Former Leader of Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, has declined to step-down from the Parliamentary Commission position as asked by his political party, National Unity Platform (NUP) following his alleged admission to receiving 500 million shillings.
In a statement released by the NUP secretariat on Thursday evening, party President Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, convened a meeting with senior party leaders after corruption allegations surfaced against several NUP officials, including Mpuuga, the former Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and other commissioners.
he allegations implicated Mpuuga and other commissioners in irregularly allocating large sums of money to themselves under the guise of service awards, with Mpuuga reportedly receiving 500 million shillings.
According to the press statement from NUP, during the meeting, Mpuuga admitted that he indeed took part in the said allocation of money and apologized for the same.
“At the meeting, Rt. Hon. Mpuuga admitted that he indeed took part in this wrongdoing and apologized for the same. In light of this, he was strongly advised that the moral thing to do in the circumstances is to step down from his role as parliamentary commissioner with immediate effect,” read part of the statement.
Now, in response Mpuuga refused to step-down on grounds that the allegations are fused with malice, double standards and misrepresentation.
I accordingly decline the cowardly call on me to resign as a parliamentary Commissioner, based on spite, envy and deliberate misrepresentation.
Below is his full response;
MALICIOUS CORRUPTION AND ABUSE OF OFFICE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ME
Fellow Countrymen,
My attention has been drawn to an unsigned document purportedly attributed to my Party, the National Unity Platform; calling for my resignation inter-alia based on falsehoods and terrible misapprehension of facts including basic ones.
Let me initially reconfirm my commitment to the core values of the Party, which I verily understand and cherish more than many now, embroiled in mischief. I shall continue to be of service to my Party among others; in helping to educate all those interested and able to learn the culture of institutional building.
The duties and roles of the Parliamentary Commission are well stipulated in the laws of the land, and coughed in basic language. An issue I shared and labored to educate my comrades with whom we interacted in an informal conversation at the party offices.
It is the same commission that votes funds to all political offices, including the LOP’s office.
It takes care of the welfare of ordinary members and their leaders in Parliament, including determining the range of legally permissible payments, that may be salary, allowances, gratuity, honoraria, car grants among others.
Every decision of the Commission to confer or reward anyone under its charge, is subjected to the relevant committees of Parliament for legality, feasibility, sustainability and relevancy.
To call any such payments corruption is the highest level of spite, double standards and deliberate misrepresentation to the public and membership of the Party on a purely selfish mission.
If such payments amounted to corruption, all current and previous MPs would be compelled to refund to the public coffers monies paid as gratuity or honoraria since no MP, current and previous was not paid gratuity at the determination of the parliamentary Commission.
The general public has every right to question the decisions of their leaders at every level. This right should never be exploited by self-seekers, opportunists and populists to undermine, berate and smear those they consider in unpalatable terms to their brand of politics.
The campaign to character assassinate me is deliberate, and I am perfectly aware. It’s well orchestrated and well-funded. I am ready for the worst, if it takes this sacrifice to return sanity and common sense to our politics.
I am available as ever to help this young party rid any form of corruption from its rank and file and especially that ingrained at the base of the party.
I accordingly decline the cowardly call on me to resign as a parliamentary Commissioner, based on spite, envy and deliberate misrepresentation.
The general public is aware and alive to the internal intrigue and machinations unfortunately within this young party over the last 2 ½ years, during my occupation of the coveted office of the LOP. It became the official style of different party leaders to undermine my work, including hiring of bloggers to abuse and insult my person.
I stayed committed and calm throughout these most compelling times, because the call to serve above self remained my creed.
I wish to assure the general membership of NUP and all change seeking forces that, this shall remain my resolve; and I cannot be deterred by small-group- family interests being peddled to blur the bigger picture of how the Party is being managed without transparency.
I will not stop raising important questions on the actions, motivation and direction of different actors in the Party, even in the face of the current tribulations, wellchoreographed to undermine and depict me as unfit to lead.
Mathias Mpuuga, MP
Parliamentary Commissioner
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