A year without Parliament will do us good.

Briefs.

• Endless Corruption Scandals: Uganda's parliament is plagued by continuous corruption scandals, transforming it from a symbol of integrity to one of dishonor and eroding public trust.

• Impact on Governance: Corruption in parliament is delaying vital projects and undermining the efficiency of governance, necessitating urgent reforms to restore integrity.

Parliament has skillfully branded itself as the absolute symbol of corruption. From the rising of the sun to its setting, new corruption scandals are unveiling themselves in the once coveted house. What was once a house and symbol of integrity has drastically mutated into an institution defined by corruption. The sanctity of parliament died and was buried, on the third day, it never resurrected. Why should we struggle with an ethically dead institution for this entire long, I think the radical solution is a year-break from parliament. Probably this will save us from the national shame, and give us adequate time for restructuring.

The political god of truth has deliberated on unveiling the grand scale dirt and shame in the august house. Corruption scandals being discovered are endless, leaving no time room for recovery from the preceding ones. Corruption, embezzlement, bribery, among others, have become the norm. “Eating,” as the euphemism for corruption, has become normal and ethically right, it only becomes shameful when exposed to public. It is seemingly the case that our legislators go the house with the hidden agenda of self-gratification and aggrandizement. The essence of parliament has been diluted, or else stained, to the expense of our national democratic and leadership image.

By what we see, we have become knowledgeable of the hidden core functions of our legislators as negotiating personal gains, mastering of clandestine deals, undermining public trust and masking their actions behind parliamentary privilege; a shift from the traditional roles known.

Why this move? Without parliament, grand scale corruption will be significantly reduced. Since parliament has proved itself the grand structure of siphoning off public resources, giving it a break will dismantle this structure. Envisage a Uganda where funds allocated for the different sectors are put to their rightful cause. That will help us a great deal. At this time, this cannot be the case as many hands touch in the cookie jar. As some hands leave the jar, others are stealthily getting-in in the nights. When we limit the hands getting in the cookie jar, we will curb misappropriation of the populace’s due.

Learn if from me that governance will benefit and become more efficient without these bureaucratic delays in parliamentary procedures. Apart from money heists, a good number of vital projects are delayed by the gridlock in the parliament, coupled with benefits of corrupt officials. When we resolve this bottleneck, swiftness will prevail.

This vacation from parliament will trigger citizen’s engagement in public affairs and demand for accountability. When the traditional structures prevail, the civil society takes it upon itself to fill this void. We have already had a foretaste of how strong and firm these movements can be, starting from social media pressures to physical pressure groups. Suspending parliament can reawaken and reaffirm civic participation, with citizens taking a strong and significant role in oversight and demanding accountability from their leaders. This watchfulness can create a more transparent and answerable governance charter, where all structures work on a sound system.

This break will be a time for critical reforms. During this break, celebrated fishermen, housemaids, office tea-attendants and misplaced artists will go back to their rightful vocations as we search for credible office occupants, the learned with a high social standing. It will double as a period of strengthening anti-corruption laws as well as consolidating mechanisms of oversight. You never know, this reformative stage could be a turn to a resilient democracy, that is, one that puts the will of the populace to acute presentation.

Imagine a country where a budget is not a yearly shopping spree for cars, changing wardrobe or sponsoring outings disguised as official visits. Think about the money we will save without exorbitant per diems and abnormal salaries. When we have that money saved for a year, every district will have a standard “Lubowa” hospital and a state-of-the-art standard gauge railway connecting to every corner of the country.

Critiques could argue that suspending parliament would harm leadership and elude checks and balances. The motive behind this move is not to choke democracy; we are strengthening it by seeking a remedy for the grassroots of its dysfunction. It is clear that parliament has proven itself a scarlet stain in our leadership. Concerns of checks and balances can be addressed by implementing transparent and temporary oversight bodies, as well as putting in place strong interim mechanisms. Similarly, in its absence, legislation could be substituted with a national referendum process in a bid of stimulating democratic participation.

Calling for a break from parliament is not a sheer plea for anarchy; it is a redemptive measure to fish out our nation from the bottomless sea of corruption in which our legislature has sunk. It is a move to streamline governance, accountability and a way of enhancing transparency. To those who think Uganda is moving on well in the angle of leadership, it will move better when public resources are in the rightful hands, without the impediment of greed and self-interest tainting legislative proceedings. The critiques’ fear of this lapse in leadership would be right, however, we aim at resetting our democratic functions, in a way that ensures true service to the people.  Making our nation synonymous with honor, this is the right move to make.