In his speech to the officials and members of Parliament after the voting process, His Excellency the President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni he congratulated the newly voted Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament on their successful wins and he talks about the absurdity of doing any work before someone is buried. He states,
“First of all I congratulate the Speaker and Deputy Speaker; it’s constitutional among the Banyankore that no work should be done when someone dies for atleast 4 days. This should be sorted out in future , it’s unheard of to do this when someone isn’t buried yet.”
He further urges them not to celebrate not until the Late Speaker is buried.
“This is a result of copying. I, therefore, appeal to you, please, don’t celebrate now. We have done an abomination against our culture, following the constitution that has foreignism”
The president expressed his disinterest in the wigs that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker wear over their heads by saying,
“You see the wigs they are putting on. Wigs! Why are you putting on wigs? I was a Speaker but never put on the wig. I’m not mad. In Tanzania, they have changed, they don’t put on wigs”
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
History of wigs
The wig is a colonial relic adopted from the time Uganda was governed by Britain.
On normal sitting days, the speaker of the house of commons wears a black silk lay-type gown (similar to a Queen’s Counsel’s gown) with a train and a mourning rosette (also known as a ‘wig bag’) over the flap collar at the back.
On state occasions (such as the Opening of Parliament), the speaker wears a robe of black satin damask trimmed with gold lace and frogs with full bottomed wig and, in the past, a tricorne hat.
However the wigs have recently fell out of favour even in Britain where they came from.
The previous speaker, John Bercow, no longer wore the traditional court dress outfit, which included knee breeches, silk stockings and buckled court shoes under the gown, or the wig. Betty Boothroyd first decided not to wear the wig.
