Fallen Speaker begins journey of no return

Former Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s body exited Parliament yesterday morning having spent the previous day at the chambers, with legislators paying their respects to him during an overnight vigil.

The exit had emotional moments with MPs engulfed in grief.  For many, the reality was hard to accept that the era of Oulanyah had finally ended and a new dawn sets in.

READ: Revealed: The four people who flew with Oulanyah to Seattle

The long convoy escorting the hearse snaked its way out of Parliament, marking the beginning of a journey of no return for Oulanyah, whose body was taken to Kololo Ceremonial Grounds for a State funeral before it was flown to Omoro District for his final resting.

At Kololo, the son of the late Oulanyah, Andrew Ojok, told mourners not to mourn, but celebrate the life of a man who had given all to his country.

“We request you to celebrate my father who served his community, party and country,” he said.

Back at Parliament, while it will be business as usual when the House resumes next week, Oulanyah’s humour and oratory skills will be greatly missed. During the plenary to honour him, legislator after legislator eulogised him as a unifier and a man who had a golden heart.

The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, who had deputised Oulanyah during his brief stint, said: “There will never be another boss like Oulanyah or better than him.”

“I take this opportunity to thank the Lord for blessing this Parliament and indeed, the country with the life of Rt Hon Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah. He was a great leader, lawyer, legislator, debater and an advocate for peace and unity in Uganda and world over,” Ms Among added.

What Parliament will miss

At the onset of his tenure as the Speaker of the 11th Parliament, Oulanyah set the record straight when he said legislators must argue based on facts.

“We should agree from the outset that we will lay facts on the table and use them as a reference point when expressing sometimes very divergent opinions. We must apply evidence-based processes of decision making,” he argued.

This set ground rules for House debates and truth to his words, Oulanyah would challenge legislators to present facts each time he chaired the House sessions. He also advocated for reason as a guiding principle, which he said would enable the members to derive the correct interpretation from agreed facts.

ALSO READ: Jacob Oulanyah’s funeral and northern Uganda’s ‘walking dead’

Oulanyah preached tolerance to divergent views, harmony and national interests above self-interests. He said the spirit of harmony should and will keep everyone conscious that the people did not give the task to any individual, but rather to the August House as a whole.

“As individuals, we will have interests and even as members of political parties, we are party to partisan positions. These interests, we should find occasion to declare them boldly before this August House and committees. When decision time comes, we must measure them alongside the national interest. Often, we will find that the national interest will ring true to all of us without exception,” he said.

Parliament now has a tall order to ensure that what he had aspired to advocate does not go to the grave with him.

While paying tribute to him, the House was in unison that what Oulanyah started must not be abandoned, but have his legacy shine.

Ms Among agreed that the former Speaker will be greatly missed by the Parliament and Uganda at large. To her, what Oulanyah stood for was beyond party politics.

“This nation and indeed, the Parliament of Uganda will dearly miss Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah. No one will forget the role the late Oulanyah played in the peace talks between Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army towards the pacification of northern Uganda. Indeed his negotiation ability is something this country will greatly miss,” she said.

Ms Among described the late Oulanyah as a devoted advocate of “Ubuntu” a loose reference to humanity and believe that everyone should be treated fairly and equitably.

The eulogies that stood out

“In 2001, I came to Parliament with Oulanyah, we became brothers and friends. He used to call me Mukwasi (brother-in-law)… he has died, we are going to die, but I am sorry to hear some people clamouring for money.  Us, in our culture, we contribute money to send off people. For those who are clamouring to eat it, I am asking God to call them immediately to go with Oulanyah,”  Nandala Mafabi, MP Budadiri West

“There are individuals in this House that believe Opposition is here illegally and that it is such a bother and an intrusion. It is not true that at all times we must agree. We owe in his memory, the nature of politics that embraces our differences and diversities. We should use it to serve common good. He was a unifier and could give space and listen to everyone…,” Mathias Mpuuga, Leader of Opposition in Parliament.

“He was one of the influential members in passing the Amnesty Act with northern Uganda and its people at heart. As Speaker, you must read beyond what the members have read. You must know economics, medicine, engineering, law, and everything. He did that.  He was well versed in whatever Bill was presented,” Wilfred Nuwagaba, Shadow Attorney General.

“This government needs to learn, I have said these things, one of the philosophers said, you will forgive me if you are annoyed with what he said, I am only reminding you, he [Oulanyah] was against bringing extremely very ordinary people into high positions because they will be overwhelmed by power,” Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, MP Kira Municipality.

 “He was an outstanding debator whose eloquence braced this House for so many years. He was smart both physically and intellectually. He was capable of making boring events humorous leaving everyone cracking their ribs, but maintained a high level of seriousness and relevancy of the matter at hand. His grasp of laws was unmatched,” Jim Muhwezi, Minister for Security.

DON'T MISS: If I’d known Oulanyah was sick, I would have advised him to focus on health – Museveni

 “It is a difficult moment when an old man has to bury his son. A few years ago, Uganda thought about stopping medical tourism. A company came here and we guaranteed it on an agreement that within two years, we would have a specialised hospital in Lubowa. The agreement was that from there, we would stop sending our own broad for medication. I would like to pray that this matter be brought back to the House so that if we are to die, we should die near our friends and relatives,” Betty Nambooze, MP Mukono Municipality

[email protected]