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{
    "id": 1056511,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1056511/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 203,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Isiolo CWR, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Rehema Jaldesa",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 601,
        "legal_name": "Rehema Dida Jaldesa",
        "slug": "rehema-dida-jaldesa"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Committee for their effort. I have taken time to go through the BPS. If indeed, what is written here will be implemented and followed through, then probably there will be light at the end of the tunnel. The reason why I am saying so is because before I joined this Parliament, I happened to have been in a State corporation. During that time, we were told that State corporations would be restructured and those that are not sustaining themselves would be privatised or an innovative strategy would be put in place so that they could sustain themselves. So, I am shocked that to date, five years down the line, nothing has taken off. To make it worse, I happen to be a new Member of the Departmental Committee on Sports, Culture and Tourism and the situations that have been presented to us are that most of the corporations in that Ministry are about to collapse; they cannot pay salaries and rent. Therefore, I want to urge the Committee – I hope the Chairman is here and the Vice-Chair is seated behind me – that this matter is given the attention it deserves. I appreciate that we have had a challenging moment because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, before the pandemic came in to play, we were not doing well as far as the economy is concerned. I wonder what happened. Is it an issue of incompetence at the Treasury or it is a matter of us not being serious with our priorities? As a House vested with the responsibility to ensure that there are checks and balances, this is a matter that should be taken seriously. I am saying this because the debt ceiling of the country is worrying. I was listening to one economist who said that it is high time, as a country, we thought of doing away with the debt ceiling. It made a lot of sense. That, we do not put a ceiling on our debt, instead we put a ceiling on our deficit. As long as we continue to have a deficit, we will continue to have debts going on and on. Therefore, this is something that we need to think about as a House. How do we contain our budget deficit? An issue that is dear to those of us from the Arid and Semi Arid Lands is the Equalization Fund. It has been captured here and 6.5 billion will be released. This Fund has never been released. The excuse has always been lack of a legislative policy. Now that the Bill has been passed, we expect this Fund to be released. Pastoralists of this country and livestock farmers contribute 40 per cent to the GDP of this country. It is not fair when other sectors are given weight and a sector like livestock that does not cost the Government much is not given attention. On the pending bills, the President has continuously given directives to make sure that pending bills are paid. I do not…"
}