Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi has expressed worry over the delayed tactics that have been exhibited by the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee ever since the Constitution Amendment Bill (No.2) 2017 was referred to the Committee for processing.
His concern comes after the committee dragged on for several hours on Tuesday with members raising many technicalities and administrative issues which restrained the Committee from proceeding.
“The Bill was moved and tabled before Parliament on October 3, which is 28 days from now since it was sent to the Committee by the Speaker; the rules give the Committee 45 days to determine the Bill, consult stakeholders and to bring it back to the House,” Magyezi raised concern while addressing the media on Tuesday.
Magyezi who summoned an urgent press briefing to comment on Tuesday’s events said that it is so absurd that after almost a full month, the Committee has not yet sorted out their administrative issues which in turn affects his Bill.
Magyezi had earlier on expressed reservations with the committee noting that its composition was largely biased and can not provide a fair judgement on the issues at hand.
He noted that he is aware that in case the Committee is not able to handle the bill within those days, it can go back to the Speaker and request for the extension of the time.
“I am ready to defend my Bill, I don’t want their administrative issues to interfere with my Bill. I want them to sort them out; i am concerned this Bill has been with the Committee for 28 days.”
“If within these days they can’t sort out administrative issues, we are talking about accountability and value for money,” Magyezi said.
“I expect them not to raise anymore of these delay tactics with the Bill but quickly process it, produce a report and table it before Parliament,” he told the press.
Magyezi noted that in the event that the Committee fails to process the Bill, he intends to write to the Speaker seeking to do away with the Committee process and allow the Bill to be handled by the whole House.
“If the committee totally fails to process the Bill, I will go back to Speaker requesting and ask that we suspend the role of the Committee and invoke rule 15 to handle the bill as the whole House.”
The Committee sitting is expected to resume in the afternoon after the members were seen in a closed door meeting handling a number of issues raised.
