FROM THE PRESS GALLERY: 2010: Gloom and more gloom

From the last time you read my scribbles From the Press Gallery in late December, it appears nothing has changed on our dim political landscape. The squabbles continue, the thieving continues, politicians continue to do the iffy, and apathy continues.

The advent of a new year is often greeted with a lot of pomp, merrymaking, high expectations and a general belief that good times lie ahead. But these are sad times; troubling times we are witnessing this New Year.

Doors to the parliamentary chambers opened for the first time last week after a two month closure, signalling the beginning of the last journey in the life of the 8th Parliament. There were visible signs of the holiday hangover in the House as Speaker Edward Ssekandi opened this year’s parliamentary calendar.

They dodged
No more than 50 MPs graced the opening and we can only imagine where the other 282 were. Lounging, busy in their constituencies, perhaps! The corridors appear eerie, abandoned and lonely. Traffic is at an all time low and you would be forgiven to think that Parliament is still in recess.

The battle for political survival has officially begun. With an election less than 12 months away, lawmakers are relishing the prospect of returning to Parliament. Of course not all will make the cut to the 9th Parliament. In fact, judging from trends right from the 6th Parliament, do not be surprised if half of the current crop of MPs is kicked out of the House at the 2011 polls.

When that happens, I hope our electorate make better informed decisions and elect leaders that will uphold their aspirations, politicians that will not betray their trust. But if the ‘No-change’ syndrome dictates the flow of events, blame no one but yourselves and please do not complain when your leaders fail to propagate your needs. We will have opportune moment, however, to make a thorough assessment of the performance of the current Parliament in the months ahead.

Many of you must have questioned where I had wandered off this past month. I have been away on leave, recuperating from a difficult year. I returned full of spirit and energy, optimistic that 2010 would be better than last year. Well, it hasn’t.

Murder most foul
The hand of death came and plucked one of the finest my parentage had to offer. She was such a loveable person, jolly at all times, humble and decent. A well groomed woman, Brenda Karamuzi would have turned 26 yesterday had she not been taken away from us in the most foul of murders, submerged in a septic tank.

We are mourning. The entire episode is straight out of a horror movie. It is as chilling as it is hard to believe. Her mother, my dear auntie Joy is devastated, so is uncle Henry and her siblings Ian, Brian, Amelia and the little one. Our prayers remain with you and may God comfort you in these trying moments.

Mr Edward Ochom, the Director of the Criminal Investigations Directorate at the police attended Karamuzi’s requiem service at the All Saints Cathedral last week and carried a message from his superiors.
“We will get to the bottom of this and find all those responsible,” he pledged quietly into Amelia’s ears. She was sobbing profusely but nodded and received the communication.

Arrests were made and a prime suspect was charged with her murder on Friday. We all pray that justice takes its course and the perpetrator (s) of Brenda’s murder pay for such a heinous crime. To my beautiful, lovely sister, I know you are in a better place; may the good Lord rest your soul in eternal peace.

Police Brutality
After more than a year of investigations, Parliament’s probe committee into allegations of police brutality finally released it’s much awaited report. Buruli County MP Peter Nyombi handed Speaker Ssekandi a copy of the report which indicts the Uganda police for using excessive force in the execution of its mandate in keeping law and order in the country.

Mr Nyombi has declined to share the contents of his report with the media, even though it is now a public document and insists he wants to present it on the floor and hand President Museveni a copy before any public release can be made. It’s his choice; I got no qualms about it.

In retrospect, however, we would not be attaching much importance to this investigation, given the amount of time Mr Nyombi’s select committee has taken to complete its enquiry and also the extent to which the media covered all the public hearings the committee conducted. But, if you consider recent events in the country detailing more acts of high handed police activity, then Nyombi’s work finds fresh relevance.

Bebe Cool shooting
Kampala MP Nabila Ssempala may cry foul over the way she was manhandled by goons in police uniform that steamy afternoon in Owino Market but local musician Moses Ssali a.k.a Bebe Cool is harbouring lifelong scars from bullet wounds allegedly inflicted by a cop. We are told Bebe Cool arrived at the crime scene under the guise of a lawyer to bailout a colleague who had been apprehended for allegedly having sex in the back of his vehicle.

While the circumstances of his shooting are shrouded in confusion, there is no reason to justify the use of such force on civilians. I personally know Bebe Cool and admittedly, he is not such a cool guy especially because he holds repellent superciliousness. But he is now wondering whether he will remain the entertainer that sparked on Uganda’s music scene.

I would have been a little indifferent had his case been about the daft rivalry involving his competitors but the police’s hand in this matter leaves me horrified. People, public safety is at stake here. There’s a joke doing the rounds that now that President Museveni has visited the bedridden artiste, Bebe Cool will certainly walk again—his doctors had feared he wouldn’t. But we all know why he visited? Remember Bebe Cool’s Kisanja song in 2006? Expect another one for the fourth term.

The week past

* As the election fever grips the House, it emerged last week that Parliament had set itself the ambitious target of passing all the necessary electoral laws by March 15. Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Mr Steven Tashobya claimed his committee would fast track the consideration of all critical legal reforms as Parliament moved to thwart concern about delays in fixing electoral law loopholes with less than a year to the next general election.
It is doubtful whether Parliament will pull off such an assignment given the pace with which we know how our MPs work. But whatever the case, the earlier these reforms are debated and passed, the better. There are five bills before the House which are critical to the 2011 general election.