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{
    "id": 225144,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/225144/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 206,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kajwang",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 164,
        "legal_name": "Gerald Otieno Kajwang",
        "slug": "otieno-kajwang"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this very important Bill. We have actually been putting a lot of pressure on the previous and present Governments to bring this Bill to this House, because the amendment that was made to the Constitution in 1992 was very simple and fundamental. Section 1A of the Constitution says this country shall be governed under a multi-party democracy. That Section so provides, but nothing else was done to make sure that the multi-party democracy that was planted in the Constitution came to fruition. Since then, we have been behaving, in this country, as if political parties are clubs, which you can join, run away from, join another, merge and, later on, do whatever you like with them, so long as they can bring you to Parliament. So, the manner in which political parties have been managed, and treated, does not give due consideration to the fact that the foundation of the political dispensation in this country is a multi-party democracy. If you want to practise democracy then you must make sure that you give the political parties the respect they deserve, being mindful of the reasons as to why they were created, and protecting them against disintegration and, sometimes, against hostile take-overs. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to start with where we should have started. The reason as to why we wanted a Political Parties Bill was to provide for the registration of political parties, as well as for their management, by a body that is not controlled by Government - but 806 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 19, 2007 which is independent of Government - because a Government is also formed by a political party or a coalition of political parties. So, if that Government is in charge of the administration of political parties, then the other political parties that are in competition with the governing party are disadvantaged."
}