By Mulengera Reporters
Appearing on NTV’s on spot program on Thursday, Parliamentary Director for Communications Chris Obore predictably vigorously defended the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among against those celebrating her latest woes relating to asset freeze and travel-related restrictions imposed on her by the UK.
One of those celebrating and asking for more is NUP Party President Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu (aka Bobi Wine) whose supporters have claimed it’s him who moved the British. The British have officially justified their sanctions on grounds that the Ugandan Parliament Speaker has previously been involved in corrupt practices.
Obore said all this is mere pretext because, in his view, his fellow Bukedean is being punished for her uncompromising stance against homosexuality. Kampala’s highly opinionated senior lawyer Edgar Tabaro says that Among is in big trouble because in the world, the homosexuality minority group is only 2nd to Israel when it comes to effective lobbying of opinion at the international level.
Obore says that the British have no moral authority to sanction Among because the UK Minister who proclaimed the sanctions against Anita Among on 30th April was himself indicted for tax evasion-related offences way back in 2005. He also adds that Mr. Wine is being escapist and is riding on the Among sanctions to evade accounting to millions of his supporters whom he promised and assured he would remove Gen Museveni within a short time (kubanga ebibye bya ddala/that his struggle is for real).
Obore says that having failed to overcome Gen Museveni in the ballot boxes in 2021 and subsequently through protests and other means, Mr. Wine turned his hopes on Parliament hoping that his 57 MPs would join others in the opposition to use Parliament as a platform to make Ugandan ungovernable for the President. Obore says that Mr. Wine passionately hates Speaker Anita Among because she has so far used the carrot approach to woo majority of the opposition MPs away from accepting to be used to ferment anti-Museveni chaos using Parliament as a platform.
Obore says Parliament isn’t there to be used to effect regime change but to appropriate resources and legislate laws for the effective governance of the country. That Mr. Wine should think of other ways to fight the government and deliver the regime change he promised to his supporters as opposed to envying Anita Among for leading the 11th Parliament so well.
Obore appeared with NUP SG David Lewis Rubongoya and MP Barnabas Tinkasimire as Patrick Kamara hosted them. Whereas Tinkasimire put up a strong defence for Anita Among who he vowed to defend merely because she is his boss, Rubongoya registered his dismay as to the extent to which majority MPs and leaders at Parliament don’t fully understand how sanctions operate as a diplomatic tool countries use to amplify and enforce compliance with their values.
Rubongoya demanded to know why Among’s predecessor Rebecca Kadaga was never sanctioned by the UK yet she too was very outspoken against homosexuality and even presided over enactment of a similar law when she was Speaker. He also demanded to know why Generals Kale Kayihura and Abel Kandidho, who never pronounced themselves against homosexuality anywhere, got sanctioned by Western powers just like they have now done on Anita Among if indeed it’s basically those opposing homosexuality that are getting targeted. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [whatsapp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).