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{
    "id": 335051,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/335051/?format=api",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "There is one thing I would like Mrs. Noor to clarify. I can see that this Bill is abolishing the NGO coordinating body. I would want to know what the fate of the NGO Council is. I know that the Bill is actually seeking to repeal the NGO Act, but I have looked through the Bill and I have not seen where you are repealing the NGO Council. Again, I want to say that the NGO Council has had a lot of problems. I am not very enthusiastic about it, but if you look at the law that set up the NGO Council, you will appreciate that it is a really good law. Unfortunately, as usual, we have not done a very good piece of it. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, there have been ethnic interests whenever there were elections. Unfortunately, that mirrors the whole of the country. Whenever we go into elections, people move by blocks of ethnicity. So, if we were to abolish an institution because of ethnicity and partisan interests, then we should actually start by abolishing the whole country. Therefore, for me, if they are having problems, as the NGO Council, I would have hoped to see how we improve the current framework instead of abolishing the whole body that gives some semblance of order in that sector. So, for me, I would want to encourage, instead of abolishing the council; that we retain it by this law and look at ways of improving it. Otherwise, I love some of the provisions of this Bill. For instance, the objectives that have been given for this law include provision of framework even for self regulation for proper and enhanced governance of the sector. So, I really love that bit. The only other issue I find of concern is that whereas the Bill provides for an umbrella body for all public benefit organisations, which would be voluntary and thematic based, when you leave it that loose then there will be no self regulation. Mrs. Noor and I have been in that sector. We know that many organisations are very well meaning, but there are so many organisations which will not be subjected to the proposed self regulating mechanism, if it is not done by law. If you ask me, I think the intention of this Bill is very good in the sense that you have many organisations which are registered under different legal frameworks. We have an organisation like the Cradle which I found and which is registered as a trust. We have others which are registered as NGOs. We have some which are registered as companies. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, these organisations are registered under many different frameworks. So, one of the things I would have hoped to see this Bill do is providing one legal framework of registering all the organisations to make their registration efficient and effective; having done so, to ensure that there is a body for self regulation. If we think that the issue of elections is problematic, then we would not need to have elections, but rather appoint those members, through Parliament and ensure that organisations adhere to self governance rules. This is because there are a few organisations which give that sector a bad name."
}