By Tracy Acen Oiko
NATIONAL
Possible remedies have been put forward to solve the absenteeism of ministers by Harold Kaijja, the deputy Secretary General of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
“Government’s obligation in Parliament is to take the lead in bringing Bills and programs for discussion. However, these proceedings cannot be fully engaged in with the situation underway.”
This is what prompted Kaijja to suggest a censure motion to put the ministers back in line.
The remarks have been made on Monday while speaking to journalists at FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi.
“I think some of them need censure motions because when someone hears ‘censure motion’, you will see them running back to parliament.” He said.
He woundered why a government with the majority in parliament would not attend plenary sittings.
“Refusing to come to parliament is one way of telling parliament that ‘we don’t take you seriously’,” he condemned.
It is not the first time ministers are being called out for absenteeism.
In February 2022, the deputy Speaker, Hon. Anita Among (now Speaker) said she would write to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on the continued absence of senior ministers during plenary sittings.
Her statement followed urgent matters of national importance that the legislators raised on the floor earlier that required responses from senior line ministers, but were deferred due to their absence.
The following month, the former opposition chief whip , also the Kira municipality MP Ssemujju Nganda questioned why the first deputy prime minister and minister of E.A affairs Hon. Rabbecca Kadaga was not attending parliament. This was after Ssemujju realized that the budget ministerial statement for the East African Community had not been tabled.
Now the FDC appeals to members of parliament to assert themselves and hold the prime minister accountable for the absence of her ministers or move a motion to censure them.
“We ask the MPs to stand our and assert themselves because some of these ministers need to be censured,” said FDC
