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{
    "id": 306837,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/306837/?format=api",
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    "content": "country at the moment scattered in many statutes and difficult to find and enforce under one simple easy-to-use statute. We, therefore, see this law as a necessary one in the manner that it has been brought, acutely aware that it can be improved in many respects and looking forward to the contribution of hon. Members, particularly at the Committee Stage, so that we may put in this Bill anything that can reasonably be put in at this stage to make it more robust; to make it more effective without unnecessarily making it unworkable. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, ethics and morals are about aspirations. They are about the good society; they are about setting a bar to which we aspire. On the whole, this Bill has set minimum standards that we can live with and we can work towards maximum standards as we seek to consolidate the statutes that we will eventually look at. When I look at the Bill, I am consoled by the fact that I find within this Bill very clear injunctions as to how a public official will conduct himself. Section 5 states that:- (i) He must abide and respect the rule of law. (ii) He must do all his duties in accordance with the law. (iii) He must take responsibility for everything that he could reasonably foresee. (iv) He must not place himself in a conflict of interest situation. (v) He must not accept gifts. (vi) He must not benefit from tenders that are controlled by him. (vii) He must not undertake public collections. (viii) He must not have bank accounts oversees. (ix) He must submit those accounts, if any, for the scrutiny of the Commission. (x) He must take care of Government assets and do so without victimizing his staff, without harassing his staff. (xi) He must bring dignity and decorum to his office. (xii) He must act in a politically neutral manner; must not place himself in a position where he compromises his office for political reasons. (xiii) He must not take any other jobs while in office. (xiv) He must act with impartiality. (xv) He must conduct his private affairs – according to these rules – with decorum. That is to say when he goes to church, when he goes to his social club, when he is mixing with members of the community, he must do so with dignity and decorum of his office. This Bill then says that there will be specific Bills of conduct for specific institutions. This Parliament will have its own specific code of conduct. In that code, we will put things that are peculiar to Members of the House. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Clause 40(1) says:- “A person is not eligible for election or appointment to a State office if, after a fair administrative process has been undertaken, the person is found to have contravened the rules, regulations and the Code of any entity that do not contravene the Constitution or this Act on matters relating to ethics and integrity.” To my own mind, that is a reasonable provision giving us the muscle that we need to be able to stop individuals who have contravened the law and, therefore, who ought not to be permitted to assume public office. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I look forward to my colleagues and I deliberating further in the Committee stage about how we can make some of these provisions more robust and how we can improve the mechanism."
}