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{
"id": 109984,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/109984/?format=api",
"text_counter": 318,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Musyoka",
"speaker_title": "31 Tuesday, 30th March, 2010 The Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 191,
"legal_name": "Gideon Musyoka Ndambuki",
"slug": "gideon-ndambuki"
},
"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, the country is fixated at the present moment at the goings on in this House. This Tenth Parliament has a singular opportunity to go down in history as the Parliament that handed this country proper reforms. I want to plead that between now and tomorrow morning, because the next three days are indeed, that we all rise from self interest. That we banish self interests and think only of what is in the best national interest. This House will go down badly in history if, indeed, it will be that this is the Parliament which had the greatest opportunity to bring real change and reforms and then we will have been seen to have squandered the opportunity. I know that Members are concerned about various amendments. We have a whole raft of proposed amendments. I want to suggest that we sleep over this issue, so that when it comes to voting tomorrow morning, because I gather that the Speaker has set aside the whole of tomorrow, we will sincerely look at those amendments that are making issues and affecting our people. We know our people from every corner of this Republic. We should take into account the marginalized communities. There is need to bring equity and justice. We can, even without looking at our party affiliations, rise to the occasion and deliver this Constitution. I do not think we have much of an option. I heard the Member for Laisamis concerned and rightly so, about the credit rating of our country internationally in terms of business. If we do not deliver this Constitution this time round, we will be seen as a nation that is not able to get her act together. Yet we have in our midst, Members of Parliament constituting as we do, the Tenth Parliament who are able to rise above self and look at, as I said earlier on, the best interest of the nation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in 1787 when the American people decided that they wanted to give a new Constitution to their country, they did so. At the same time, that Constitution was inaugurated together with some four amendments. We can never write a Constitution on stone. It is not a stake take document. Therefore, I want to urge my fellow citizens to know that everything can be discussed at a table. We should not take positions which are hard, fast and cannot change. If we do not change, change will eventually change us. Having been Member No.126 at the Bomas, I remember that there was a possibility to isolate issues that were not contested and the country would pass the aspects of the Constitution that were not in contention and go to a referendum over others that were seen to be contentious. This particular proviso is not available to us at this time. Therefore, I want to urge that we do whatever it takes, even if it means consulting overnight, so that we can come up with the necessary amendments and rise to this occasion. I wish it is also possible, and I raised this issue with the members of the Law Society of Kenya, to come and legislate on a referendum law. It is sad that a country like Sudan which will have the southern part going to a referendum in January next year already has in place the necessary law to enable them to exercise their inalienable right to self determination through a referendum, yet here, we are leaving everything to the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC). I want to urge that we come out, get together and act together as the Tenth Parliament which is able to take decisions that may even be painful with regard to our respective party affiliations, but decisions that will lift this country to the next level. This country needs lifting. I am sure we will do that. Thank you for giving me the Floor."
}