Open letter to our MPs

Our dear Members of Parliament, I hope you had a fruitful festive season and used the holiday to reconnect with your constituents who voted you into the August House three years back.

Practically, you are remaining with only one year; 2020, to complete the business that took you to Parliament as you prepare to either re-contest or retire come 2021 General Election.

I feel obliged as a voter, patriot and former MP aspirant who actually contested for Mbarara Municipality seat during 2005 by-election at the age of 24, to remind you of your constitutional duties which are mainly three. That is representation, legislation and supervision. While a few of you have excellently performed this constitutional duty, many of you have miserably done to your country and your respective constituencies a disservice by exhibiting poor performance.

Time for accountability is just knocking on your doors. I would like to remind you of the fourth role that you must play which although is not constitutionally defined but it is politically necessary for your survival in Parliament and good for the community and country at large.

This is an additional duty of mobilisation of people and resources. How many of you have used your title of “honourable” to reachout to government ministries and departments, embassies, non-governmental organisations and international community to lobby opportunities in form of projects and services for your voters?

How many of you have mobilised your people for sensitisation on key human development issues such as health, education, security, employment, ICT innovations, commercial agriculture, talent search etc? Why do you always look helpless in the face of voters who put their confidence, trust and love in you by faking excuses of “that is not my duty as MP” or “if I were at least a minister, I would be in a better position to serve you!”

When I was campaigning for MP of the constituency, my vision was to transform Mbarara town into a city and I knew I would achieve it by assigning to myself an additional role of mobilisation and lobbying which many of you do not do. You must realise that Uganda in particular is no longer a traditional but rather a changing modern society where creativity means business.

Get out of your “comfort zones” by continuously hiding in the colonial law that only focuses on three roles but ignores the critical one of mobilisation and lobbying.

Those of you who know what I am saying will appreciate and automatically bounce back to the House but those who are still blind should start packing their bags.

David Mutatiina Bishanga,
[email protected]