He cited among others the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2017 and Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which he said had those who advised the president to consent to the bills also set out standards, procedures and principles that must be followed in order to avoid contention with masses, government wouldn’t be wasting more resources dealing with the unexpected outcome.
“Very often when government is sued they lose the legal battle, meaning someone clearly saw the loophole in the amendement,” Dr Serwadda said during a television talk show, on a local station, on Sunday morning.
In April, (a one) Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka, a lawyer, challenged the actions of parliament’s Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee for what he called smuggling into the Constitution Amendment (No2) Bill 2017 items concerning the extension of the term of parliament from five to seven years and restoration of presidential term limits.
In the same amendment, parliament removed age limits for local government leaders, restored presidential term limits which had been removed in September 2005 and extended the term of Office of the President and parliament from five to seven years.
As local media reported, Mabirizi contended that none of these items were in the original bill as presented and sent to the committee, neither were they presented before it in form of any memoranda by the people interviewed.
That aside, government was also sued over the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2018 where petitioners argued that the tax not only violates fundamental freedoms of expression and association but it is also a form of double taxation, in violation of a cardinal principle of taxation.
It is not the first time Dr Serwadda has raised concern over the matter . In January, quoting from the Oxford English dictionary, the presiding Apostle said, an advisor makes recommendations, but has powers to enforce them, while a strategist is a skilled planner on how best to gain advantage from a situation.
“A strategist does not work for his boss, he works with his boss and he is an implementer and not a bystander like our advisors,” Dr Serwadda, who is also a member of the inter-religious council, said
Elsewhere during the broadcast, Dr Serwadda expressed excitement over Nile Breweries’ Kibuku brand closure due to new taxation.
By UG Christian News Correspondent.
