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    "id": 118645,
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    "content": "access to parcels of land in any area, as provided for by legislation. The Commission is also given powers to initiate investigations, on its own, on complaints into present or historical land injustices and recommend appropriate redress. Some of us were very impressed by those statements within the Harmonised Draft Constitution. Those statements are missing from the draft National Land Policy that we have currently. How are those issues going to be addressed? Who, under the draft National Land Policy, has been given those investigative powers? Is it the courts? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thought that the strength of the National Land Commission would be its independence and its ability to perform, on behalf of the Ministry. If you look at what the draft National Land Policy has done, you will see that it has actually given the Commission a technical mandate to support the Ministry. What does that mean? Does it mean that the Ministry is going to have another technical team, under the National Land Commission? The Ministry already has technical personnel, who are seated here with us. We have technical people within the Ministry, who are dealing with technical issues. I hope that giving the National Land Commission the mandate to give technical advice to the Ministry does not include making it a technical arm of the Ministry, because we are interested in the independence of the Commission. So, again, this clashes with what is contained in the Harmonised Draft Constitution. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, therefore, I support the Sessional Paper on National Land Policy, but with these incisive corrections or amendments that the Minister may have to look into, regarding issues of the Devolved Governments as far as land and the National Land Commission are concerned; with a view to addressing the issue of harmony in the roles, duties and functions of the National Land Commission, as contained in the Harmonised Draft Constitution, which are completely different from what is in the draft National Land Policy. With those remarks, I beg to support and congratulate the Minister for coming up with this document."
}