Parliament on indefinate recess

By Apollo Mubiru

PARLIAMENT was yesterday adjourned sine die or indefinitely amid protests from MPs who said the decision was “irregular”.

The MPs, who had turned up for a formal closing session, had hoped to raise issues of welfare that they failed to discuss in an earlier NRM caucus meeting on Tuesday.

Finance minister Dr. Ezra Suruma stormed out of the meeting after he was angered by the MPs’ demands for sh60m for cars.

But Speaker Edward Ssekandi told The New Vision: “Sine die simply means that the date for reconvening has not been set. It could mean next week.”
He argued that a business committee sat before Parliament reconvened on November 29, and agreed on the date of the recess. “I was not there to communicate it because I was attending an urgent meeting together with the deputy Speaker.”

The MPs turned up in good numbers yesterday only to find notices in their pigeon holes informing them of the Christmas break. In a statement, the Parliament’s clerk, Aeneas Tandekwire, said: “There will be no sitting of Parliament today, (Thursday) December 21, 2006 because the presiding officers are engaged in other equally urgent meetings.”

However, some MPs accused the Government of trying to block them from debating “matters of national importance”.
They asserted that the Government had taken over the administration of Parliament.

Rubanda West MP Henry Banyenzaki remarked: “Nobody has powers to adjourn the House sine die without consulting the business committee. Did it sit?”

Byanyenzaki said the MPs were collecting signatures to petition the Speaker to recall Parliament to debate “serious business”.

Sylvia Ssinabulya retorted: “Nothing is taking us by surprise. That is what happens in a young democracy.”