KYANKWANZI, UGANDA – The aspiring Speaker of the 12th Parliament and Justice Minister, Norbert Mao, has described Speaker Anita Among’s place in the ruling NRM as a refuge, following her defection from the opposition FDC to the NRM.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The bitter political remarks came after Speaker Among stated that having Norbert Mao at the NRM retreat at Kyankwanzi’s National Leadership Institute (NALI) was like allowing a guest into the bedroom.
Speaking at the retreat on Wednesday this week, Among drew a hard line on cooperation between the ruling NRM and other parties, warning that allowing outsiders to claim the Speaker’s position would be like inviting a guest into the bedroom.
“We do cooperate with different political parties, but the cooperation does not mean that if we are cooperating, you come up to my bedroom. The bedroom this time around is the speakership,” Speaker Among stated.
Delivering a blunt response, Democratic Party president Norbert Mao accused Speaker Among of breaching political decorum and invoked President Museveni as the ultimate authority within the ruling party establishment.
Mao described President Museveni as the head of the family with the final word on who can access which room in the home, thus questioning Among’s political standing within the broader NRM alliance framework.
“Only the head of a family has the final say on who accesses which room in the home. President Museveni does not need lectures from a recently adopted child. Above all, when you insult your father’s visitors, you insult your father,” Mao stated.
President Museveni, in his latest address to MPs at the retreat, said he intends to speak on the speakership contest at the right time, leaving many to wonder whom he will back for the leadership of the 12th Parliament.
The speakership contest continues to become increasingly high-stakes between the two rivals, especially after the NRM Party Chairperson refrained from indicating whom he supports, despite the earlier endorsement of Among by the NRM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).
About 400 NRM and leanings Party elected MPs are gathering at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi as they prepare to kick-start their legislative roles in the upcoming 12th Parliament.
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