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{
    "id": 1061846,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1061846/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 358,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Orengo",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Minority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 129,
        "legal_name": "Aggrey James Orengo",
        "slug": "james-orengo"
    },
    "content": "(COVID-19). This Third Wave is so critical and serious that I thought when he was trying to persuade other Arms of Government that we should go on recess for a little while, he would talk about the status of the many directives he made regarding the Pandemic. Despite the fact that this Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has become more serious, some of the mitigating decisions, resolutions and directions the President gave have been recalled. Some resolutions, like the tax measures including Value Added Tax (VAT), have been recalled. I hoped the resolution by the Executive that we should have a lockdown, should be accompanied by measures like the one the President mentioned over the last one year, to mitigate the circumstances of those who are needy and in pain. That has not been done. Madam Deputy Speaker, I would have gone through one by one but so many measures were taken, including taking part of our allowances to buy masks and other things. I do not know what happened to the money that was taken. No report has been given to us on whether the money that we gave bought masks. To that extent, I do not think it has been well thought through. Therefore, there should be a lot more thinking. The process by Sen. Sakaja and Sen. Kasanga together with the Committee on Health should sit together with the Executive, so that whatever they do should have a legal foundation and the support of Parliament. Having said that, I am hoping that when we finally resolve this Motion, there will be some amendment, to the extent that there should not be an absolute directive that we cannot sit even in the intervening period. I think Committees are so important. When the Plenary is not sitting, then Committees must function because the Executive is functioning. While the Cabinet is not meeting, there are elements in the Executive that are functioning. In absolute terms, it is important that we resolve to change our Calendar because this Pandemic is serious. I was talking about people that I know that have left us as I sat in the House in the morning. Between the time we left and now, I have heard of five more people that I know that have left us. This includes people very well known to Members in this House. We should not take this thing for granted. Even amongst us, you many never know. Some of these tests can never be accurate. You may think you are negative while essentially, you are not or you can still spread the virus. Madam Deputy Speaker, if we want to meet on a weekly basis, I encourage that we have weekly tests like they do in the Congress in the United States of America (USA). Every week they meet, it is mandatory to do the test. Before we come here, we should do the test on Monday and come with the certificate on Tuesday. If that happens, then we can go on. However, the way we are, I cannot protect my son here, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. and I want God to give you a long life."
}