Oulanya congratulating me upon my victory or asking me to support him so is DP’s Richard Ssebamala.” Said FDC MP Kabuusu justifying why he attended Kadaga’s function.
KABUUSU’S FULL STATEMENT
There are two points which I think I should respond to regardless of the relevance of the debate hereunto.
- I personally never attended the NEC meeting at the party headquarters despite having been invited on 18th March 2021. The invitation was on short notice and yet I had two court sittings on that day.
I discussed it with the Party secretary General Hon. Nandala Mafabi and agreed that I would stand with the party on the resolutions the NEC would have taken if communicated in time.
I must admit I have not gone to the party to know what decisions or resolutions that were taken but I still have time and I will get them, analyse and endeavor to execute them.
I should also be open and clear that no such agenda was supplied or intimated against the invitation. I am unlucky if u personally received it earlier before the NEC meeting, for I did not.
I must boldly tell you that unlike today when I won an election as a party member, I have been in active politics and I will still be but I have learnt one thing, political offices and positions go and you stay without regard to profession and or nature of job you do.
So I couldn’t abdicate my advocate clients duty I had earlier fixed.
If u have ever been a litigant you know the pain there is in not seeing your lawyer in court giving an excuse that he has gone to discuss speakership at a party headquarters.
You do not know how cases are fixed in court and missing a court day your case may get another date same day the following year. I took the opportunity cost to attend my client’s courts to attending a meeting whose resolutions I would follow at a later date. - On Candidate Rebecca Kadaga’s campaign launch at Munyonyo,
I must admit, on invitation I attended the meeting.
Like the invitation of FDC NEC meeting, this one also had no agenda. I arrived a little bit late considering the time I was invited. I realized Hon. Kadaga in her speech she was comissioning her campaign task force and I listened to her speech and commitments, I listened to some of her supporters guiding her would be voters on why Kadaga and not Oulanyah.
I left before lunch because I had to attend to my father who is sick and needed some expensive medicines which I personally had appointed to buy and take to him. I introduced myself in the meeting and waved my FDC V signs high.
I liked Rt. Hon. Kadaga’s strategy that she invited Mps from different political parties and wished that they supported her. Its not bad, not evil and not offensive to attend any candidates meeting and listening to them all. I always encouraged people who supported me to also attend other candidates’ campaign meetings and have reasons to remain supporting my candidature or resent me from an informed point of view and having a competitive advantage.
I still encourage politicians to always attend candidates meetings of whatever party or personalities if you may. I will still attend Kadaga, Oulanyah, Ssemujju Nganda and Richard Ssebamala’s meetings when they invite me in the event that I am able and available.
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