By George Ofwono
Speaker Among’s defiant refusal to disclose parliamentary salaries is not a testament to institutional independence; it’s a blatant act of defiance against transparency and a chilling demonstration of how deep the rot of impunity has sunk within the ruling NRM.
The rejection of requests from both the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Public Service, coupled with the desperate attempt to distance parliamentary staff from the civil service, reeks of a regime terrified of accountability.
This isn’t about some arcane principle of legislative sovereignty. It’s about shielding potentially egregious misuse of public funds.
The claim of parliamentary independence rings hollow when the very people who wield that supposed independence are so fiercely resistant to even the most basic scrutiny. Are we to believe that the salaries of our elected representatives – those entrusted with managing our national resources – are somehow exempt from public knowledge? This isn’t a matter of protecting individuals’ privacy; it’s about protecting a system built on patronage and opaque financial dealings.
The Attorney General’s expected intervention further underscores the disturbing trend. Instead of championing transparency and good governance, the legal arm of the state is being deployed to reinforce a culture of secrecy that benefits only the NRM elite. This is not about upholding the rule of law; it’s about using the law to shield those in power from legitimate oversight.
Are we to assume that the legal advice received will justify the obfuscation of public spending, effectively creating a parallel universe where parliamentary finances are beyond reproach?
The NRM’s increasingly desperate attempts to control information flow are a clear sign of a party losing its grip. Their actions betray a profound fear of exposure. If the salaries are above board, why the resistance? Why the frantic attempts to categorize parliamentary staff as separate from the broader civil service? It suggests a system rife with potential irregularities, inflated salaries, and sweetheart deals benefiting the connected few at the expense of the nation.
This incident is far more than a simple administrative dispute. It’s a stark reminder of the inherent risks in allowing unchecked power to consolidate.
The refusal to disclose salary information isn’t just an affront to the public’s right to know; it’s a blatant attack on democratic principles and a chilling manifestation of a regime that places self-preservation above the national interest.
The people deserve to know how their money is being spent, and the continued resistance only deepens the suspicion that something is deeply wrong.
The silence speaks volumes, and those volumes scream of corruption and a fear of accountability that runs deep within the NRM. We demand transparency, not more obfuscation. We demand accountability, not legalistic manoeuvring. We demand an end to this culture of impunity.
The writer is a Youth leader in Tororo (UPC) and an Advocate for Sociopolitical and Economic Justice
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