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{
    "id": 483712,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/483712/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 266,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Lati",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2762,
        "legal_name": "Jonathan Lelelit Lati",
        "slug": "jonathan-lelelit-lati"
    },
    "content": "Thank you hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. You will add a minute. I respect the honorable Member but I think I am torn between supporting this Bill and opposing it because I am not sure whether it is appropriate to have this kind of Bill having a legal standing – a legal framework for this order of business. I think we are mixing things up here. If you look at all modern democracies that are there, there is a presidential succession which usually has a legal standing. There is a legal framework to provide for a presidential succession. But the order of precedence in all modern democracies is simply a ceremonial protocol. You cannot have in a legal framework with a legal standing. The reason for that is that in all those democracies, there is the core equal separation of powers using the different arms of government that is the judiciary, parliament and the executive. In cases of presidential succession, those things are provided because those are times of crisis. But in normal circumstances, when you place the Chief Justice in an order lower than Presidents or Parliament rather than the President, it takes away that core equal separation of powers. It will tell, in a way, that Parliament is below the President. So, I think there is a reason why all those democracies embraced a way of not making a legal framework for order of precedence. It is simply a ceremonial protocol so that the law does not provide. But, usually, they write in some way that the President speaks and---. But be it as it may, as we stand now, and I think I will oppose it for that reason. I do not think we need to legalize such a thing. Be it as it may, if you look at the Bill, it puts Speakers of Parliament--- You know there is a lot of borrowing though without a legal standing between presidential succession and order of protocols in those modern democracies. If you look at the US, for example, it borrows from the presidential succession, where the President comes first, the Vice-President and the third person in line. It does not talk of Parliament and there are two Houses of Parliament. It talks of the Speaker of the House which is similar to the National Assembly. The Speaker of the Senate comes fourth. If we borrow the US democracy, we must also borrow from all the other items that are in that democracy. If you look at the US order of succession and protocol, it is after the Vice President. It is John Boehner who is the Speaker who comes--- 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."
}