Tuesday is private members’ day in the National Assembly. On Tuesdays, private members’ bills and resolutions have precedence over Government business. On all other days, only government business is transacted unless the Leader of the House consents to take up other business. However, an urgent government bill may be introduced on a Tuesday only as the last item on the Order of the Day.
The protected time for private members’ business extends beyond Tuesdays in two scenarios. If there is no sitting on a Tuesday, private members’ business has precedence on the next sitting day. Additionally, if the Speaker allots a Tuesday for the presentation of the Budget or for any stage of the Budget, the Speaker must set apart another day in lieu of that Tuesday for private members’ business.
Why it matters for the National Assembly proceedings?
The designated Tuesday for private members’ business is National Assembly’s structural protection for encouraging legislative initiatives that do not originate with the government. Without this protection, a government controlling the Order of the Day could simply never schedule private members’ bills, effectively monopolising the legislative agenda.
What is in it for citizens?
Citizens wishing to monitor their member’s legislative activity should focus on Tuesdays. Bills and resolutions introduced by private members reflect individual members’ policy priorities and responsiveness to constituent concerns. FAFEN monitors how many private members’ bills are introduced, debated, and passed in each parliamentary year.
Source: Rule 51, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007
The proceedings of the National Assembly are governed by the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The current rules were passed on 23 February 2007 and have since been amended 21 times, most recently on 22 October 2024.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on parliamentary literacy. Read more of this series here.
