House Speaker Mr Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth has pledged to rally the 12th Parliament to combine efforts with the Executive arm to strictly tackle corruption as repeatedly tasked by President Museveni since he renewed his mandate early last month.
The West Budama North legislator used his opening remarks at the plenary sitting that convened at the Kololo Independence Grounds yesterday to unreservedly empower staff and all legislators to confront and wipe out graft that continues to cripple government entities, thereby frustrating service delivery and obstructing economic growth.
Mr Oboth-Oboth aligned his speech to President Museveni’s clarion call made at the State of Nation Address (SONA) last week, in which strong condemnation was made against corrupt and underperforming government officials like ministers plus accounting officers.
‘I take the privilege of informing you that the members of this 12th Parliament not only heard, but also listened keenly and embraced your words of wisdom,’ Mr Oboth-Oboth pledged after President Museveni delivered his remarks.
Speaker Oboth-Oboth therefore undertook, saying, ‘the fight against corruption and non-performance is not the Executive’s fight alone; it is Parliament’s fight as well. And together, in harmony, as a nation, we will win it.’
Plan to empower committees
In rather specific terms, Mr Oboth-Oboth promised to energise committees of Parliament with the requisite resources to press for accountability in all major units of government in a bid to arrest all financial leakages and other forms of resource abuse.
He added,is ‘The 12th Parliament will focus on public expenditure tracking and budget oversight through the various parliamentary committees, to ensure that public funds are used for the purpose for which they are intended and in line with the approved work plans.’
Considering that the committees of the 12th Parliament are yet to be constituted, all political party whips in Parliament were tasked to swiftly designate and deploy MPs to form both standing and sectoral committees of Parliament.
Ordinarily, committees of Parliament can be viewed as specific smaller working units that are designed to discharge duties or mandates of a specific nature or related matters such as committee on health, budget and trade among others.
Committees shoulder the biggest bulk of Parliament’s work that involves oversight, legislation and accountability.
He also promised to ensure that ‘the relationship between the 12th Parliament and the other arms of government is complementary and people-centred.’
It is against this backdrop that Mr Oboth-Oboth committed to lead a House that fully supports government’s ten-fold development strategy.
‘The 12th Parliament is firmly aligned to the government’s objective of moving the approximately 38 per cent of our population from subsistence to the formal money economy,’ he stated.
He went on: ‘The 12th Parliament will empower its committees to effectively support government programmes through efficient and effective monitoring, especially through the high-impact projects under the National Development Plan IV. These core flagship projects are strategic catalysts for our tenfold growth strategy.’
In entirety, Mr Oboth-Oboth pledged to tackle graft firmly and aligned his promise made in his first speech he delivered shortly after he was elected as Speaker of the 12th Parliament. He promised to restore sanity in the House and wipe out the dirt believed to have been stained on the legislative arm by 11th Parliament Speaker Anita Among.
On May 25th, Mr Oboth-Oboth said whereas it is important to press for sound leadership and accountability from other arms of government, it would be important for Parliament to start ridding itself of graft.
‘We must start with ourselves. As they say, charity begins at home. We cannot hide from accountability of government resources, yet we expect it from other agencies and departments. That will not work,’ he told Parliament late last Month.
In the same manner, his deputy Mr Thomas Tayebwa, who also served with Ms Among, acknowledged that the House required sanitising.
‘I promise honourable colleagues that I know all the corners of the House. I know where we need to meet. I know where we need to maintain the status quo,’ he said last month.
Speaker Oboth-Oboth also aligned his speech to President Museveni’s persistent call for uptake and proper implementation of the wealth creation programs such as Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
‘In addition, Members of Parliament will strengthen oversight of government wealth creation and development funds under the Parish Development Model, Uganda Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme, Emyooga, among others,’ he said.
Museveni presses opposition
Minutes after he took to the stand, Mr Museveni tasked all legislators, both in opposition and ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, to be result-oriented. He vowed to crack a tough whip on opposition legislators that may appear reluctant in the push against graft and abuse of state resources.
‘The ones of the NRM, I will struggle with them. But even those in opposition, as long as you are getting allowances from Parliament and you don’t go to check on what is happening [state-funded programs], I will ask the Attorney General to see how I can deal with you also,’ Mr Museveni said.
He added, ‘If you don’t want to monitor [government programs and how they are performing], then don’t take the allowances, so say. So, it seems I have got a legal basis where to demand performance from both the NRM and opposition.’
In response, House Speaker Mr Oboth-Oboth said: ‘On behalf of Parliament, I pledge to effectively apply our mandate to realise all your progressive intentions for our beloved country and its gallant citizens.’