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"id": 441550,
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"speaker_name": "Hon. (Prof.) Nyikal",
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"content": "remember that the Chairs are not the Executive and, therefore, cannot answer further than what is written for them. That has been a glaring deficit amongst us. I am happy that your Committee worked hard to bring this to reality. We have seen the tribulation of chairs trying to grapple their way around with information that many times they do not understand. Hon. Speaker, I know from my previous life that when Ministers were giving answers on this Floor, they were prepared. Literally, they we educated before they came to the Floor of the House. I can tell you that we used to sit watching and we could even pass text messages to the Assistant Minister to pass on to the Minister to give the information. Therefore, we were getting fully researched information and we had people who had the authority to act on what they were saying. What we have now is not sufficiently done. I think the decision to bring this issue is really in good time. Hon. Speaker, as regards the Constitution, Article 95 (2) actually says that the National Assembly deliberates on and resolves issues of concern to the people. When questions are asked often hon. Members ask them on what affects their constituents. They need not only to be seen to be talking here, but it needs to be resolved. As it is now, with the current system, there is no way this can be resolved. It is at the mercy of somebody who is sitting somewhere else and merely giving a report for somebody else to read. That representation is perhaps, what our constituents need most when we are in Parliament. The details of the laws we make, the Committee of the whole House, the amendments we make sometimes are so detailed that the people we represent do not actually follow. Therefore, the Constitution recognizes that. Hon. Speaker, Article 125 says that either House of Parliament, or any of its committees, has power to summon any person to appear before it for the purpose of giving evidence or providing information. So, what your Committee has brought is perfectly within the Constitution. I must say that we are beginning to implement the Constitution in an orderly fashion, looking at every aspect and going into details of how it can fit. Hon. Speaker, I am aware that we did chose a presidential system but the reality of life is nothing but absolute. Therefore, when you start a journey on a new Constitution, at one point or another you will find that this has not come out right. We would get a Committee like your Committee and then sit down and say:-“Within the context of the Constitution, we can get better results for what we want to do.” So, Article 125 definitely gives us the authority to amend the Standing Orders, as we are planning to do. Hon. Speaker, Article 153(3), states partly as follows: - “A Cabinet Secretary shall attend before committee of the National Assembly---” Again, there is realization that he National Assembly must interact with the Cabinet Secretary in order to get information which it can use to resolve issues of the people. That is perfect in my mind as regards the Constitution. If you look at Article 153(4)(b), it provides Parliament with full and regular reports concerning matters under their control. Once again, we are realizing that even if you have a pure parliamentary system, the Government is one. Therefore, Parliament will need information from the Executive from time to time and the Executive definitely will need information from Parliament. So, I think what the Chair is doing is really good progress forward. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}