Stick to insulting me – Mao tells Zaake

The ruling National Resistance Movement uses yellow as its political colour while the Democratic Party, the party Mao is the president-general of, uses the colour green as a political identifier.

After Mao’s tweet, Zaake retorted: “Noted Comrade Pumpkin. Although I want to believe you’re too old to be clamouring for attention. “

Zaake was removed as a member of the parliamentary commission yesterday evening.

A special ballot during a plenary session on whether Zaake insulted the integrity of parliament saw 155 MPs voting that he did while 4 were against and there were 2 invalid votes.

Norbert Mao's tweet Pulse Live Uganda

The Deputy Speaker, Anita Among, presided over the vote and said that Zaake will be required to apologise to the House in one week.

“We ask the Opposition to give us another name,” she added.

Trouble for Zaake began after he took a swipe at Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among from his personal Twitter account only to delete the tweet soon after.

However, the tweet was seen before it was deleted and this has caused a furore in the House, driving a wedge between opponents and proponents of the government as some MPs are calling for Zaake’s removal from the Parliamentary Commission while others are defending his right to express himself.

Zaake, who is a member of National Unity Platform (NUP) party, tweeted a stream of consciousness against the deputy speaker.

“To my consternation, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament while presiding over a session of parliament controverted the finding of High Court in Suit No. 85 of 2020 that I was tortured by sarcastically stating but with the utmost level of recklessness that though tortured, won a medal in E.A @Parliament_Ug games,” Zaake tweeted.

Then he threw the knockout pitch: “the utter bunkum emanating from her dishonest lips was only intended to mock and break me down, this is idiocy! Parliament deserves better, how a person of her calibre lack intelligential prowess to appreciate that healing is a natural phenomenon!”

After his tweet, the Gulu West Member of Parliament, Ojara Martin Mapenduzi, who is an Independent MP nominated by the National Unity Platform (NUP) as the chairman of the Local Government’s Accounts Committee in parliament, moved a motion to evict NUP’s Zaake as a parliamentary commissioner.

He said Zaake’s removal from the Parliamentary Commission for using this “insulting language” against the person of the Deputy Speaker was in line with parliamentary procedure and etiquette.

Zaake was appointed as a Parliamentary Commissioner by NUP, as was Mapenduzi. However, the latter is on the Order Paper to move a motion that will call for the removal of Zaake from office according to rule 110 of the rules of procedure of parliament.

Mapenduzi’s motion was seconded by Amolatar Woman Member of Parliament Atim Agnes Apea from the ruling National Resistance Movement.

Accordingly, seconding the motion are independent MPs (Soroti West) Jonathan Ebwalu and Busia legislator Geoffrey Macho.

The legislators accuse MP Zaake of incompetence, lack of discipline among a litany of other forms of misconduct.

The Parliamentary Commission is the top decision-making organ of the House and comprises the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Leader of the Opposition and four backbencher commissioners.

Among, who chaired plenary session to hear the motion of removal, told the House that “Mapenduzi raises pertinent issues”.

“I note that the member’s complaint is one based on alleged abuse of privilege by a member of this House. Our Constitution dictates a fair hearing for every citizen before a decision is taken against them,” Among, who represents Bukedea district as Woman MP, said.

“I will, therefore, guide that the complaint of the member be handled by the House Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline under rule 175 of our Rules of Procedure and a report be presented to this House within two weeks from today,” she ruled.

The chairperson of the parliamentary committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline, Abdu Katuntu, said Zaake was given a fair hearing.