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{
    "id": 272026,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/272026/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 661,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mungatana",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 185,
        "legal_name": "Danson Buya Mungatana",
        "slug": "danson-mungatana"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at Clause 6, in a very nice way, it has been pushed somewhere there saying at 6(b) “This Act shall prevail in the case of any inconsistency” Therefore, it creates a seniority of this Act. If you look Clause 6, you will see that it says: “This Act shall prevail in case of any inconsistency between this Act and any other legislation, on the following matters- (b) preparation, submission and auditing of accounts including the time for doing so.” So, the Treasury wants to have power through this clause. Even if the Auditor-General should bring any law here to still maintain a system line of auditing, that will be going down all the way contrary to what the Auditor-General’s power have been specified in the Constitution, the Treasury wants to manage and be able to audit itself. If you look at it, you will find that it is the same thinking that we are saying we do not want under the new dispensation of time. If you go through all these clauses, you will see that there is a deliberate effort of sidelining the Auditor-General so that he just becomes another office. We have had these kinds of questions in this House. We have had issues in this House and the Treasury says “No”, we have this report. Obviously, the audit that will be done by the Treasury will not be the audit that can be done by the Auditor-General. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am arguing that let us look at this law with a toothcomb. There is a reason, by the way, why these people decided to make a big volume like this. This is to discourage hon. Members of Parliament from reading. However, we will read it by the way and we will go through it by way of toothcomb and look at those clauses that are creating a monster out of the Treasury and telling us that the Treasury will look after everything. Look at what has happened after the initial debate. When people looked at this Bill, they said: “No, we will read it tomorrow,” and they all walked out. If there was no contribution going on, it could pass with all these things. I am saying that there is a problem here. The Auditor-General seems to have been sidelined and there is a clause which has been created here. Even if the Auditor-General is to take his rightful position through an Act of Parliament, maybe now or in future, what will happen is that the Treasury boss or the Secretary to the Treasury will advise the President that this law is not necessary. He will tell the President that if this is enacted, the President’s powers to tell him or her to do this and that will be gone. So, let us make sure that any law that the Auditor-General brings does not pass. This is politics and the President may be having"
}