Politics
Opposition Condemns “Hurried” Bills, Vows to Resist Despite Numerical Disadvantage
The Leader of Opposition (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, has strongly criticised the government’s “hurried” processing of critical bills, particularly the Political Parties and Organisations Amendment Bill 2025, alleging a deliberate attempt to stifle opposition voices.
He further declared that despite calls for a boycott, the opposition will participate in the parliamentary session regarding the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill 2025, vowing to voice their dissent.
Ssenyonyi highlighted the rushed nature of the Political Parties and Organisations Amendment Bill, citing instances where stakeholders were given an impossibly short notice to provide input.
“This is unprecedented,” he stated, “because the bill gets to be read for the first time today, and it is sent to the committee, and then you see notices from Parliament and the committee being received by stakeholders, saying, ‘We are inviting you to come and give your views about this bill at 9 am’ but the invitation letter is reaching the office at 8 am. And you are saying all the input from different stakeholders is closing that very day. That’s not consultation, that’s envisaged under the law.”
He echoed concerns that the bill specifically targets the National Unity Platform (NUP), which has opted out of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) proceedings. “Don’t think you can force people to say, you sit in this room and talk by force,” Ssenyonyi asserted. “Genuine negotiations cannot be forced. So those who think that these things can be done by law are misguided.”
Regarding the UPDF Amendment Bill, Ssenyonyi clarified the opposition’s decision to participate despite calls for a boycott. “Our people elected us and they expect us to speak out,” he said. “Our people know that we have fewer numbers, but they want to hear those few voices speak out loudly, and that’s what we are going to do. So we are not going to move out. If they want, they can move us out. They have done that before. Can deploy their SFC and so on, and then they move us out by force, that’s really within their hands.”
Nakaseke South MP Paulson Luttamaguzi reinforced this stance, stating that boycotting would be a dereliction of duty. “Why should I step away? I have the platform. Let me use it,” Luttamaguzi said. “I know I have the numerical disadvantage, but let me give what I have. You’ll be the same people tomorrow, castigating me that, ‘Why did you run away?'”
He emphasised the importance of being present to record the opposition’s input, even if it ultimately fails to sway the majority. “So let me be there. I give in my input, such that I go and record that such and such a person, such and such Members of Parliament, had this input in what we have,” he explained. “At the end of the day, the public [will see what happened].”
The opposition’s decision to engage, despite facing overwhelming odds, signals a determination to hold the government accountable and ensure their voices are heard, even if they cannot alter the final outcome.
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