Speaker of Parliament Anita Among appeared to be on a collision course with MPs after she issued further sanctions against them for staging a boycott.
Clearly rattled by the stay-away action, Ms Among opened yesterday sitting with a directive that MPs must get formal clearance from her office before missing plenary sittings.
The Speaker also ordered that whoever boycotts the plenary is effectively barred from appearing in committees, and told key accountability committees, which must be chaired by Opposition MPs, to elect stand-in leaders.
Reaction to her directives was sharp and unequivocal with some MPs, among them Busiro East representative Medard Sseggona; Bukimbiri member Eddie Kiwizera and Kira Municipality’s Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, saying Ms Among does not have such powers.
Ssemujju told our reporter that Parliament works by resolutions and not directives therefore the Speaker can only refer members to the disciplinary committee for investigation if he or she feels serious breaches have occurred.
Responding to the question as to whether the Speaker has the authority to ban MPs who stage a boycott, Sseggona said that the rules don’t give her such powers.
Kwizera pointed out that membership of committees is a preserve of party whips; it is their role to designate members through their respective political parties.
Shadow Attorney General Wilfred Niwagaba also agreed that the Speaker was acting outside her authority.
However, Shadow Minister for Information Joyce Bagala insisted that the Speaker’s office is fully aware of the Opposition boycott and the reasons so the speaker should not act as if she don’t know what is going on.
With the boycott now into its third week, the Opposition maintain they will only return to Parliament after government responds to their concerns as the leader of the Opposition Mathias Mpuuga insists that their protest is about justice for the missing or disappeared members of the National Unity Platform, persons believed to have been abducted by the security forces.
