Can Somebody Tell Former MP Emmanuel Ddombo To Stop Winging?

Can somebody please tell former Bunyole East MP, Emmanuel Ddombo to quit whining after the stark and bleak headline in New Vision (Monday 29^th October), that would have been hard for anybody to miss – especially if you are current or a former Member of Parliament. It read: “Former MPs living miserable lives.”

 

Simply Seeking Attention? - Emmanuel Ddombo 

But surely, that can’t ring true because a study exposed that Ugandan parliamentarians are the second highest-paid in the East Africa after Kenya. Kenyan legislators earn $13,740 each month, which amounts to about one-and-a-half times the monthly salary of a Ugandan MP. Our honourables’ as they so often like to remind us of their title, earn a basic taxable salary of sh11.18m, but they also take home a raft of untaxed allowances, which elevates their total pay package above the sh20m-mark - a figure that many would deem good pay for a honest months work.

But the LG (life is good) factor for most MPs concludes the moment they lose the elections in that they end up living miserable lives outside parliament. At Imperial Royale hotel a few weeks ago, Ddombo literally wailed: “Do we become useless because we have lost an election? Can’t Government recognise former leaders such as MPs?”

Hmm and that’s what irks about MPs. An entire term is spent in parliament wanting to be recognised at nursery school openings, baptisms, borehole commissioning, weddings and graduation parties. And still, they want to be recognised once they no longer have the MP title and have been reduced to being the mere plebes that they have always been because before they went to parliament, they were ‘ordinary people, especially ones from the lower social classes’.

Former Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi, also joined the recognition deliberation when he said: “We still have energy to contribute towards the development of this country and we should be recognised.” But why should government or any of us recognise them?

Former Prime Minister Amama 

Let’s see what happens abroad – in the UK for example when an MP loses their seat. In the House of Commons, MPs don’t spend their time drifting the corridors looking for respect. They do more than that, in that they use their stint as an MP as a stepping stone to financial security after parliament.

Mr Ddombo, marvel at Ruth Kelly, a former Transport Secretary. Ruth didn’t go howling all over London’s bus tops looking for recognition. Instead, she used her MP links to land herself a senior fat paying job with HSBC, Britain's biggest bank within its strategy unit.

Mr Ddombo, there is also Patricia Hewitt, the former Health Secretary who once launched an unsuccessful coup to topple Gordon Brown. When she left parliament, British Telecom appointed her a senior independent director on a six figure sum and has been on the company's board since March 2008. There is also John Reid, the former Home Secretary, who went on to become chairman of Celtic Football Club on £34,066 a year.

 

Patricia Hewitt Rakes In A Six Figure Sum 

Others Mr Ddombolo, use their Westminster contacts to begin careers in the lobbying industry. Andrew MacKay, the former Tory MP for Bracknell has a senior role at Burson-Marsteller, one of the world's biggest PR firms, which boasts HSBC and Danone among its clients and he rakes in excess of £350,000 a year.

So Mr Ddombolo, in all the years that you spent in parliament, what on earth were you doing? Did you think you were going to be there for life and thus didn’t need to plan for life after it? Another thing Mr Ddombolo, how is government supposed to recognize you as a former MP when you spend your ‘miserable life’ whining at every taxi stage that government is not recognizing you as a former MP.  Why should they? Dude get a grip, MAN UP and take a leaf from your UK colleagues. Do you see where I’m coming from? 

PICTURES: kampalapost.com, the guardian.com