Demeaning MPs is poor advocacy

The director communications and public affairs, Parliament of Uganda Chris Obore. File photo

What you need to know:

  • Canada-- for various reasons-- is not Uganda.

Dear Dr Muniini K. Mulera, I again read yours in Daily Monitor, August 3,  about the MPs car facilitation.
I had earlier asked you four specific questions following the issues you had raised:

Would you prefer that parliament is an assembly of only the rich who can afford cars of their own?  If so, would it not be appropriate that you push for a national referendum for citizens to resolve that if one is not capable of owning a car, they should never be elected into leadership? Before we scale down, have we addressed the issues that occasioned the increase? 

In your response, you did not address those specific questions. You instead raised new issues centering on the question of equity using teachers and doctors as an example. Yes. They too need transport to work.  However, the payment of Shs200million grant to MPs to buy cars, did not mean that MPs are superior to other citizens.  

All public workers are facilitated to work. It’s the nature and structure of their jobs that is different hence the different levels of facilitation.

In terms of net pay, you might want to appreciate that an MP takes home Shs6.1million in salary. It’s been like that for the last 15 years. The debate on equitable pay is genuine but requires clarity more than populist approaches because populist stances are like morality politics—easy to talk about but difficult to deliver.

It is a fallacy to say all workers must be paid the same or facilitated at the same level. There is nowhere public workers get the same facilitation. And every policy option must be in sync with the policy environment. In case of the MPs vehicle grant that ticked you wrongly,  I urge you to accept that there are public jobs which are done without and or with minimal travelling.  An MP’s job is not one of them. Secondly, in facilitation of workers,  job evaluations are done; while all jobs are important, they are not all equal, therefore; people can’t be compensated equally.

It is also true that one of the considerations in deciding remuneration or compensation, is the impact of error. An error by a CEO of a company or a permanent secretary and or a head teacher of a school, can sink the organisation .

Impact of error is higher the higher the position of responsibility. Dr Mulera you also talked about Canada and compared it with Uganda. This is very unfortunate in many ways: First, could you agree with me that there are many philosophies that run governments? I read recently how US Republicans were flown in a jet to meet senators in another state. 

This is in a country with ‘great’ road infrastructure. It’s also a rich economy but still hosting thousands of homeless people. One time I saw homeless street beggars in New York during winter yet skyscrapers in Manhattan are so intimidatingly glamorous that one would imagine they are in a world of absolute happiness. 

In addition, it’s fallacious to compare things that are not comparable but you can contrast. You can’t argue that an avocado is sweeter than an orange or groundnuts are sweeter than mangoes. Compare a mango with a mango.
Canada-- for various reasons-- is not Uganda.

On the size of Parliament, the country awaits your prescription on how the numbers should be brought down in agreement with the people to whom power is vested.

However, the size does not discount the payment of car grants. Whether many or few, it’s appropriate to facilitate MPs. The strategy as of now is not extravagant compared to other options outside parliament framework. Cars depreciate and our MPs personally meet the depreciation costs of the cars they use for public work while other public officials do not. 

Dr Mulera I was taken aback to read your allegation that ‘even a dead MP enjoys more financial benefits than a live medical doctor that attempted to save his life’. Very unfortunate. Is a coffin bought by parliament, tents hired and refreshments served to mourners during burial ceremony a financial benefit to a dead MP?  We can make arguments for or against MPs without debasing them. 

Lastly, it’s legitimate to discuss equity issues and Parliament has been pushing for it. Support Parliament to realize that agenda and I invite you to advocate for good remuneration of other public officials without diminishing the facilitation of others.

Mr Chris Obore is the is Parliament’s director  for communication and  public affairs.