Nobody will respect Parliament again after being summoned by a minister

Even in the good old days, every after a glass too many of wine or such other tantalising drink, the very next thought that would occur to a man was a woman.

That is how it was that Ahaseurus who, from 486 to 465 B.C was the King of Persia and Media, which covered the Middle East as we know it today, and going as far east as all of India and as far south as Ethiopia, thought of Vashti.

In the third year of his reign he threw an executives-only party, just for just, which lasted six months and then a bonus party for a further seven days. It is at the latter, feeling high after good wine that he ordered Queen Vashti to enter appearance, so that his guests could see what a fine specimen she was, and what a good eye for a dame, he, the king, was seized of.

Vashti, who must have been head of the feminist movement in them days, was also throwing a party for the crème de la crème of the ladies at the same time. She told the king not to be silly. 

This was unprecedented. It was unthinkable for anyone – anyone – to reject the summons of the most powerful king in the world.

Ahasuerus sobered up immediately and called a strategic meeting. Memucan, a noble, argued that this was no longer a private matter between a man and his wife: it was a matter of great national importance. Every woman who heard of this would most probably emulate Vashti; they would rubbish their husbands and that would permanently upset the existing social structures and domestic power relations. Fire Vashti, and replace her immediately, he said; so that women everywhere will learn to respect their husbands.

For good measure, the post of queen was advertised; so that any cute young virgin that captured the king’s fancy would be crowned. That is how a Jewish orphan, Esther (Hadassah), cousin of Mordecai, became Queen of Persia.

Like most African countries, Uganda still has strong cultural foundations which inform a lot of what happens here. When Ms Janet Museveni was only First Lady, our strong cultural norms forbade anyone from attacking her. 

There is a kind of “immunity” she naturally enjoyed because she was a man’s wife and, even more, she was the First Lady. Credit due: she won hearts when she established UWESO – Uganda Women’s Efforts to Save Orphans. 

She showed that there was a lot a First Lady could do for the country and built her brand as a soft-spoken godly woman, a mother busy raising her children and inspiring women to be great mothers. On another day we shall tell how her hairstyle has enjoyed top-of-the-mind brand strength. 

Back then, in our eyes, Ms Museveni could do no wrong and anyone who attacked her was frowned upon. 

But the moment she chose to enter the political ring as Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister, the “immunity” was lost. She became “fair game”; because she had subjected herself to the fast-paced, highly volatile world of politics, and the vagaries that come with it. 

That includes being subjected to all manner of questions, pleasant and unpleasant alike, by Parliament. If she hadn’t wanted this, she should never have stepped into the political kitchen.

That is why there has been – and there should be – no end of criticism at her latest stunt of summoning a parliamentary committee, which is raising questions on her exercise of ministerial power and deployment of state monies, to meet her, on her terms and her own turf. Absolute sacrilege! How does a minister summon the Legislature?

Like in the Queen Vashti scenario, the principal danger herein is the precedent set; it effectively rubbishes Parliament and kills the system of checks and balances established by the Constitution. 
Nobody will respect a Parliament that can be intimidated by a minister. If the minister cannot stand the heat, she should get out of the kitchen.