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"id": 197575,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Samoei",
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"legal_name": "William Samoei Ruto",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as a leadership, it should concern us that unfortunately, most of the people who are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) today are not IDPs for the first time. Some of them are unfortunate to be IDPs for the second or third or fourth time. It should concern us, as a leadership. We should sort out the issues that make Kenyans fight, whenever there is a contest. In the wisdom of the coalition Government that will be formed, I would beg that we should not gloss over those issues. We do not want, in another five or ten years from now, Kenyans, again, to rise up against each other with axes, pangas, bows and arrows. We should settle our past, and settle it in an appropriate manner. It is important for us to make the hard decisions. If we continue with the soft options, we will recycle the problem. We must make the hard decisions. We must close our past, and bring it to a closure in a manner that is fair to everybody. This Bill gives us the vehicle that will help this country sort out the things that bring about conflict. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have very serious issues of marginalisation, inequality and tribalism. As I speak, these issues have divided this country in a very tragic way. Now, with the passage of these two Bills, we have an opportunity to rise up to the challenge of putting in place the mechanisms that will enable us deal with inequality, tribalism and marginalisation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I believe that with these instruments, we are going to put together March 18, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 215 a Government which, if it does not do anything else, will sort out these issues, which are of concern to the majority of Kenyans. I want to agree with the Attorney-General that these two Bills are not about us; they are about the people of Kenya. The spirit of this agreement is good. Allow me to read out again what the Attorney-General read out, on page 12, which says: \"This agreement is designed to create an environment conducive to such a partnership and to build mutual trust and confidence. It is not about creating positions that reward individuals. It seeks to enable Kenya's political leadership to look beyond partisan considerations with a view to promoting the greater interest of the nation as a whole. It provides the means to implement a coherent and far- reaching reform agenda to address the fundamental root causes of recurrent conflict, and to create better and more secure and more prosperous Kenya.\" Those are very heavy words from the signed agreement by His Excellency the President and the Prime Minister-designate. I think the issue of a new Constitution arises after we have crossed our path and put in place instruments that will enable us deal with tribalism, marginalization and issues of inequality that bring about conflict in our country. As we have all undertaken, we should provide a firm foundation for the future of this country; we should provide for an equitable democratic nation by having a new Constitution in the 12 months that we have said. I agree that it is possible for us to have a new Constitution under 12 months. Let me conclude by saying that I am particularly happy that we are well on the road towards a more democratic nation. The creation of the position of the Prime Minister is an indication of where we are heading. I want to say that I have a very special attachment to this position of Prime Minister. In the last general election, in my party, I was promised that position."
}