Senior Constitutional lawyers Peter Mulira and Frederick Ssempebwa have taken a swipe at the National Resistance Movement (NRM), over remarks that the majority numbers in Parliament gives them the leeway to change the constitution and pass any legislation.
The duo appeared separately today before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to present their views on the Constitutional Amendment No.2 Bill 2017 that was tabled by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi, seeking to make amendments to the Constitution to among others to lift the 35 lower and 75 upper Presidential Age cap for one to contest as President.
Ssempebwa, who appeared first, attacked the NRM MPs of paying loyalty to party positions, at the expense of citizens.
“Over time, hard positions have been made based on party loyalties and the Constitution shouldn’t be based on party loyalty where members say that I will not support that position because I will be whipped by the party even when you think it is in the best interest of the country,” Ssempebwa, who chaired the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), argued.
His colleague Mulira also lashed out at NRM over talk that they have the majority numbers in Parliament, noting that ‘the Constitution isn’t an Act of Government and can’t be altered or infringed at the discretion of Government’.
“If that Government decides to trample on the rights of one section of the people through the majority it enjoys that would amount to tyranny by the majority and the result will be chaos such as we are witnessing today in our country,” Mulira warned.
