Mao, Nambooze blow up over new Besigye cabinet
What you need to know:
- Reason. Nambooze says there is nothing wrong with her working with Dr Besigye for a common cause.
PARLIAMENT. Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze of the Democratic Party (DP) has fired back at DP President, Norbert Mao, likening him to a pumpkin.
Ms Nambooze’s outburst comes just a day after Mr Mao called Ms Nambooze and other DP political leaders appointed recently by Forum for Democratic Change’s Dr Kizza Besigye to serve under his “parallel cabinet” as watermelons. Dr Besigye last Thursday announced a cabinet of more than 40 people, which he said he will work with to defeat President Museveni’s party in the 2021 elections.
Speaking in reference to Dr Besigye’s cabinet on Tuesday, Mr Mao equated Ms Nambooze and other leaders including Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana to “watermelon, which is green on the surface, but red inside.”
Mr Mao said the DP leader would be queried on what informs their allegiance to the ‘People’s cabinet’ without the endorsement of the party.
However, Ms Nambooze addressed the media at Parliament yesterday, where she said she does not regret her membership in Dr Besigye’s cabinet. She also said she would gladly avail herself for any disciplinary action from DP.
“He said Nambooze, Erias Lukwago and Allan Ssewanyana are like watermelon, we are green outside and red inside; indeed, that is true,” she said.
“We are also aware,” Ms Nambooze said, “that some people, like him are like pumpkins; they are green outside but yellow inside.”
The Mukono Municipality legislator explained: “There will be no way the pumpkins will love the watermelons because their colour inside is different; we only share the colour outside...”
Ms Nambooze also told the media that Mr Mao was only trying to intimidate them for closely working with Dr Besigye, a four-time presidential contender, against incumbent Yoweri Museveni of the ruling NRM.
“I don’t know why my brother Mao gets annoyed whenever the Opposition strategises against Mr Museveni,” she said.
She further accused Mr Mao of lacking the traits of a true administrator in case of a conflict, and warned that Mao’s actions will not deter them “from pursuing the bigger goal of liberating Uganda, after which they will liberate them from the pumpkins.”
