The Member of Parliament for Mityana South, Hon. Richard Lumu, has lastly tabled the lengthy awaited Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to change the mode of choice of the Leader of Opposition and different positions reserved for the Opposition in Parliament.
Lumu belongs to the Democratic Party (DP), one of many Opposition events in Parliament. He introduced the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the course of the plenary sitting presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, on Tuesday, 01 October 2024.
Lumu was granted go away of Parliament to convey the Bill, a requirement within the House guidelines, in the course of the regional plenary sittings held in Gulu City on twenty ninth August 2024.
The Bill seeks to amend the Administration of Parliament Act, Cap.272 to change the choice strategy of the Leader of the Opposition by permitting all members of the opposition in Parliament to take part within the course of.
Currently, Section 8 of the Administration of Parliament Act, Cap. 272 supplies for the election of Leader of the Opposition by the get together in opposition to the federal government having the best numerical energy in Parliament.
However, based on Lumu’s invoice, the legislation, in its present state, is silent on the composition of the electoral school.
“Currently the Leader of the Opposition is designated by the get together with the best numerical energy amongst opposition events in Parliament and is just imposed on the members of opposition in Parliament with out their will and consent,” the Bill reads.
To obtain efficient illustration, Lumu desires the Leader of Opposition elected by all opposition MPs as a result of she or he superintends all members of the opposition in Parliament and leaving the choice to the opposition get together with numerical energy, would drawback different opposition events.
“The present method of election of Leader of the Opposition in Parliament has not solely led to the suppression of the views of different opposition political events in Parliament but in addition made it unattainable for the members in opposition in Parliament to carry the Leader of the Opposition accountable,” the Bill reads.
The Bill additionally seeks to offer further grounds upon which the LOP my stop to carry workplace; requires the Shadow Cabinet to be authorized by members of the opposition events in Parliament; and additional requires the LOP to seek the advice of opposition political events represented in Parliament when appointing chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of standing Committees of Parliament, amongst others.
The eleventh Parliament contains six opposition political events particularly; National Unity Platform (NUP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Democratic Party (DP), Justice Forum (JEEMA), Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) and Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC). NUP boasts of the best numerical energy with 57 Members of Parliament.
Hon. Denis Oguzu Lee (FDC, Maracha County) and Hon. Odria Alioni (NRM, Aringa South County) expressed frustrations with the presiding officer for delaying to clear their motions looking for go away to convey related payments to amend the identical Act.
Deputy Speaker, Tayebwa mentioned their requests shall be promptly cleared and the payments shall be scheduled for first studying as quickly as they’re prepared. Upon tabling, the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was referred to the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for examination.
