The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) has directed the committee tasked with scrutinizing the National Security Service (NSS) Act (Amendment) Bill to finalize its work and ensure it is tabled for final reading, an official has revealed.
Since September last year, the TNLA has struggled to advance the National Security Bill to its third reading stage. The main points of contention have been articles 54 and 55 which grant the national security apparatus broad powers including the authority to arrest, detain, monitor communications, and conduct searches and seizures without a warrant.
These provisions conflict with the constitution, which limits the role of National Security to collecting and analyzing information.
When asked by Journalists on Monday about the NSS Bill, Oliver Mori, the parliamentary spokesperson, said the bill is now in its final stage and revealed that the leadership of the August House directed the National Security Committee to wind up its work.
“These are actually in the pipeline. As you heard during the sitting, one of the chairpersons of the committees just made an announcement requesting the members of this (Security) committee for a meeting to finalize one of the urgent issues,” he said. “So, committee members are in the process of finalizing it and sooner than later, will help the chairperson responsible for those bills and they will be able to table them in the parliament.”
Mori added: “As you are aware, already the first and second debates on these topics have taken place.”
The spokesperson said the only stage the bill will go through is the third reading which he thinks will not take long. He said during the assembly business committee meeting, the leadership urged the committees to speed up the scrutiny.
Mori further assured the public of the House’s commitment to work on the amendment bill.
He also dismissed reports that some members of parliament are trying to sneak in the controversial sections 54 and 55 of the bill which has created debate in the public arena, saying once complete, all legislators will debate the bill.
“The public has the right to say and you journalists have the right to propagate and instigate them to say what you think should be said. What I am telling you is that this security bill is already in the third reading stage and the chairman of the committee was urged to speed up so that it is tabled here in the preliminary,” Mori stated. “Whether it is section 64 or 54 or 51 or 0, it will come here to this house and I hope by that time you will be around to hear what the members talk about those articles.”