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{
    "id": 176538,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/176538/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 213,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Abdikadir",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1,
        "legal_name": "Abdikadir Hussein Mohamed",
        "slug": "abdikadir-mohammed"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, because I have finally caught your eye. I have been informed about time by the Minister, and I will be brief in terms of my presentation. I have been intimately involved in the discussions on reforms and, so I support this Report most sincerely. I only want to caution that in terms of our transitional arrangements, we should be aware of the need to have a very critical look at the institutions. We have just set up a new Political Parties Act implementation team. Where will that team fall when we do away with the ECK, because it is an office in the ECK and a number of civil servants there are crucial? In terms of impunity, I believe that it has been very clearly demonstrated in the major debate that has been going on in the country in the last two weeks; this is, basically, the debate on taxation of the allowances of hon. Members. I believe Parliament should give a very good example that it is not immune to the views of the country. The people being sovereign, I believe that Parliament should give very serious attention to how to solve the issue of the taxation of our allowances. Parliamentary leadership is not just about legal leadership, because as the law stands now, Members of Parliament have not broken any law. Parliamentary leadership is about moral leadership also. Since the people have spoken very loudly in the last few weeks, I think that it is very imperative that the perception being created out there; that Parliament is a rogue institution that does not want to hear the people, be corrected, for as they say: \"Justice must not only be done but it must be seen to be done.\" There is a very clear conflict - a moral hazard, I must say - for a institution that sets its own salaries and allowances to be critical of the views of the people of Kenya. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the same breath, I would wish to take great exception to the tone taken by our media in covering this debate. The code of conduct under the Media Act states that journalists should treat all subjects of news coverage with respect and dignity. This respect and dignity element has been lacking in the coverage of this debate. We have heard people talking about Members of Parliament vomiting on the shoes of Kenyans and so forth. We have seen the media not caring about the other side of the coin. This is a very heavy constitutional issue that requires debate; on whether the Executive can set the salaries and allowances of the Judiciary and Parliament, and whether that power will be misused. December 04, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3911 We have issues about human resources and whether when one has a vested interest it will be---"
}