The Democratic Party has weighed in on last week’s protest that saw over ten pigs thrown at Parliament, protesting against Shs200 million to be given to MPs to purchase cars.
Speaking at a weekly press conference at their head offices on City House, Kampala, DP spokesperson Paul Kenneth Kakande said the party is against the arrest of the two youths, Ferdinand Lutta and Joseph Lukwago, who allegedly dumped the pigs, painted in different party colours, at Parliament.
The duo was picked up minutes after they pulled up at the main gate of Parliament and released eight piglets painted in yellow and blue colours to protest the extravagant expenditure of taxpayer’s money by MPs. The pigs were painted in two colours – blue and yellow, colours of the biggest political parties in Uganda. Yellow for ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) and blue for the biggest opposition party – Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
The piglets had tags in the name of the Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, her deputy Jacob Oulanyah, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Winnie Kiiza, Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko, Kato Lubwama of Lubaga South, Muyanja Ssenyonga, Workers MP Arinaitwe Rwakajara, Nakifuma County MP Robert Kafeero Ssekitoleko, and the Communications Director of Parliament Chris Obore.
And, according to Kakande, the MPs should focus on the message the youths are trying to send.
“The real point is, what are these young people saying? A pig eats its piglets. Many of you have read about the Animal Farm. The leaders of the Animal Farm were pigs. So I think these young people are trying to send a message to our Parliament – that may be they are behaving like pigs,” he said while addressing journalists this morning.
He added: “We should not arrest them. We should scrutinize our actions and listen to them, may be they are right or wrong…the public should judge them. This should be a time of reflection…you don’t kill the messenger. There are many people who are dissatisfied by the conduct of us, politicians and they have no way of expressing themselves. May be those are the few who can stand up to express themselves. We should encourage them. We should encourage a society that debates the conduct of their leaders. There were even blue pigs. This is not about … it is about how our society is being managed…”
