Members of Parliament (MPs) have mounted pressure on the Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah demanding for the content of the letter written by President Museveni in response to earlier demands by the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
In a letter to the President on August 27, Kadaga expressed concern that several legislators including, Robert Kyagulanyi, Francis Zaake and others were recently tortured by security officers but nothing had been done to the officers that brutalized them.
Kadaga asked that the perpetrators of the torture crime be apprehended at the earliest opportunity and be presented before Court.
It should be remembered that Parliament was last week adjourned after members refused to continue with business as usual without first receiving a response from the President to the Speaker’s letter.
On Tuesday, Oulanyah assured Members of Parliament (MPs) that the President has indeed responded to the letter whose contents are known to Speaker.
Oulanyah told members that he received a call from the President notifying him that he hadn’t received a letter from the Speaker to that effect.
“He told me he was looking for the letter and wasn’t seeing it. I told him that it was all over several platforms but he insisted that he wanted the letter from me as a point of reference. I had to quickly arrange for a copy for the President and yesterday, I saw the copy of the letter, five pages,” Oulanyah said.
Oulanyah said that the President has indeed written back to the Speaker responding to the concerns raised in her earlier letter.
The Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP), Betty Aol Ocan demanded that the Deputy Speaker furnishes members with the contents of the letter before the House proceeds with business.
“We thank H.E for responding, we are grateful that the letter is now in place. Isn’t it procedural right to have the content of the letter of the Speaker? The content will help us to respond and demand for the perpetrators of torture,” Ocan said.
Oulanyah in response noted that members should understand that the letter was addressed to the Speaker and she is the right person to be in the know of the President’s response.
“The President has responded to the Speaker, the issues were raised by the Speaker, she is the one competent to assess the response to her satisfaction but the letter has been responded to,” Oulanyah responded.
He added, “To ask the Deputy Speaker to be a letter reader would be asking too much. Me to become a letter reader, I don’t remember any rule that mandates the Speaker to be reading letters in Parliament,” Oulanyah ruled.