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Plain textGen. Aronda Summons Fox Odoi Over Mbabazi
Army commander General Aronda Nyakairima has summoned the chairman of Parliamentary Committee of Rules and Privileges Fox Odoi.
“Aronda is summoning MPs who have championed the move to force Amama Mbabazi to step down one by one for mid night meetings,” opposition MP Odonga Otto said.
“This week he summoned Fox Odoi to his office in Kampala to discuss the issue of Mbabazi whom we want to step aside for his role in the oil bribery scandal,” otto charged.
“What Aronda is doing is meant to save Mbabazi by threatening MPs on the committee investigating whether he acted in contempt of Parliament by refusing to step down as ordered by the house,” Otto said.
He was speaking during the weekly Special Pan African Club debate at Seascallope leisure centre in Kamwokya, Kampala on December 2.
The youthful MP said Aronda intends to bully the Independent-minded MPs so they can drop their harsh stance against ministers named in oil corruption scandals.
MPs want Internal Affairs Minister Hilary Onek and Premier Amama Mbabazi to step down to allow smooth investigations into reports they received billions of shillings as bribes from oil companies Tullow and Eni respectively.
The ground-breaking statement shows the secret hand of top army officers in smashing the growing NRM rebel MPs’ resistance against Mbabazi.
“Aronda must stop intimidating MPs. This is not acceptable,” he fumed.
GUNS
In a fiery speech, Otto said opposition would use all necessary means including guns to overthrow Museveni.
“FDC have 179 tactics of overthrowing government. We have now explored only four of them. There is still the option of carrying guns, what are you talking about?” he charged.
Otto said the degree of political intolerance had reached peak levels thus pushing opposition to the wall.
He called for a national consensus lest the country get plunged into a bloody civil war.
Otto warned Uganda was on the verge of genocide. “All of us will have no option but to run back to our villages. That’s the only safe place when war breaks out,” he added.
Otto predicted that state was gradually disintegrating and would soon break into pieces.
Several participants cheered on as Otto fired missiles. He blamed corruption on President Yoweri Museveni for lacking the political will to fight it and shielding corrupt ministers.
Otto further poured scorn on architects of the Public Order Management Bill, saying they were out of their minds because the proposed legislation contradicts several constitutional provisions.
He said the Bill intends to serve the wishes of Museveni and his government by restricting freedoms of peaceful assembly and speech.
The topic of the day was “The implications of Public Order Management Bill on democracy in Uganda.”
Chimpreports.com editor Giles Muhame, in a keynote address, called for national dialogue involving church leaders to avoid the political clashes between Museveni and Besigye.
Muhame said opposition should stop using peaceful demonstrations for selfish motives. He further appealed to opposition leaders to always liaise with police in their demonstrations to avoid destruction of property and loss of lives.
Muhame, however, appealed to government to scrutinise the Bill as security lacks manpower to regulate all ‘public meetings’ in the country.
Former political intelligence boss Charles Rwomushana castigated government for proposing a legislation that serves only NRM party agenda.
Rwomushana said police should use intelligence to neutralise opposition than pushing the Bill.
Rwomushana raised eye-brows when he revealed NRM has for long been “nothing but has thrived for decades because of its skills in disorganising the opposition.”
He said government will continue suppressing opposition assemblies whether the Bill is passed into law or not.
The dining hall where the debate was held was packed to capacity.
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Updated on 2013-05-09 09:25 |
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