Parliament on Tuesday approved the Public Management Bill which would impose restrictions on public meetings and give the police powers to prohibit and disperse public rallies and assemblies.
Last week, opposition MPs and some NRM vocal MPs fought off Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s moves to have the bill seeking to give powers to Police to fail rallies and demos. MPs for and against the clause nearly traded blows when Oulanyah ruled that the matter be decided by voting as opposed to giving MPs a chance to debate it on the floor of Parliament.
Opposition MPs, led by Mr Mafabi, resorted to shouting and chanting, “No way! No way”, just like they did last week. The MPs moved to surround the Parliamentary Mace.
At the time of filing this report, the Mace was being guarded by the Sergeant-at-Arms and with parliamentary business going ahead despite the commotion being caused by the opposition MPs.
Led by MP Ssemujju Nganda, Odonga Otto and Theodore Ssekikuubo, the MPs surged towards Oulanyah seeking to grab his mace in order to deny him authority to continue with proceedings. In the end, Oulanyah suspended the three MP’s for stubbornness and referred them to the Disciplinary Committee of Parliament for action.
Voting on the Bill ended prematurely last Thursday after Aruu County MP Odonga Otto grabbed the roll-call list and tore the papers.
