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"id": 237756,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/237756/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "[Mr. Speaker]",
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"content": "the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in such manner as they will have provided in their own rules for electing those members to that Parliament. I think that is the gist of Article 50. In compliance with Article 50, this august Assembly, as I said earlier, completely in disregard of wise counsel from the Chair and in its own wisdom refused to adopt rules which encourage democracy. I will tell you the reasons given for refusing to heed to Mr. Speaker when he provided good counsel why we should have participatory democracy in the House when electing Members of the EALA. The reasons basically were from the HANSARD of 11th October, 2001, which I have already referred to earlier, and I want to refer to the contribution of an hon. Member, who made the 3216 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 26, 2006 following remarks; that is the Minister for Energy, hon. Raila. On page 2538 of the HANSARD of 11th October, 2001, he says:- \"This is the main reason why the rules that I had prepared and which promoted democracy in the House were defeated by this House---\" It was not by that hon. Member alone, it was unanimous. I would like to read to the House excerpts of the gist of why those good rules, in my view, were refused. It is on page 2538 of that HANSARD and I quote: \"It is, therefore, upon this House to determine the procedure. What we have here is a proposal to be adopted by the House as a procedure\". It goes on to say:- \"Electing Members to represent political parties: When we say that this House will elect collectively, representatives of various political parties, what does that mean? It means that we are going to allow members of FORD(K), NDP or KANU to elect representatives for the DP to the EALA. The members of FORD(K) and NDP may not know the representatives of the DP, their qualifications and effectiveness as representatives of the country. That is the reason why we decided to give each political party the right to nominate its representatives. In doing so, we do not just expect that the leaders of those parties are going to hand-pick their sycophants, as Dr. Kituyi was trying to suggest. We are seeing the political parties being transparent\". That was said on the date when the rules, in my opinion, could have been better, were forsaken for the rules that are now governing us. At the end of all that debate, the names were presented and hon. Anyona rose on a point of order again saying that they need to participate in this. Indeed, hon. Karua, who was then in the Opposition, stood to challenge the Chair that it is not right that this House--- Although they are the ones who pass the rules, and that, at least, for the record, we should say something. She did not even want to challenge me. She said: \"At least for the record, let us say something because we may not want it\". To be frank with you, I was very upset about all this. I was very upset because I had done a lot of work to give you democratic rules, which you refused. And now, here again, you are coming back to me and asking me to say something about it. I told them: \"No, live with the rules that you have made\". You must swallow your very bitter poison."
}