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{
    "id": 175440,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/175440/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 224,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Baiya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 8,
        "legal_name": "Peter Njoroge Baiya",
        "slug": "peter-baiya"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute. I would like to thank the hon. Member for bringing forth this Motion. My wish to support this Motion arises from the fact that there is need to ensure that we have food security in this country. The policy of price control evokes controversy amongst various key players in our economy. It is important for hon. Members and the people of this country to appreciate the times we are living in. The world today, is faced with serious economic crisis emanating, first and foremost, in the USA. This crisis is of world significance in the sense that no country will escape it. We have seen the way the price of oil has been fluctuating. We have also seen the way food prices have been going up and down. Two years ago, we had a surplus of milk, but today, there is no adequate supply of the same. This means that there are no adequate ways of controlling the economy. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have seen the USA Government taking initiative to bail out its people from this situation. It was forced to come in and intervene. Putting taxpayers money into private enterprises, so as to sustain them is completely against the free market principles. So, even here, the Government should not be tied to market forces which do not work any more. I also think that for this policy to work, we need to think beyond controlling prices. The Government needs to possibly think about how to assist farmers to focus more on production and rationalise the way of allocating resources in this country. In this regard, I also want to challenge this House because Kenyans are looking at Parliament for leadership. They are looking at us to demonstrate our sense of time. Kenyans want us to pay taxes. These are hard times. Our people are making sacrifices. Why can we not also be ready to make these sacrifices? We should allow ourselves to be taxed, so that Kenyans can see that we are serious. We should lead by example. If we fail to rise to this occasion, even the reforms that are so badly needed in this country, will actually become a cropper. Kenyans have lost confidence in us. We need to reclaim our position by supporting them. We must come up with the most responsive policy to ensure that nobody starves in this country. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}