Democratic party president general Norbert Mao, a personal friend to the late Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has written an emotional tribute to his friend.
Mao is among the few people who went to Seattle to visit Oulanyah on his sick bed, in a statement he wrote;
“ Words fail me. Tears well in my eyes. Nevertheless I thank God that some of us were able to see our brother, the Speaker, alive before he slipped away. The truth stared us in the face but we cling to a threadbare hope. But what is hope if it is not pitted overwhelming odds? A harp with all but one string broken yet we dared to pluck that one line string to make music.”
He further talks about how differently the tragic news will be received by people. Mao urges Ugandans to try and stand with each other not against each other in this trying time. In the statement he says,
“This tragic news will be received differently by different people. That is of no concern to our departed brother whose suffering and death has put a mirror before us, forcing us, as a country, to see ourselves as we really are. Rather, it is for us to confront the things that divide us because a house divided against itself cannot stand. Uganda can still be the Promised Land it is meant to be. But we meander in the Sinai Desert of hatred furled by despair. Yet beyond the horizon lies Canaan! It is my prayer that our brother’s death may plant a new seed of hope that will overcome the despair that makes us turn on each other rather than each other.”
By the same token he wrote,
“Amidst all the sorrow, confusion and cynicism we have a choice between validating conspiracy theories or celebrating a life of significance. There is a place and time for weighing conspiracy theories. For now let us celebrate a life lived with uncommon courage and conviction.
Fare thee well Mr. Speaker, The Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah L’okori. I salute you.”
On Sunday 20th March, 2022, Uganda was hit with news of the sudden death of the Rt. Honourable Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah.
Oulanyah had been sick for a while and was receiving treatment in Seattle USA.