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"id": 219156,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ndwiga",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Co-operative Development and Marketing",
"speaker": {
"id": 278,
"legal_name": "Peter Njeru Ndwiga",
"slug": "peter-ndwiga"
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"content": " Thank you, May 29, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1693 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support this Motion and also thank Members of this House for passing the Motion, which they have just passed. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to thank the team that nominated the Members who are going to the East African Legislative Assembly, because 30 per cent of the team of the Members of the East African Legislative Assembly are young. We have Messrs. Lotodo, Safina and Nakuleu. They are all youthful members. So the youth have been taken care of as 30 per cent of the Members are youthful unlike what my friend, Mr. Weya, said. I think it is good time for us to go and visit our constituents. It is good time because when the economy of this country is performing well, we require time to be with our constituents so that they can stop to wonder how come the economy is performing well when some of them have been left behind. It is time leaders led from the front. You cannot come to Parliament and complain that your people are getting poorer while the rest of the country is moving forward. It is just basically because you are not offering leadership. I am saying this because, as the Minister for Co-operative Development and Marketing, I know that there are very many Members here who do not even know who their District Co-operative Officers are. The easiest way to reduce poverty in this country is to urge our constituents to form co- operative societies and work as co-operatives. That is the easiest way to open up markets for our rural folks. Therefore, I would like to urge Members of this House, as we go for this Recess, to take time off to find out who are the Government officers, and not necessarily co-operative officers but also district agricultural officers and work with them. The fact that this Government has enabled the officers on the ground to work with all Members without discrimination is a confirmation that we are keen to address the problems facing our people. Therefore, we should take advantage of that situation instead of indulging in useless politics. You can verify whatever you want to. However, if you are not leading your people from the front, poverty will surely lead them. Therefore, we need to make a choice. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, while on recess, it is time that we indulge in a lot of politics. May I remind hon. Members that we have one country. Never mind our political divide, but this country is one. We need to be absolutely responsible in whatever we utter out there. We also need to urge our Press to be extremely responsible. These are not the dark-days when to read a copy of a daily newspaper from Kenya while in London, you needed to wait for one week. Today, even before people wake up, the newspaper is already out. You read all the important issues before you come out of the house. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you get saddened by some of the issues that you read, particularly when out of this country. It is true that a Government requires to be criticised. However, this should be done responsibly. Let us all be responsible in our criticisms. We are seeing situations where hon. Members of Parliament become insolent on platforms. That does not depict an hon. Member of Parliament. First of all, to be referred to as an \"honourable\", you must be honourable. In Kiswahili it is \" mheshimiwa .\" It means: Umejiheshimu mwenyewe ndio uheshimiwena watu wengine ."
}