FDC’s Prof. Latigo Blasts Ex-MP Dombo over Shs20m COVID-19 Cash dossier

Opinion

I was with Hon. Dombo Emmanuel on the Parliamentary Commission when I was Leader of Opposition in the 8th Parliament.
When the Commission provided shs.35m to MPs for vehicles, we both went on UBC television to discuss the issue. But after, my FDC party headquarters almost slaughtered me for the Commission decision.

All I did was cite to them the FDC Platform provision that stated that an “FDC Government shall adequately facilitate MPs to carry out their duties and responsibilities. I then asked how the Party expected MPs to travel in carrying out their duties with the secondhand vehicles that the small money can buy.

In this Coronavirus emergency, let me ask my former parliamentary colleagues the following:

1. Are MPs not part of leadership in this Coronavirus emergency?
2. If NO why? If YES what adequate facilitation are already in place to enable them make their contributions when there are no line items in their emoluments for Emergency Constituency Fund?
3. Is there any time under the current Constitution when someone other than Parliament itself determined for Parliament what its needs and those of its Members are?
4. Have all of you clearly analysed and ascertained the Supplementary Appropriations for the Presidency and other sectors and ascertained that those of MPs is unjustifiable or done irregularly?
5. What particular aspects of the law and rules of Supplementary Appropriation were breached when the small allocation for MPs was included by the Budget Committee?
6. Does any of you know of laws, rules etc under which a Court can suspend by ” injunction” a provision of a duly enacted legislation other than finding in a formal hearing breach in the enactment process or its unconstitutionality before striking the said provision off? And which Court has that mandate?

Have any of you considered the import of not shielding Parliament from judicial or Executive excesses such as this supposed “injunction” that interferes with internal parliamentary disbursement process is?

I know both Sarah and Emmanuel as good people. I hope they will be far more thoughtful in their seeing the fundamental governance issue at hand other than just focusing on the shs.20m for MPs regardless of how unjustified it may be in fact or in their perception.

Nobody throws out a baby with the dirty bath water.

Blessed Sunday to all.

Prof. Latigo.