The National Unity Platform (NUP) party has spoken out on the recent fight that broke out in the Parliament chambers between the NUP-leaning Mityana Member of Parliament, Francis Zaake, and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party Kiliak North MP, Anthony Akol, calling it a demonstration of impunity by the regime.
The party made the bold assertions on November 7, 2024, on their X handle, claiming that the incident was a demonstration of impunity by President Museveni’s regime to hold all institutions captive under his rule.
According to their statement, the plaincloth security operatives who broke into the Parliament chambers with an intention to physically harm opposition Members of Parliament in the absence of media and with the lights deliberately turned off was a move to avoid detection of the identity of the perpetrators.
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The party added that other lawmakers were picked and whisked to unknown locations, and no security agency came out to claim responsibility.
The fight that ensued between Zaake and Akol over a seat during the Parliamentary sitting to forge a way forward on the amendment of the coffee bill saw the former being whisked to Nsambya Hospital and the suspension of 12 MPs after a group of security operatives were dispatched to stop the chaos.
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However, NUP argued that the security intervention was an example of barbaric tactics unleashed by the regime, which deprived the Parliament and the legislators of their safety and freedom.
“Parliament, which is supposed to be a safe place for all legislators, has instead facilitated the violent attack on opposition lawmakers like it happened in the 2017 age limit debate. But the whole world is watching,” NUP stated.
NUP’s response, however, is inclined to the dictator mentality without considering Zaake’s provocative behavior and Akol’s lack of control, which should equally be taken into consideration.