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{
    "id": 661674,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/661674/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 57,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "June 8, 2016 SENATE DEBATES 8 Sen. Khaniri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to seek your guidance on this particular Petition by Mr. Gesicho. Before that, let me thank him for bringing this very important Petition. I also thank him for believing in the institution of Parliament because this is not the first petition that Mr. Gesicho is bringing to this House. He has brought other petitions to this House before. Mr. Speaker, Sir, substantially, the point of order that I am bringing to your attention is this. I do not think we are doing this Petition justice in the form in which it is. First, the petitioner’s prayer was that you and your counterpart in the National Assembly form a joint committee of the two Houses to look into this Petition. In your own communication yesterday, you said that that provision is not there although when you look at Standing Order No. 216 (3)(c), that provision is there. More importantly, Standing Order No.220(3) says:- “The Clerk shall, within seven days of the date of receipt of a petition, review the petition to ascertain whether the petition meets the requirements of these Standing Orders and of the law”. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not know, if in your own opinion, you think that this particular section of the Standing Order was adhered to. This is because the Petition as it is, with the prayers of forming a joint committee, does not meet the threshold of our Standing Orders. In our Standing Orders, particularly, No.227(1) says:- “Every Petition presented or reported pursuant to this Part, shall stand committed to the relevant Standing Committee”. It does not talk about a Joint Select Committee but a Standing Committee. Now that the prayer of Mr. Gesicho is that the Petition be committed to a Joint Committee of the National Assembly and the Senate, I am seeking your guidance if the Clerk lived to the position of the Standing Order No.220(3). This is because it does not meet the threshold of that Standing Order and Mr. Gesicho should be advised by the Office of the Clerk to redraft his Petition and resubmit it so that you can determine which Standing Committee it can be committed to. As it is, you had even called the next order without committing this petition to any Committee, which is a requirement of our Standing Orders, that after comments by Members, the Speaker shall commit the Petition to a Standing Committee, which you have not done. I seek your guidance on this particular issue."
}