The Mityana South member of Parliament Richard Lumu has accused DP top leadership led by Norbert Mao and Mukasa Mbidde of sabotaging his consultation process.
While speaking to journalists at Cafe Pap on Parliamentary Avenue on September 20, 2024, Lumu accused the DP leadership of contacting other opposition party members to refuse his proposals on the Administration of Parliament Amendment Bill 2024.
“Mbidde a full Vice President of the party went ahead and called NUP, and FDC leaders telling them that DP is not in support and they shouldn’t even give me an audience,” Lumu asked.
Lumu further accused DP President Norbert Mao of holding personal grudges against him because he is a friend of Micheal Bayiga Lulume who has always challenged Mao’s leadership as DP party president.
“I knew DP would not support me not because my proposals were weak but because my colleague Lulume has always called out the mode of leadership of President Mao and his team led by Vice President Mbidde and Gerald Siranda who have for a long time worked with President Museveni and we all know that. That’s the reason they didn’t give me an audience when I visited the part to consult them,” Lumu added.
The DP party vice president Mukasa Mbidde while addressing the media on September 17th at the party headquarters at Balintuma road said that Lumu for a long time Lumu has not been respecting and recognizing the leadership of DP and now when he is sent to consult that’s when he realizes that he needs the people he has always despised.
“Lumu doesn’t think that Norbert Mao and his team are in charge of DP, why did he come here to consult, why not go to his other friend Lulume and ask for his approval, if he wanted to consult DP he should have come with a peace offering and then we talk,” Mbidde said.
The Democratic Party Secretary General Gerald Siranda accused Lumu of not consulting the party when coming up with his proposals.
“We have 9 DP members of parliament and Lumu never even called for a meeting to meet the DP Parliamentary caucus and to us this was key, if he needed our input he should have consulted us first but he didn’t so that’s on him,” Siranda said.
The DP party president Norbert Mao has remained reserved on the issue of Richard Lumu’s proposed amendments though he stated that as a member of parliament, he has the right to bring a private member’s bill even when not supported by his own party.
“Lumu has all the rights to present a private members bill whether controversial or not and even if it is unpopular he has the rights to be listened to and be allowed to table his bill,” Mao said.
While attending the regional parliamentary sitting in Gulu, Lumu proposed that the leading opposition political party propose names for the leader of the opposition and all the opposition members in parliament vote for the leader of the opposition.
Lumu also proposed that the opposition members of parliament be allowed to vote three commissioners of parliament and also all the independent members of parliament are also allowed to have an independent whip.
Lumu was allowed by parliament to consult different stake holders and inform his proposed amendments and will soon be back at the floor of parliament to table his bill.
Lumu has already faced serious opposition even from his own DP party and other political party members but insists that he will not abandon his bill and will go ahead and present it and defend his proposed amendments before parliament.
