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{
    "id": 156799,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/156799/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 306,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "In this connection, another criteria should be an all round education. This will enable one have some confidence and respect merit considerations as opposed to tribalism. In this regard, we should ask for the minimum qualification for a parliamentary candidate to be university education. This will expose a Member to appreciate the many issues that are discussed in Parliament. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I hope we will address issues related to how much value we place on money. Already, it is good that political parties will be funded. However, it is also important to put a ceiling on the resources that are put on political campaigns. The people who want to contest should first declare their wealth. Before a person contests, we should know what he or she has and how he or her got it. We should also know how much a person has made since being elected to Parliament. We should also outlaw fund-raising campaigns during political campaigns. Similarly, we need to be careful that the Government of the day does not take campaigns as an opportunity to dish out goodies, for example, districts, constituencies and medical facilities such as hospitals. The campaign period is not a time to use Government resources. That is another area where we need to reduce Government expenditure. Another area the IIEC needs to look into is the nomination of candidates for various political parties. I think the greatest abuse in the electoral process of this country is at the nomination stage. It is surprising that as people were quarrelling about how terrible the Presidential vote was flawed, we did not ask questions about how many people gave out a lot of money to be nominated as parliamentary candidates in the first place. In other words, we had many cases of the pot calling the kettle black. We had Members of Parliament who had been rigged in at the nomination stage making the loudest noise about how the Presidential vote was rigged. It is, therefore, important that the IIEC also looks into the nomination and supervises the exercise so that we do not leave it to a few people or political leaders to determine who the candidates of their respective political parties will be. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also hope that the IIEC will be more direct with civic education and not to look at the surface. They should come out strongly and talk about the effects of tribalism and corruption. They should even identify corrupt candidates and name them. They should also identify the candidates who have been associated with tribalism and tell voters not to vote for them. They should also talk about poverty, class structure in this society and marginalised candidates like women and others who do not have resources. The IIEC should tell the electorate not to continue with the terrible habit of glorifying thieves and eventually electing them to Parliament. Professionalism at the IIEC has been highlighted by hon. Members. Efficiency, the secretariat and competitiveness have also been talked about."
}