The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the Opposition have warned Parliament passing a Bill if passed in current form that violates the spirit of both multiparty political system and that of the Constitution.
The Chief Opposition Whip, Ssemujju Nganda made the remarks today while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to present the views on the proposed Administration of Parliament Amendment Bill 2019.
Ssemujju, who is representing Kira Municipality on FDC ticket, said that the proposed Bill seeks to create parties within the Opposition, yet this is contrary to the common wealth practice.
He also rejected the double standards exhibited in the Bill, pointing out that whereas the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is free to appoint their leaders, the party in opposition must subject its nominees to an election.
He also argued that when the party in opposition is assigned the function of choosing the Leader of the Opposition, it means, their organs will prescribe the procedure because a party is not an individual but an institution.
He also protested the proposals in the Bill arguing that whereas the proposed legislation seeks to create a group of Independent Members of Parliament, each one of them came to Parliament alone and must remain so at all times.
“These Members are none aligned as they belong to no political groupings and must be rendered all the support they require to remain so. The Independents cannot therefore be represented on the Commission because they are independent of each other,” argued Ssemujju.
The Kira Municipality MP argued that an attempt to group the independents with the Opposition is an infringement on their rights because they chose to be independent and quashed the justification to have independents pushed to Opposition on pretest that they are many as a lame excuse saying independents are a separate platform and the law shouldn’t be amended just for the situation, otherwise, this would mean that laws are amended each week.
“But even if they are many, suppose the number reduces to five or zero in the next Parliament. Independents have a right to exist as independents and I will defend their right. Each independent MP is a platform, you can’t by law decide they should be one platform. People chose to be non-aligned, why align them? They are freelancers. I don’t support any idea to make them a political group,” said Ssemujju.
Ssemujju also argued that the law should clearly state what the shadow cabinet is all about.
“The law should also provide for the shadow cabinet, its status and benefits. This is how multiparty works. This matter cannot be left to the parliamentary commission and goodwill of the Speaker. It means when you get a bad speaker, he or she may strip you of all the benefits,” Ssemujju said.
He also provided for the Act to be amended to include the Deputy Speaker of Parliament into Members of the Parliamentary Commission and to chair it in case the Speaker is absent as well as provide for the status of the Commissioners for back benchers and their benefits.
