Prime
Oulanyah to MPs: Era of gambling on floor is over
Speaker Jacob Oulanyah during plenary yesterday. PHOTO/ DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Looking back. “You look at the quality of debate, look at the level of research. Someone just comes into the chambers and starts debating,” Mr Oulanyah, who was deputy speaker, said in 2014.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah yesterday returned to chair the plenary with a stern warning to lawmakers to stop gambling on the floor of the House.
In his communication, Mr Oulanyah vowed to ignore impulsive lawmakers playing to the gallery and not adding value to the debate.
“You will not speak if you have not done research; it must be evidence. The era of gambling with speeches is over…,” he said.
“Let’s do research; the era of throwing figures and statistics whose sources are not know is over… we want when people read the Hansard….it is read as a document that can be quoted by researchers,” he added.
Mr Oulanyah urged MPs to work for the good of the country.
He said: “Let’s work, the society is watching and watching keenly what we are going to do. They are waiting…”
This was in line with his first message that he issued to the lawmakers in his acceptance speech delivered more than two months ago after his election at Kololo Independence Grounds.
Mr Oulanyah promised to lead a pro-people parliament and asked lawmakers to highlight peoples issues.
“What should we do? I propose that we have that debate. We agreed at the beginning that this is going to be a different parliament and one that focuses on the things that affect the people and not what affects us,” he added.
His directive was welcomed by the lawmakers, including Government Chief Whip Thomas Tayebwa.
“Today we have welcomed Rt Hon Oulanyah to his maiden parliamentary sitting. He has promised a general debate for two weeks on the Uganda we want, how we want to see it from a parliamentary perspective. MPs will be required to do extensive research and make well thought out submissions,” Mr Tayebwa said.
“We will speak to members on the matters the Speaker has raised and see how to plug the gaps,” he added.
