The second reading for the Constitutional Amendment No.2 Bill 2017 kicked off on a tricky note with Speaker Rebecca Kadaga threatening to suspend MPs who indulge in violence for seven sittings.
The Speaker’s warning was based on events in Parliament in October, when opposition MPs protested against the tabling of the 75-year presidential age limit removal bill by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi.
In the ensuing period chaos broke out in the parliamentary chambers, with officers from the Special Forces Command (SFC) storming the house to forcefully evict opposition MPs who were against the bill, arguing that it is aimed at a perpetual Museveni presidency.
And in her communication to the House today, Kadaga called on MPs to debate about age removal with restraint and respect and listen to divergent views if they want to remain and exercise their voting rights to the Bill.
“The members who were suspended last time, if they do misconduct themselves again, they will be suspended again for seven sittings and these sittings run beyond Christmas. So don’t endanger your rights to speak, don’t endanger your right to vote. So I am asking MPs, let us tolerate one another, listen to one another,” Kadaga warned.
After her remarks, the Opposition MPs put up a spirited fight with Kawempe South MP Mubarak Munyagwa taking the lead when he alleged that another MP Simeo Nsubuga had threatened him outside Parliament chambers that the NRM side had secured seventeen guns.
However, Speaker ruled Munyagwa out of order saying the talk the two had was private and wasn’t captured in the Hansard, and that it left her with no powers to intervene over private talk.
It wasn’t long before Cecilia Ogwal, the Dokolo Woman MP, joined the fight, wondering if it was procedurally right for Parliament to proceed with the business of amending the Constitution when the crucial Ministers; Minister of Constitutional Affairs Kahinda Otafiire, Attorney General William Byaruhanga and Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana were not around to guide the debate.
The Shadow Attorney General Wilfred Niwagaba also weighed in and raised point of procedure, questioning if it was right for Parliament to proceed with the debate when the process of the tabling of the Bill is a matter of investigation before the East African Court of Justice.
In response, Kadaga told Niwagaba that she wasn’t aware of the nature of dispute at the said court and promised to rule on the matter later and immediately asked House to proceed with its business.
Another point of contention came from Opposition Chief Whip Ssemujju Nganda (Kira Municipality), who raised concerns over the authenticity of the report, noting that the certificate of financial implication given to Igara East MP Raphael Magyezi is questionable. He drew the Speaker’s attention to Rule 201 that calls for such matters to be referred to the clerk for investigation and reporting back to the Speaker before next sitting.
However, Ssemujju’s concerns were met by protest from NRM side and in response, the Opposition Chief Whip said: “I am not here on invitation, you can chorus how much you can but I must be heard. This is a matter that must have been handled during processing of the Bill at Committee. I am not raising a matter regarding the Bill not the report.”
In response Kadaga warned Ssemujju against abusing the Rules of Procedure that bars MPs to debate in anticipation. She argued that the report hadn’t been presented, adding that he should have raised his concerns in the minority report.
“Wait until when the minority report is presented then you raise issues. You are abusing the rules of this House. You should have written your own minority report,” Kadaga said.
Meanwhile, in the latest development the speaker has suspended five legislators for the afternoon session. She however, gave no reason for suspending Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Allan Ssewanyana, Mubarak Munyagwa, Jonathan Odur and Gerald Karuhanga.
Following his ouster Ssemujju Nganda said Speaker Kadaga is acting like ‘an illiterate human’.
“Her lecturers must be crying now, unless they are dead,” he said.
For Munyagwa he described their eviction as ‘a red card’ and added that they had left open room for forceful re-entry.
“They are giving us red cards, we are going to have a meeting in the Office of the Opposition and decide if we will force our way into the afternoon session,’’ Munyagwa said, adding: “You cannot muzzle the voice of reason. I’m the voice of reason.”
