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Members of Parliament and speaker Anita Among are up in arms and protesting the decision by government to cut parliament’s budget by 50% as said by the Permanent Secretary ministry of finance, planning and economic development and Secretary to Treasury Ramadan Ggoobi on a local TV station.
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According to the legislators whom some have openly said they swim in cash at parliament are not happy with the news and will fight the proposal to cut the parliamentary budget by hook or crook since it affects their pockets though they claim the decision by government to cut the house’s budget will stifle it’s operations.
This development comes at a time when parliament is under the spotlight and scrutiny over misuse of tax payer’s money with Speaker Anita Among being the biggest beneficiary. It’s said she increased her per diem while on foreign trips from $980 to around $4000.
At the instigation of the UgandaParliamentexhibition, a lot has been uncovered revealing how her junior staff have been receiving and withdrawing billions of cash on her behalf to run her errands dubbed corporate social responsibility.
While commissioning her Bukedea Teaching Hospital last weekend, Museveni lashed at those demanding accountability from parliament and speaker Among as agents of homosexuality who have nothing to question.
It’s not yet clear whether the move to cut parliament’s budget is attributed to the recent expose of misappropriation and misuse or it was already in the offing even before the exhibition uncovered the hidden truths.
Speaker @AnitahAmong has protested the move by Ministry of Finance to reduce Parliament’s budget by 50%, with MPs describing the decision as humiliating and demeaning to the Legislature saying, "Our deduction of 50%, shall we be paid salary? You even have the courtesy to put it… pic.twitter.com/II1aCgdThO
— Parliament Watch (@pwatchug) March 28, 2024
More voices of protests from the house over cuts on the parliamentary budget have labeled Ramadan Ggoobi as a disrespectful person.
He said Parliament has no powers to move money from one vote to another because budgeting for this country isn’t our responsibility. That it is the Executive that knows the priority of this country. So, what is our role as Parliament? And the challenge we have in this country is picking people who haven’t grown in public service and placing them in such sensitive positions because a Secretary to Treasury used to rise from down and when you pick someone from somewhere, they don’t respect leaders,” remarked Opendi.
“I have seen a paper that the Parliamentary budget will be cut by 50%. Where does such a person (Ggoobi) get powers? There is a rule that we must respect each other, treat other people the way you want to be treated. We have been demeaned to nothing. But when the Secretary to Treasury goes to a Committee of Parliament and says that we have no role to play in the budget & appropriation, it defeats my understanding, has this country changed? I don’t see why we are wasting our time going into the budget it doesn’t make sense,” said Byanyima.
However to calm down the situation, Junior Minister of Finance for General Duties Henry Musasizi had to disown the words of Ggoobi and even apologize on his behalf if his words hurt MPs and the Speaker.
Henry Musasizi, Minister of State for Finance asked Parliament to disregard statements made by Ggoobi about Parliament not having powers of appropriation saying such statements aren’t representative of the Ministry of Finance.
“To the best of my knowledge and experience,… https://t.co/KFoooTbmmM pic.twitter.com/thzGqedevP— Parliament Watch (@pwatchug) March 28, 2024
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We want to see MPs who support Ggobi’s proposal.