Attention is directed to the Speaker of Parliament, the Rt. Hon Anita Annet Among, and the Honourable Deputy Speaker of the 11th Parliament, Rt. Hon Thomas Tayebwa, to take immediate action and address non-performing MPs who remain silent during parliamentary sessions.
Hon. Sarah Awor Angweri, the workers’ representative in Lira City Council, has vowed to petition the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa to address members of parliament who do not actively participate in plenary sessions.
Awor’s concern arises following the actions of Hon. Okello Daniel, the Speaker of Lira City West Division Council, who recently expelled two division councilors for their prolonged silence in council meetings.
Okello referred to the two embattled councilors, advising them to engage with their constituents to prepare for active participation in council meetings. He further directed the council clerk to withhold their allowances for two consecutive sittings due to their silence during sessions.
Hon. Sarah Awor emphasized that to enhance debate and contributions in both plenary and committee sessions in Uganda, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 11th Parliament must address MPs who remain silent during plenary sessions.
“We are missing out on services due to several MPs who have been silent for an extended period, some for as long as five years,” added Awor.
She highlighted that some MPs remain dormant from the beginning to the end of parliamentary sessions and avoid participating in plenary sessions, much to the citizens’ dismay.
“In the Lango Sub-region, several of them are elusive, only showing up on Tuesdays and Thursdays and barely participating in sessions. They are absent from TV interviews, online newspapers, and hard copies of newspapers,” noted Awor.
“I urge Honourable Anita Among to urgently support the citizens and begin to address MPs who remain silent in the 11th Parliament,” added Awor.
Awor regarded the silence of some MPs as a form of corruption, receiving payment without actively performing their duties.
She expressed disappointment in the quality of debate in the 11th parliament compared to the 8th, 9th, and 10th parliaments, stating that some MPs have failed to raise any genuine matters of national importance.
“It is disheartening to see elected MPs receiving over 40 million UGX as a salary for their silence. Imagine, even in the latest UBOS report, one district in the Lango sub-region ranked last in service delivery,” she continued.
Awor appealed to Hon. Norbert Mao, the Minister for Constitutional Affairs, to table this issue as an amendment in parliament, emphasizing the need to relieve MPs from their duties due to inadequate representation.
Additionally, Awor urged the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament to swiftly emulate the example of Lira City West Division Speaker Hon. Daniel Okello to prevent the Ugandan Parliament from being viewed as an institution of incapable individuals who do little for the people they represent.
“The views expressed here are solely those of Hon. Sarah Awor Angweri, Workers’ Representative, Lira City Council.”
For further inquiries, please contact her at +256 779 759 449.
