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{
    "id": 1485475,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1485475/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 20,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Eric Gumbo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I will endeavour to respond to the Preliminary Objection within the time allowed for us. The objection was premised on Rule 20 governing the proceedings that are currently before this House. The rule reads that: “In presenting its evidence, the Assembly shall not introduce any new evidence that was not a part of the allegations against the President by the National Assembly as forwarded by the Speaker to the National Assembly to the Speaker of the Senate.\" Mr. Speaker, Sir, the context of this rule is important. A true reading of this Rule would mean that every material that was available before the National Assembly while deliberating the Motion that was before it is what is contemplated to have been sent to the Speaker of the Senate. The question, therefore, that we would be asking ourselves this afternoon is whether there is any new evidence that has been adduced by the National Assembly. Our answer to that is an emphatic no. Why do we say no? We say no for the first reason that the reference to the letter forwarding the material that came from the National Assembly contained amongst other items paragraph 21 which spoke to a report of a public participation that was conducted by the National Assembly. That report was tabled on the Floor of the House was adopted by the House. Deliberations in relation to that report were made. Not a single objection arose. Therefore, it certainly follows that, that material from public participation became a necessary part of the material that was considered before the National Assembly. To give it context, in addition to the material that was presented by the Mover of the Motion to the National Assembly, hon. Members of the National Assembly had their deliberations, which were also captured in the HANSARD. In that HANSARD, material was introduced by way of questions, by way of contribution from the Floor of the House. That material too forms part of evidence of proceedings before the National Assembly. It is, therefore, our submission that just in the same manner in which the HANSARD from the National Assembly forms part of a report that was presented before you, the report on the public participation too is an important component of that report. There must have been a reason why that public participation was conducted. In our humble submission, Mr. Speaker, Sir, the appropriate test that one would want to apply on whether or not to allow that material to be before this honourable House is the all-celebrated test of relevance. It should not be lost that sitting as this House is sitting this afternoon, it is a quasi-"
}