The first question that should be raised by any concerned citizen regarding the heavy expenditures Parliament has found itself embroiled in of late is: who allocated such huge funds to Parliament, and secondly, what was the purpose of such heavy expenditure, and lastly, who was supposed to spend it and how was it supposed to be spent? Just as philosopher Socrates said, “If you want to learn how to ride a horse, you begin by riding the sleeping one.” Metaphorically, by addressing the questions raised above, you will have answered all questions pertaining to the controversial allocation and expenditure that has made headlines for a week now.
Recently, there has been a lot of noise trending on various social media platforms about key actors in Parliament who have been cited for misuse of public funds.
Parliament is not structured as a service delivery organ of government, and neither does Parliament have any responsibilities outside of itself, unlike other branches such as the executive and judiciary. Except for a few trips within the country and abroad, nobody can fault Parliament for not delivering or failing to construct a road, hospital, or any other infrastructure, as that is the responsibility of the executive.
I don’t think constitutional and criminal lawyers can sustain a charge of corruption since corruption mostly relates to the diversion of public funds to other activities. So, which activities were such money meant to deliver and were not delivered? Perhaps they may be faulted for misuse, but not corruption, but this too can’t hold much.
The Anti-Corruption Act of 2009 defines corruption as the misuse of public funds, which were perhaps meant for other activities. Which activities did Parliament not fulfill?
In the future, let the government provide funds to help service delivery entities like local governments and ministries, and Parliament should only be allocated a small budget for per diem, salary, and other allowances. The incessant and heavy allocations to Parliament are causing even very bright public servants to quit their jobs in favor of joining Parliament for the hefty payments and other related perks.
The writer is from Mbale City. Telephone: 0782231577.
