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{
    "id": 1553394,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1553394/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 381,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okiya Omtatah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to address this august House with regards to the Motion being debated. I have looked through the Motion and will comment on a few issues. This matter was allegedly triggered off by an element of insubordination on the part of the deputy governor. As stated in the report, she decided to approach the Deputy President to go on a trip to the United States of America (USA) without the knowledge or approval of the House or her governor. When she wanted to be facilitated for the trip, I think the governor lost his cool. The committee should have condemned that insubordination, which it did not even if the governor overreacted. The Constitution does not state the functions of a deputy governor, but you can glean them from what the Constitution says about the deputy president. In Article 147 of the Constitution, it is clearly stated that- (i) the Deputy President shall be the principal assistant of the President and shall deputize for the President the execution of the President's functions. (ii) The Deputy President shall perform the functions conferred by this Constitution and any other functions of the President as the President may assign. (iii) Subject to Article 134, when the President is absent or is temporarily incapacitated and during any other period that the President decides, the Deputy President shall act as the President. (iv) The Deputy President shall not hold any other state or public office. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if that was to be understood in its clarity, you would realize that a deputy governor is nothing more than a spare wheel, for lack of a better image. If a vehicle has a spare wheel, that comes into play when one of the wheels is incapacitated or is not functional. This idea that a deputy governor can stand apart from a governor is untrue. This is because it is going to create two centers of power, and that will not be good. The governor and the deputy governor are one ticket, there is one center of power in the county, and the deputy governor must realize that there is no shortcut to the governorship. If they wanted to be governors, they should have run as governors. They should not seek to be governors through the back door. To be a deputy is as defined in the law. I do not see any other functions that can be assigned to a deputy governor beyond what the Constitution lays out for a deputy president in Article 47, taking into consideration all the changes and alterations that may be required. I support that there has to be mutual respect and any misunderstanding should be resolved. The other question that comes in is the question of budgetary allocations. The people who make the budget are MCAS. If there is a group that has to be helped to understand how to allocate funds, then it is the MCAS. I remember the national The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}