The Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, was left wondering why Parliament would let a novice minister in Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi speak on the floor of the August House without first undergoing orientation on how Parliament operates.
Ssenyonyi was reacting to allegations by Balaam that he has asked for a list of the missing supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP), many said to be illegally held in state prisons, but the Leader of Opposition has not availed the list of the political prisons so that he can process their release.
Hundreds of NUP supporters went missing after the 2021 elections.
“When I was in the Appointments Committee, the Speaker, Anita Among, asked me to speak to the President to ensure that National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters are released, and the President in his own voice and video said, give me the list. I requested NUP to give me the list; [I] hope the Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, is here, I am yet to get it,” Balaam told Parliament.
However, according to Ssenyonyi, the list of the missing persons was given to the Attorney General & some of the political prisoners are being persecuted in various courts of law.
“It is important as Parliament; we orient our new colleagues on our modus operandi. How we operate, point of order, and the like. We discussed in this very Parliament the issues of missing persons.
Some missing persons whom the Prime Minister acknowledged are in the hands of the State like John Bosco Kibalama and we tabled that list here in Parliament, we gave it to the Attorney General, the court is processing many of these matters and we have asked that they be released on bail because this isn’t prosecution but persecution,” Ssenyonyi said.
“Is it in order for a new Minister, who seems to be a novice to come with excitement and claim that he has a mandate to pursue a matter of people who are simply being persecuted as opposed to being prosecuted,” added Ssenyonyi before his microphone was switched off.
However, the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, castigated Ssenyonyi for the disrespectful language he used against Balaam.
Tayebwa said: "You know the language we use in Parliament, even when you disagree with a person, language is like a novice. A Member of Parliament is a Member of Parliament. So do the needful, you are a gentleman there is a language we don’t use here. Do the needful.”
In response to Tayebwa, Ssenyonyi said: “As a lawyer and as someone who knows English, the word novice means someone who is new to the profession. Balaam is a new Minister so the word novice isn’t derogatory in any way, except for people we need to teach some English.”
Ssenyonyi refused to withdraw his statements describing Balaam as a novice Minister and the Deputy Speaker ordered Clerk to Parliament to expunge the submissions of the Leader of the Opposition from the record of Parliament.