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"speaker_name": "Mr. Midiwo",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Vote. First of all, I want to say that this is, probably, the most important Ministry in any country which is sincere and is interested in developing and going to the next level. I think it is about time that we, as a country, embraced the importance of planning for our future. I want to say that the Ministry needs to take off on a good footing. There are several issues, which I think are coming out of this debate, which affect Members. I think we seem to want to address them differently. But I think that the Ministry could act as a bridge, first, to assure people of fair distribution of resources. But that means that the Ministry itself must be equipped. Because of our corrupt history as a country, the Ministry of Finance has over the years been strangled by the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, by not giving it money and the requisite resources to police and monitor the projects which they are supposedly to have planned them. The offices of the District Development Officers (DDOs), for example, are very corrupt. In every district, they do not even have assistants! How can one person operate an office single- handedly? That is setting a very bad example. Siaya District has a population of over 640,000 people with one DDO. It has three constituencies. It is not possible for one person to effectively supervise development without a vehicle or an assistant! In fact, I pity those men and women who are charged with the duty of being DDOs in this country. I think they are really doomed to suffer, given what is expected out of them! So, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to urge the Minister and the Permanent October 22, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2947 Secretary, who is also here that, this is simple; tell the Ministry of Finance that you need more money, like we are telling it from the Floor of this House. Tell us, as leaders, that this is what you need in terms of personnel to supervise effectively what you will be planning for us from now on. I think it is important to begin from that premise. I do not think without money, you can do anything. We need to appeal to the Ministry of Finance, now that we have a Minister who is acting there--- I hope and wish that he is confirmed soon. He is better than the other crooks who were there before. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to appeal to the Minister for Finance to help free the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030---"
}