Sixteen Members of Parliament across different political parties addressed a joint press conference on Thursday, during which they warned that the year 2012 would see them unearth more cases of corruption in government.
The MPs, led by Bugweri County legislator Abdu Katuntu, said they were using the press conference to renew their commitment to the crusade against corruption in the country. They cited corruption, unemployment, high levels of inflation and poverty as critical areas that will need immediate attention through parliament.
Among those who attended the press conference included Rwampara MP Vincent Kyamadidi, Western Youth MP Gerald Karuhanga, Denis Obua, the MP for Ajuri, and William Nzoghu for Busongora North. Also present were Sanjay Tanna for Tororo Municipality, Peter Ogwang, the Eastern Youth MP, Betty Nambooze for Mukono Municipality and Henry Musasizi, the Rubanda East MP. Others included Wakiso Woman MP Rosemary Sseninde, Wilson Niwagaba for Ndorwa East, Theodore Ssekikubo for Lwemiyaga County, Muhammad Nsereko for Kampala Central and Kasolo Kyeyune, the Kyotera County legislator.
In terms of their party divide, ten of the MPs were NRM, two Independents, two FDC and one DP.
Calling themselves independent minded, the legislators said they would work together in a non-partisan manner, with only the interests of the country at the forefront. The NRM members on the team said they would support each other and colleagues from other parties on the fight against corruption and would oppose government wherever they see it going wrong, even if it is their party in power.
Nsereko, speaking for the traders’ plight, said they were giving government a deadline of January 10th to intervene on the issue of high bank interest rates, failure of which they would mobilise all traders to close their shops on that date in protest. He said the 32 per cent interest increase on loans borrowed in the past was robbery of the traders.
Kyamadidi said that the current failure of the economy was due to the bad fiscal discipline of the government that he accused of over spending during the elections without much production to pay for.
Obua said that the high levels of corruption in the country had reached an embarrassing proportion, adding that it was becoming shameful for them to wear yellow, the NRM party colour, in public.
Niwagaba accused President Yoweri Museveni of failing the struggle against corruption by maintaining officials such as Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi on his cabinet when they have been asked by parliament to step aside. He said that majority of the MPs from the Kigezi region no longer recognise the PM as the leader of government business because in their view he has been implicated in corruption scandals and not punished for it.
He said that during the recent Banyakigezi conference in Kabale, they refused to shake hands with the Prime Minister and instead chose to walk away from the function.
Ssekikubo said that their plans to censure corrupt ministers must not be misunderstood by the country and president as an attempt at eyeing the portfolios because they actually want the country to have a smaller cabinet of 36 ministers.
