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{
    "id": 1057085,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1057085/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 145,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Orengo",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Minority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 129,
        "legal_name": "Aggrey James Orengo",
        "slug": "james-orengo"
    },
    "content": "This may be a matter which is already answered by the discussions which went around the Committee of Experts. Normally in interpreting the Constitution and the Supreme Court has said that interpretation must be contextual which means we look at the history and the debate that took place. It cannot be done in a vacuum. Mr. Speaker, Sir, because we have a very competent legal team in both Houses and a legal directorate, what you have set out is correct. However, some of these issues, they need to think about it more carefully and give us an answer or some document we can refer to and discuss. We do not want to be embarrassed in this very important process. We will think we are doing the right thing and because we have not done it right, then we can bring this matter to a halt unnecessarily. You know the industry of Mr. Okiya Omtatah. He would end up in court the next day. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is because something which looked so open like this one, we did not take it into due consideration. We do not have these committees for cosmetic reasons. They should be given a little time to think through this process. What is a draft Bill? What does the Parliament pass? Is it a Bill or a draft Bill? We need some of those answers. I think it would not be right to take it through the First, Second and Third Reading because the Constitution would have said so just like it has said in Article 256 or even in the Standing Orders for other legislations. We set it out in the Standing Orders we set it out in the Constitution. Mr. Speaker, Sir, however, in Article 257, the reason being that at the end of the day, it is not Parliament which is enacting the amendment. It is the people just like this Constitution. Normally, an Act or Parliament it says it is enacted by Parliament. This Constitution because it was done by the people, it talks of “we the people adopt and enact”. Let us not take away the powers of the sovereign but the sovereign has also given us some powers also to exercise. I plead that these two committees should look at this carefully."
}