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{
    "id": 228933,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/228933/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 207,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ms. Abdalla",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 245,
        "legal_name": "Abdallah Jumaa Ngozi",
        "slug": "abdallah-ngozi"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the NARC Government has been notorious for not respecting the rule of law. For long, that has been accommodated because it was internal law. But now, we have even gone further to expand our naughtiness to include international law. International law dictates that any refugee that comes into your country is given the first right of asylum before you deport them, whether they are your nationals or other nationals. We talk of those people bringing insecurity. What insecurity would 22 unarmed people, four of them being children below ten years, bring to a nation of 33 million people while a large chunk of the Budget is allocated to defence? What is the point of allocating all that money if you cannot secure yourselves against 22 unarmed people? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to state that this Government--- I have not yet finished making my contribution, Mr. Minister! Finally, we have talked a lot about our economic growth. The only thing that is linked to reducing prices happens to be hard narcotic drugs. That is why we are seeing people being arrested with more bhang than you have ever seen in your lifetime. The truth of the matter is that the hard drugs are circulating so much in this country that they are the only item in the market whose price has gone down. The price is not going down in relation to inflation, because our inflation is going up. So, the only thing that is inversely proportional to the growth of our economy are the drugs. For me, I would like to urge the Government to strengthen the systems through which we fight drug trafficking in this country, because it is killing our youth. The structures that we have right now such as the National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) are toothless to fight against drug abuse. We are talking about giving the youth employment through the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, but our youth in Mathare are already suffering from the repercussions of overdoses of drugs or are on rehabilitation. We are, therefore, doing zero work. March 28, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 191 So, mine is to say that we need to intensify the fight against illicit drugs, which are destroying our children. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, I would like to support the President's suggestion that we are going to have legislation that will provide for mayors to be elected universally instead of being elected by fellow councillors. That will increase accountability in our local authorities. My only misgiving is that we are tired of lip service in terms of supporting women in elective politics. So, I hope that the Political Parties Bill will provide that if the mayor of a local authority is a male, the deputy mayor to be elected by the public should be a female. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}