Bardge Layibi Member of parliament Martin Ojara Mapenduzi has responded to critics over his new appointment as the chairperson Public Service Committee.
On Tuesday during the resuming of the parliament after the budget reading as required by law, parliament made some reshuffles in different committee leadership positions something that saw honorable Mapenduzi being appointed to his new role by the ruling party.
The new role was an addition to his former as the leader for the local government committee assigned to him by the leading opposition party National Unity Platform (NUP) party.
This however, didn’t settle well for the minority members of parliament that regarded the honorable as one of their own and that this was betrayal on their side.
In response, the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among who was chairing the house noted that while the honorable was opposition, his appointment wasn’t meant to be a tag of war to the extent of forcing the member to join committees he didn’t want to preside over.
The mandate of appointing leaders on committees to over sight government business solely remains in the hands of opposition
“I would like to designated the following to the committee on public service and local government, hon Mapenduzi as chairperson,” Hon Hamson Obua moved the motion.
In retaliation Mapenduzi reechoed his professionalism sighting that there has never been any binding factors between him and the NUP and that his choice for the former position was simply on grounds of his potential
“So I want to thank NUP as a party for giving me that opportunity, by the way the assignment was purely based on my experience and knowledge on local government issues and it has nothing to do with NUP as a party. I have never been a member of NUP,” Mapenduzi said.
Adding also that his motion against conduct of a member, was in the spirit of executing his role as a member of parliament and that it had nothing to do with any political party or even at a personal level
“Its about what our role dictates and it has lot to do with the conduct of a member of parliament,” Obua emphasized.
His role in ousting NUP’s Francis Zaake from the Commissioner earned him a bad footing with the opposition and have since described him as unruly
“As for us opposition he was no longer relevant ever since he made quit a big decision before consulting our leaders. He was unruly and so he had every right to make any decision from wherever he felt his peace,” Makindye West’s Allan SSewanyana noted.
Mapenduzi is a re known Forum for Democratic Change carder but had this time round contested as independent though still affiliated to the opposition
His move thus left the opposition sceptical of his affiliation specially that they had shared more of their confidential information and that it meant spying on their business since he is now a member of the cabinet
The opposition therefore appointed Kilaka south member of parliament Gilbert oulanyah as the chair local government committee despite former attempts to dismiss Mapenduzi.
