Who is the Speaker? Who is she? What is Parliament? The Speaker rules over Parliament. She does not rule over Uganda. This country was liberated by the military but not her Parliament. Don’t tell me about your Speaker and your Parliament. The army cannot be directed by civilians,” Gen Tumwine allegedly told a fellow Member of Parliament Mr. Atiks Katusabe (FDC Bukonjo West).
Members of Parliament on the Committee of Rules, Privileges and Discipline ruled that, by uttering such words, “Gen Elly Tumwine freely expressed his view in an informal meeting and never intended the contents of the discussion to be publicised or conveyed to third parties.”
The MPs, acting on instructions of the Speaker wanted to find out Gen Tumwine had abused his colleague, Mr Atiks Katusabe (FDC Bukonjo West) and uttered statements that demean Parliament or not.
The committee chairperson while presenting the report on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday said: “Whereas it is true that Gen Tumwine made the utterances, they did not necessarily amount to contempt of Parliament.”
Mr Katusabe, in his submission, both to Parliament and the committee indicated that Gen Tumwine questioned the authority of the speaker over a security squabble in Bukonjo West.
The committee also recommended that “matters that arise out of informal or private discussions and engagements should be resolved in informal ways. Where colleagues seek to engage either the executive arm of government or Parliament on matters regarding their constituencies or the country at large, they should explore formal mechanisms that call for accountability and action in case of failure by the responsible officers.”
Gen.Tumwine has also vowed that if his matter is not handled very well, he will go to court and sue some members who took him to the disciplinary committee.