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"content": "having enhanced intelligence, as a country. Firstly, we need to ask questions about our porous boundaries. It does not matter what kind of intelligence Service we have, if our boundaries continue to be porous; if people can easily forge our travel and national identification documents; and if our youth, universities, research institutions and, sometimes, our diplomatic missions and NGOs are infiltrated by persons who are not always thinking about the good of this country. So, those external factors also need to be taken into account because they have a great bearing in terms of what kind of intelligence Service is possible in this country. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, secondly, on the issue of recruitment and training, we need to pay particular attention not only to those at the top, where the President and other people in the Government have the power to appoint, but we also need to think in terms of the junior officers in the rural areas, right to the grassroots; because there are many questions as to whether or not these people have adequate training, in terms of gathering information and analyzing it in a scientific way that reflects the objective reality on the ground, apart from just relying on rumours and using those rumours as the basis for making conclusions that might not be applied across the board. Also, in terms of securing that information, what kind of support do we need? We need to enhance the security of our security agencies, be it in terms of the computer systems or the software that they use, to ensure that that information is not easily leaked to those who are spying on us or to others who are intent on engaging in criminal activities. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the issue of what kind of information is being gathered also matters. Sometimes you would be looking for a senior job in Government, and intelligence officers would be sent to your village to interview your mother to find out who your grandparents are, and what their history is. I mean, what does that kind of information have to do with the kind of person that you want to recruit for a particular job? So, sometimes, you waste too much time seeking for information that is not right. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, then, there is the point of being partisan with regard to supporting certain politicians and political parties. I think in this Bill, we need to make it very clear even if it means putting it elaborately that intelligence agencies have no business being involved in politics. They should be objective. They serve all of us and even sometimes, in foreign countries, they will undermine a president who is undermining the interests of the country. So, they should be completely non-partisan because the moment they are partisan, then it is very difficult to have any intelligence system that can be worth its name. On the issue about reports, I think there are many reports that are gathering dust. What are we doing in terms of acting on those reports? What action are we taking against politicians who have militias that have been used to cause mayhem? There are many reports, but what support do intelligence agencies have in terms of acting on those reports to ensure that the kinds of things that have been reported are not repeated? Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, finally, we need to also hold intelligence officers to account. They are very top on intelligence. We need to hold them to account. It is not fair that foreigners like Americans are telling us what to expect before our own intelligence agencies are able to identify anything. It is not fair that we have militias like"
}