Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1024116,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1024116/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 206,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mogotio, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Tuitoek",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13434,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kamuren Tuitoek",
        "slug": "daniel-kamuren-tuitoek"
    },
    "content": "I think it is also in order that we know any time elections come, about 70 per cent of the Members do not return to Parliament. We do not want to go to the case like in the morning where we were trying to do some sort of mitigation measures to support our Members who left between 1994 and 2001 whereby we had to give them some reasonable pension. It is wise that this House says anybody who has served in this House is entitled to a pension, whether you have served one term or two. I see this Bill does not address that part. I would think the Committee should bring an amendment on that so that we capture Members who have even served one term. I know it has an element of saying maybe we are giving ourselves an additional benefit but, if 70 per cent do not come back to Parliament, what happens to these people? They do not even get jobs. They are no longer attractive to the market out there. So, these people end up struggling to make a living. So, I want to ask this House that we make sure that this amendment involves giving first-timers or those who serve five years in the House a decent pension so that they can live and continue their lives, so that they do not go out there and become beggars. I can see there are so many things which we are trying to align here, including giving powers to the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to oversee the welfare of Members, including the pension. I think this Bill is very good. I like the idea that we welcome more amendments so that we can make sure it becomes a Bill which serves us for a long time. With that, I beg to support."
}