The race for Speakership is getting tense by the day with new twists and turns. The latest is that Jacob Oulanyah’s camp has dared Rebecca Kadaga for a televised debate to allow ex-officios (Members of the public) make an informed decision on who is fit to be Speaker of the 11th Parliament.
According to a source within Oulanyah’s camp, the purpose of the televised debate is to separate grain from chaff and identity “a masquerading” speaker from “the real” speaker.
However, as the debate continues to unfold, Lango parliamentary group has come out to declare support for Oulanyah stating that they supported Kadaga in 2016 with an understanding that she was serving her last term.
“In 2016 we supported Kadaga because she was serving a second term as Speaker even after serving two terms as Deputy Speaker .This time we are supporting Jacob Oulanyah who has served two terms as Deputy Speaker and needs to move forward” reads an endorsement statement by the group.
The endorsement of Lango follows Acholi parliamentary group that endorsed Oulanyah against Kadaga. Kadaga currently is the longest legislator having joined parliament in 1989 as a National Resistance Council member. She subsequently served as Minister in charge of parliamentary affairs before the return of multi-party politics. It is from here that she rose to become a deputy speaker for two terms before being elevated to Speaker for two terms as well.
Last week, Oulanyah while chairing the House for the first time in over a year, boasted of emotional intelligence saying it would not be human for him to preside over the House when speaker Kadaga is mourning the death of her relative. Oulanyah’s moving statement sparked off public debate with many describing him as a benevolent and gifted intellectual who deserves nothing but being the Speaker of the 11th Parliament.
It is highly predictable that if Kadaga accepts the televised debate challenge then it will end in tears for her camp because the man from Omoro is such a well composed flamboyant gentleman who has the entire law on the palm of his hands and is likely to expose and humiliate Aunt Becky. The end result is known. Emotional breakdown for Aunt Becky.
