Legislators from the Opposition Caucus have vowed to fight for the economic empowerment of coffee farmers, despite reports of the looming arrest by security forces, during tomorrow’s debate on the National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024 that is seeking to abolish Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
The proclamation was made by Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, while addressing journalists at Parliament today, where he castigated the Government for ridding the debate of UCDA merger with tribal and partisan sentiments, in an attempt to divide Ugandans.
“Tomorrow, we are going to start from where we stopped. We are determined to defend the economic empowerment of the people of Uganda. There have been many threats, as you entered the Parliament, you saw the whole building cordoned off, we have heard that tomorrow will be worse, they are going to deploy all manner of military, in uniforms, plain clothes including inside the building, that is okay,” said Ssenyonyi.
“No one is going to intimidate us, because no one wrote us an invitation and said, I would like you to come and sit in this House, no. Each of us here has been sent by the people who sent us, and those people are happy with the work that we are doing. So, if anyone has got ideas to try and intimidate us, because we hear they are planning to arrest some of us, we have been arrested so many times, that isn’t something you can use as a threat to some of us. So, we shall be here tomorrow, to defend economic empowerment,” he added.
He also warned the Executive to stop interfering with the operations of the Legislature, arguing that all the three arms constitutionally are supposed to be independent, but of late, there have been incidents where the Executive arm has been rough shouldering over the legislature, actions he deems improper, unconstitutional and unacceptable.
“President Museveni, I think, imagines that Parliament is supposed to be in his pockets, for it to do whatever he wants at his whims and fancies. We are in 2024, and in this era, there is no room for that. So, the way Parliament is being rough shouldered severally, MPs being called and we have been seeing communications on our platforms as MPs from the Government Chief Whip saying Cabinet sat and these are the instructions for MPs to make sure the Coffee Bill passes. But how? Parliament is supposed to be independent,” said Ssenyonyi.
Ssenyonyi also castigated the Government for tainting the Coffee debate with tribalism, arguing that the issue of coffee is an issue of Uganda, not Buganda, and he went on to list several districts outside Buganda, whose inhabitants are heavily invested in coffee growing.
“So, all those who are trying to divide the people of Uganda to make it seem it is them against you, no, this is for all of us. If you look at some of the districts that produce a lot of coffee, a good number of them aren’t necessarily in Buganda. So, it is very problematic for anyone to try to make this one a Buganda issue. This is an issue of Uganda because coffee is a cash crop that is benefitting many districts in Uganda. So why are you trying to make it like it is a Buganda issue? Let us stop dividing the people of Uganda,” he said.
The Opposition further accused the Government of being against the prosperity of Ugandans with Ssenyonyi stating, “This Government isn’t interested in the people of Uganda prospering, we saw what happened to vanilla, we saw what happened to cotton, we saw how this Government ran down Cooperatives. Cooperatives had empowered the people of Uganda, they had money to take their children to school, they had money to pay for health care, their lives were getting better and all of those sunk under this Government watch.
“So Government has made it, as if their policy that Ugandans should not be empowered economically because they will be complicated, they will speak out for themselves and that is why they are fighting coffee now, because coffee has empowered Ugandans. They are making a good living out of it and now, they want to go after it, that is their plan,” he added.
“If the President is serious about cutting down on government expenses, why does he always create new districts and new constituencies as we head for elections? Why does he have a bloated cabinet? Why are there so many Presidential Advisors? Why do we have so many RDCs, Deputy RDCs and now Assistant Deputy RDCs? That isn’t true, that is a lie, stop fooling the people of Uganda. I want to challenge the President, stop preaching water and then you drink wine,” he wondered.
