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{
    "id": 567764,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/567764/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 209,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. It is very difficult for me to oppose this amendment by my good friend and neighbour, Dr. Chris Wamalwa. I would urge him to be open to certain amendments so that we can support it to the end. For now, it is difficult. I support the idea. Opening up space for many political parties is good but there are a number of myths that need to be debunked. First of all, the quality of a nomination process in terms of whether parties are doing free and fair nominations or not is not about the funding from political parties. It is about the character of the leadership that is conducting those nominations. Parties that did nominations in the last election are well known. I have heard a Member saying that he was rigged out in his party and later left for another party where he was given a direct nomination. That was not democracy versus democracy. Where he went he was given a direct nomination. Apart from him and maybe only one other Member, I would like to challenge whether there are Members from the TNA who can say that there was corruption or a bungling of the nomination process. We did a very free and fair nomination and that is why we are one of the most popular parties in this country. In addition to that, we have the highest number of members for a party that was formed very close to election. We have heard someone saying that these big parties usually do not allow women to participate fully during the nomination processes and have a fair chance. Out of the 16 women elected in single member constituencies, eight of them are members of TNA. If there was no free and fair nomination, they would not have made it through that process because, in addition to making sure that the nomination was free and fair, we put in place affirmative action procedures to make sure that the women have an edge. For example, the women paid a quarter of the nomination fees that the men were paying. I apologise. It was half of the nomination fees. I am being corrected by Hon. Shaban. The sanctions against anybody who was trying to bring violence and intimidate women during the nomination process were so high that no man would dare intimidate women who were vying for seats. That is why we have the highest number of members of the female gender elected from single member constituencies. There is this idea that to increase democratic space you need more political parties. I do not think that is correct. Right now, in this country, we have 56 political parties. Look around the world. Nigeria, which has had a very democratic election, has two strong political parties namely All People’s Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). 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."
}