Government Chief Whip Mr Thomas Tayebwa yesterday revealed that the leadership of the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) does not and will not force any of the party-leaning legislators to support President Museveni’s proposals on the bail reforms.
Mr Tayebwa revealed this during the engagement between the Government Chief Whip and members of the Fourth Estate on, among others, the ongoing changes and Bills that the government has so far proposed for consideration and are before Parliamentary committees for scrutiny.
Mr Tayebwa dismissed allegations that the NRM leadership coerces its members into rallying behind proposals advanced and advocated for by the President.
“We don’t force any NRM member to vote into a certain line. We persuade them. That is why we call caucuses. Otherwise we would not need to call caucuses, we would say [that] Attorney General prepare the law and then we just place it on the table and we just tell you [to support it],” Mr Tayebwa said.
He added: “We discuss every law in cabinet until we harmonize positions. After that we go to our caucus [and] then we continue with colleagues even when we go on the floor to ensure that each one them buys the ideas we are bringing the proposals we are bringing including members of the opposition because we would not want a law which is only voted on by one side.”
In the same breathe; Mr Tayebwa cautioned that the public should desist from decampaigning the Bill as advanced by President Museveni. He reasons, the Bill is meant to benefit the majority of Ugandans and not be selective as perceived by a section of the public.
“We have not brought the Bill. Who told them it is unpopular when we haven’t brought the Bill. So when government is ready to present the law, we shall,” Mr Tayebwa said.
Mr Tayebwa and the Attorney General Mr Kiryowa Kiwanuke indicated that the government is holding discussions on the bail reforms. The duo, however, declined to divulge details of the talks about the dicey topic, insisting that information will be shared when the time is ripe.
“We are discussing amendment of the bail rules. We shall at the appropriate time bring to Parliament an amendment on bail. So we are discussing as members of Cabinet and we shall continue discussing it until the appropriate time. So allow us to process it,” Mr Kiwanuka said.
Recently, President Museveni triggered conversations on the call to have the Constitution and the Police Act to amend the provisions on bail and bond amended.
Government is seeking to tighten bail and bond provisions for persons suspected to have committed capital offenses. Among the suggestions considered by government seek to deny suspects bail for at least 180 days.
This comes shortly after this publication revealed that a section of the public was displeased by the cabinet’s decision to endorse the bail proposals.
On September 28, President Museveni chaired a caucus meeting at the Kololo Ceremonial grounds in which the NRM lawmakers are said to have objected his proposals.
Even when reports indicated that the lawmakers were allowed two weeks to make consultations on the matter and later report back, this never came to light. A fortnight ago the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah in a meeting with the leadership of the prosecutors in the country indicated that the legislative arm anticipated a heated debate once the matter comes up in Parliament.
