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"speaker_name": "Mr. Maore",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to also say a few words about this Bill. From the outset, I oppose the Bill as well as the amendments. What we are not being told is about the definition of even what a political party is. It is not 1002 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 26, 2007 a briefcase piece of paper that you fold from the Register of Societies and then call it a political party. A political party is supposed to be an entity with an ideology, philosophy and theory of governance, if it were ever to come to power. If you follow that kind of definition, you will find that in today's political landscape, we do not have entities called political parties. So, when we talk of funding, we are not saying who we are going to fund. We have been talking about the fraud carried out by the 9th Parliament, about defections and counter-defections, where some hon. Members belonging to the Government side are now sitting on the Opposition side while some from the Opposition are sitting on the Government side. The situation is so murky that we do not want to invite the taxpayer to fund such entities. I want to give an example of one hon. Member, without mentioning his name. In 1988, he vied on a KANU ticket and came to Parliament. In 1992, he vied on a FORD(A) ticket and again, came to Parliament. In 1997, he vied on a FORD(P) ticket and came to Parliament. In 2002, he vied on a NARC ticket and again, came to Parliament. I can assure you that this year, he will vie on a different party. I am not ridiculing anybody. This political nomadism is in all of us. So, if we were to fund a political party, which one of these parties would we recommend that we fund; is it KANU, FORD(A), FORD(P), NARC or NARC something else? It is for this reason that we need to make sure that we keep Kenyan taxpayers out of this madness that we are in. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at the issue that is coming out of this Bill, you will see that Kenyans do not expect us to differ, because we are a political class and this Bill is going to fund parties and make is easy for us to own and run political parties that are not necessary. If you look at what is happening--- One Chinese once said: \"When men speak ill of thee, make sure that you behave properly.\" Now, the Kenyan taxpayers do not expect the political class here to differ, over this funding of political parties. But we should actually disavow that kind of notion; that we can sit here and differ on something that is about to benefit the political class. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at what is being asked to be funded here, under Clause 4, we seem to be in a hurry to fund the political parties, when this House, two years ago, defeated - and I know I was one of those who did that - the National Health Insurance Fund which was meant to benefit Kenyans. But when it comes to politics - I have been listening to debates - it is only a few of us who have been magnanimous enough to say that we are differing. This is not like establishing the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) because in that case one can say that he is going to construct a dispensary, health care facility, cattle dip or borehole. This is not free education for secondary schools where we are asking Kenyans or inviting them to fund. It is our own comfort and misbehaviour. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you go and see what Kenyans do with these political activities, you will be surprised. It could be money transformed into hiring choppers for a political leader. It could be a slush fund for him to be contributing Kshs100,000 or Kshs200,000 for Harambee. It could be anything that we are not able to contain or control at this time. If you look at what happens in America, Britain and other places about political parties, people join political parties the same way they join the Salvation Army, Methodist Church or the Catholic Church. You go and fund church activities to expect rewards in Heaven. Why do you not want to fund political activities where you get rewards here on earth? So, if we are having real interest in funding political parties, let us negotiate with the Treasury and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and put in proper legislation whereby we can expound this issue of voluntary contributions that are tax deductible. You go and contribute, and then launch your claim with KRA. At the end of the year, you have that money deducted from your tax returns. So, let us not, at any given time, think that we can get our way when we misbehave. We are misbehaving by not obeying or forming and being members of political parties for long enough. April 26, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1003 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you go to the rural areas, you will find one fellow with five cards. He is a member of five political parties. When a party leader comes to hold a public baraza, they all flash cards saying they are members. The following week, you will find the same. So, when we talk of funding, let us wait. It is about time actually. I am talking of time and it is dangerous when we start behaving and feeling like we must live for now. There is a future. We have not reached time when political parties need public funding. We have not behaved like those political parties. If you ask those hon. Members in the Government when they came to office in 2003, they were in a party called the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC). Today, there are very few hon. Members who have stood on this Floor to say they are NARC members. They have parties they do not want to mention because it will go on HANSARD and they will have been said to have defected. So, when we talk of funding political parties today, and I would like to give the example of the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, would she put this money to fund the Democratic Party (DP) or NARC which she was in before she came to Parliament in 2002, or maybe another party that we are about to hear of now that we are about to have elections? So, it is this definition that we are saying that before we get it and see sane behaviour in politics, let us not use the words of \"expanding democratic space\" or \"democratic spirit\". That is language demagoguery. A demagogue, in my political science, class introduction, is somebody who uses those sweet words to cover up mischief so that he can be believed. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my argument is that we need to bring this perfect and very good legislation but not now, not this year, not even next year, not even the next three years or five years. It is unfair to the Kenyan taxpayer to think of funding these kind of entities that are not useful to them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when you talk of coalitions being mentioned by many speakers who have spoken here, they are being politically expedient. A coalition of political parties is supposed to be a constitutional issue. It cannot be addressed by a statute. Before we can agree on the constitutional amendment, and I am always against constitutional overhaul, let us not talk about coalitions in a statute. Let us not have shortcuts. Let us wait when we can agree on the amendments. I do not want to make any repetitions and I have put forward my case. With those few remarks, I violently oppose this Bill in its entirety."
}