Prime
Oulanyah rallies MPs on quality debating
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and deceased Speaker Jacob Oulanyah interact during the orientation of MPs on the Rules of Procedure at Parliament in 2021. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Speaker Oulanyah pledges that his office and that of his deputy, Ms Anita Among, will offer the strength needed to steer Parliament in a fair manner.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, has urged the newly sworn-in Members of Parliament to focus on quality debates tailored on matters that will benefit the country as opposed to advancing personal interests.
In his address to the lawmakers at the opening of the three-day long orientation process that kicked-off yesterday, Speaker Oulanyah also urged the lawmakers to desist from advancing political party differences into Parliament.
“Let us not have party differences in this House because what we shall be handling are matters of national importance. We must do our best to structure our debate in the interest of our people,” Mr Oulanyah said.
“You are national leaders. Your aspiration must be focused on the bigger purpose of debating matters of national importance. We must sharpen our ideas, not our voices,” he added.
In the same vein, Speaker Oulanyah pledged that his office and that of his deputy, Ms Anita Among, would offer their full strength to steer Parliament in a fair manner.
Bulamogi County Member of Parliament Sanon Nadeeba Bwire lauded Parliament’s administration for the orientation programme.
“The Speaker was giving us hope and his message on quality debates is good because the perception outside Parliament is that MPs come here to make deals as opposed to debating national matters,” he said.
Mr Bwire, also a first-time lawmaker, pledged to focus on improving education services, infrastructure and health services that are the major challenges in his constituency.
“We are going to change the quality of debate to see that we target on matters that will make Uganda move forward rather than trivial issues,” Mr Bwire said.
The orientation was purposed to, among others, prepare the newly sworn-in MPs on various procedures to follow in regard to debating and conduct at the Parliament. The 11th Parliament is composed of 529 legislators who last month took oath before electing Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
The orientation will run up to today afternoon, a day before the official opening of the 11th Parliament and preparation for the State of the Nation Address on Friday at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala.
The event will be presided over by President Museveni.
