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{
    "id": 600670,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/600670/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 243,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Hassan",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 431,
        "legal_name": "Hassan Omar Hassan Sarai",
        "slug": "hassan-omar-hassan-sarai"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I concur with you to that extent. Sometimes when we speak, there are interjections or sayings that we want to make in our own vernacular or culture. That is very progressive in terms of ensuring that debate is not too restrictive. I want to conclude by saying that it is our duty; men and women of this Republic, to ensure that we create a culture where people shall be judged, as Martin Luther King Jnr. said, “by the content of their character and not the colour of their skin.” In this circumstance, people should not be judged by virtue of their gender, so that we can get the right leadership and competence in our Parliament and various institutions. I know many women leaders today who have made massive contributions in the various sectors of our society; be it politics, economics, business, medicine and all other arts. Women have not made significant progress to a certain extent in politics because of the dogma, stereotypes, culture and some of the attended concerns that Sen. Kisasa pointed to. In fact, we need to enforce our laws to ensure that whoever violates a woman in an election campaign should be punished severely. If you disrupt a rally of a lady knowingly; that you want to take advantage of it because of the perception that she is of a weaker gender, that is the kind of motivation that people have, you should be double punished. There is a culture of hooliganism in this country that we have not punished decisively. That is why people find it in their place to disrupt a political rally of an opponent. I have seen young men trying to discredit the honor and chastity of women in public platforms by purporting to be supporters and carrying them in a manner that are suggestive. You see the hands that frock on her in a manner that is extremely abusive. Therefore, we need to protect the womenfolk; our sisters and mothers, who decide to go to political contests. If you knowingly and deliberately disrupt a rally on account of the fact that you perceive that person to be of a weaker gender, then the law must punish you harshly. We should deal with political hooliganism across the board. For example, I do not understand how the police would allow a certain group of politicians to unabatedly disrupt the rallies of others or beat up the supporters of opponents. We need to speak to this issue with audacity and by law. We must legislate as soon as possible to end old vices. Madam Temporary Speaker, I end with the same breathe and say that because of women empowerment, we must accept any gender that we are referred to. If I call you Mrs. Murkomen, you should immediately embrace--- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}