President Yoweri Museveni has saluted the late Hon. Cecilia Ogwal for rising above the mud of partisan politics to the high plane of patriotism.
Museveni, who attended a night vigil in honour of the late Ogwal at Parliament, said while it was fashionable to loathe his government, the fallen Dokolo Woman MP soared above hate politics and served the national interest.
“When she was elected to the Pan African Parliament, you would not know that she was not NRM [a member of the National Resistance Movement Party]; she was a big defender of Uganda out there,” he said.
“Cissy Ogwal was a very good leader and her contribution was suppressed by the bad politics of hatred, bigotry; Cissy Ogwal was very firm in rejecting that politics; that politics of hatred is getting isolated,” he said.
Recounting intelligence eavesdrops into the late Ogwal’s phone call with the then Lord’s Resistance Army deputy commander, Vincent Otti, Museveni said the former Uganda People’s Congress Assistant Secretary General weathered intimidation and denounced the rebellion.
“We celebrate her achievements because when you hear that the North is peaceful now, people who played a part in pacifying that area apart from the soldiers are people like Cecilia,” he said.
Museveni said the late Ogwal was corrupt-free.
During her time as Parliamentary Commissioner, he said, Ogwal emerged clean.
“She was in the Parliamentary Commission, we never heard of any dirt,” he said.
Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among thanked Museveni for according Ogwal an official burial, and announced to mourners that the President had okayed the request by MPs for a special project in the late’s honour.
“The prayers [requests] in the motion have been handled by the President,” she said.
Among said Ogwal never looked at issues through the narrow prism of political parties, but rather approached every national issue with a patriotic spirit.
“Much as she was from the Forum for Democratic Change, she was an MP for Uganda; she put the country ahead,” she said.
Also present at the vigil was Chief Justice Alfonse, Owiny Dollo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Government Chief Whip, Hon. Hamson Obua, among others.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.