The new Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Betty Aol Ocan, who is also the Gulu Woman MP officially took over from her predecessor, Winfred Kiiza on Wednesday afternoon when Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah confirmed her appointment.
This follows massive changes in Opposition’s Parliament leadership announced by FDC Party President, Patrick Amuriat last week.
After her confirmation, Aol wasted no time to give her maiden speech as LoP in Parliament.
She thanked God for the blessings He has done in her life by granting her the opportunity to serve as LoP as well as her Party Leadership for entrusting her with the responsibility of leading the opposition in the 10th Parliament.
With the help of her written statement, Aol commended her predecessor for gallantly leading the Opposition with boldness.
In her message, Aol called for unity among all parties saying if this is achieved, then it will give the opposition the ‘credibility’ it needs to form a more formidable and respected force to push for development
Unlike the Opposition side that had gloomy faces, that wasn’t the case on the NRM side that kept clapping as Aol made her speech, a reaction that gave her the illusion that she was making a remarkable speech, something that angered the Opposition and Independent MPs who appeared shocked by the development.
“It is evident that opposition is numerically small, while differences in opinion are healthy, we can’t afford to be divided,” Aol said.
On her critics, Aol asked for time to prove her capabilities.
“We also need to understand that to effectively work together, we should respect each other. Every one of us is gifted differently and everyone has something to offer towards a better opposition,” she said.
