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{
    "id": 32272,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/32272/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 441,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Affey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 381,
        "legal_name": "Mohammed Abdi Affey",
        "slug": "mohammed-affey"
    },
    "content": "Thank you Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I intend to take the least minimum time because this is a very obvious Bill. It is an important Bill. The Minister was very right in insisting that the Commission must, truly, be independent. I know that the Minister was under considerable pressure not to allow the establishment of this Commission. But I want to salute him for that wisdom and foresight. The reason why, for the last several years that there has been a struggle to change our Constitution as a country, is basically on account of two things. One was on account of human rights, while the other was on gender and equality. This country has been so unequal in all facets of life that every time we have an election as a country, we have gone to war. We have been fighting over who should become President. In the past, if you became the President, you were synonymous with all the resources that would go to your home area, your clansmen and to your region. But the Constitution that we have now is so focused that, for the first time, we shall have an independent strong commission that will take care of both gender and equality issues. I just want to request the Minister that, when we will reach the stage of carrying out amendments to this one, we will look at equality issues. This Bill is very strong on gender, but very weak on issues regarding equality. I think that if we empower issues regarding equality, particularly discrimination based on the region that one comes from, the religion that we profess--- It is not highly strengthened in this Bill. If we do that, we can go a long way in creating a country that we can truly be proud of. On the issue of gender, I want to salute women Parliamentarians; Ms. Martha Karua and Mrs. Sophia Noor are here. I salute all women Parliamentarians for struggling to establish, even in this Parliament, a Committee on Equal Opportunity. That Committee, which I have the rare privilege of Chairing, is as a result of the struggle of the women Members of Parliament. They felt that issues regarding women and general discrimination were so pronounced that they required a committee to deal with them. Therefore, the Standing Orders that we have, word for word, which established the Committee, are what the Minister has put in this Bill."
}