A section of Members of Parliament Monday spoke out on the decision by the World Bank to suspend future financing to Uganda over the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023.
Sarah Opendi, Tororo District Woman Representative, asked the World Bank to stick to its business of eradicating poverty in the world, saying Uganda will not accept having “homosexuality sin” disguised as a human right.
She made the remarks during a press conference at Parliament.
“I want to request the World Bank to stick to its core mandate which is providing long-term economic development and eradicating or reducing poverty from countries. The World Bank didn’t create human beings, God created human beings and he created a man and a woman and gave us clear commandments and we are living by those commandments. We aren’t going to relent and accept sin being disguised as a human right,” Opendi stated.
Opendi also warned World Bank against listening to Ugandan gay rights activists, describing them as self-seekers who are looking for greener pastures, and once they achieve their objectives, they will abandon homosexuality and return to their ‘normal’ sexual orientation.
“I want to tell the World Bank those few Ugandans that are trying to confuse World Bank and other partners are looking for greener pastures and given an opportunity, once they have achieved what they want, they will revert and become normal human beings. The law that we passed was intended to ensure that sin doesn’t find its way into this country. The Anti-Homosexuality Act is intended to protect the children of this country. We aren’t going to allow the sexualization of our children, sodomising our children and calling that a human right,” Opendi concluded.
On his part, Asuman Basalirwa, MP Bugiri Municipality, accused the World Bank of suspending funding to Uganda without fully understanding the provisions in the Anti-Homosexuality Act, saying contrary to public sentiments, no Ugandan will be arrested for not reporting acts of homosexuality unless those acts are committed against vulnerable groups like children.
“By making that statement, the WB in effect is expressing a lack of knowledge of that law. Section 14 doesn’t create an offence arising from the failure to disclose acts of homosexuality. When you look at the statement by the World Bank, it creates an impression that everybody will have committed an offence if they don’t report acts of homosexuality, that is wrong. And that is our problem, either, there is deliberate distortion, misinformation or total ignorance in as far as this law is concerned,” Basalirwa pointed out.
Basalirwa, who was the mover of the bill, also refuted allegations by the World Bank that some Ugandans may be denied health care due to their sexual orientation, describing this argument as a misconception, adding that no such cases have been reported in Uganda since the coming into force the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
“In this country, where health rights are concerned, people aren’t asked about their sexual orientation. And if the medical person, did it, they would actually be undermining the Hippocratic oath. So again, the World Bank makes a very deliberate misconception as far as we are concerned, to try and create an impression that when people who are gay or perceived to be gay go to health facilities, they are going to be denied medical care on count of their sexual orientation. That doesn’t happen, it hasn’t happened anywhere in this country and it will not happen because that in itself is against our laws,” he added.
Nsaba Buturo, MP Bufumbira East, asked the Government not to negotiate with World Bank over the passing into law the Anti-Homosexuality Act, saying such a move would ensure Western power dominance over Uganda and Africa.
President Museveni, in his statement following the World Bank’s pronouncement to halt funding Uganda projects, said the government had embarked on negotiations with the Bank.
“Sadly, some of our officials who benefit god know how much, are the machinery being used to continue this perpetuation of domination and exploitation,” noted the former Ethics and Integrity minister.
He added: “Anyone who says we are going to negotiate with you isn’t serious because they know that it is that dominance that allows them to benefit from our resources and you can’t discuss with someone whose primary intention is to continue exploiting you.”
Buturo also said that despite Uganda receiving loans from World Bank for the last 61 years, there isn’t much to show for those loans, saying the loans have instead hampered the socio-economic growth of Uganda.
“For the last 61 years, Uganda has been receiving aid but in our view, there isn’t much to show for it, and so the excitement and anxiety which many of our citizens have shown as if suggesting that the world is going to end tomorrow because we haven’t been receiving loans, is misplaced. In my view, they (loans) have a negative influence to ensure that we have an economic and social transformation,” Buturo.
