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{
    "id": 670083,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/670083/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 267,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Lentoimaga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2756,
        "legal_name": "Alois Musa Lentoimaga",
        "slug": "alois-musa-lentoimaga"
    },
    "content": "The other issue is about public servants who want to join politics. We have demonised civil servants who want to join politics. By demonising, I mean that those who vie for political seats and lose never get jobs. It is like they have leprosy. The moment you vie for a political seat, most employers shun you. They do not want to see you. We have again put a stumbling block that they should resign one year before the elections. This is discriminatory. We need to allow public servants to go for official leave and when they lose, they get their jobs back. If that is not the case, let them exit the service on the eve of the elections. In this country, people use a lot of resources during the electioneering period. You can sell all your assets. You exhaust all your bank accounts and even sell family assets. In that case, making civil servants exit the service one year before the elections is totally discriminatory and we need to look into that issue and find a way to correct it. When the Bill comes before the Committee of the whole House, we will propose suitable amendments, so that we do not discriminate against our people who can be good leaders and who have experience. They can also play a big role in taking this country to greater heights. The other issue is party nominations to the National Assembly and county assemblies. That section should be looked into because in the previous elections, if you did not know the big person in the party or some decision makers in the party, you could not find your way to Parliament as a nominated Member. It is much worse. Nomination is meant for special interest groups, but we have abused that. It is no longer about special interest, it is about who you know. It was supposed to cater for special interest groups like those who have been marginalised, the disabled, the youth, women, business people and others who can contribute and work in Parliament and the county assemblies to assist those whose interests are not being taken care of by elected Members. We need to look into that and ensure that those who are nominated represent special interest groups. When they come to Parliament or county assemblies, their work will be assessed because they will make radical changes within the interests that they were nominated to represent. The other issue is that of education. Some Members have said that we need to have degrees. My worry is whether Parliament and county assemblies are the only organisations that you can just join using your ID card. I have not seen any organisation in the world that allows people to join using their ID cards. Even the military, the police or security guards have minimum requirements. None of them tells you to join using an ID card as an entry document. In my view, we must strike a balance. From my experience, Form Four is the best education certificate anybody can have. That is why there was an outcry when we heard that there was cheating. Even if you have a PhD or a Masters degree, they want to see what grade you got in Form Four. They go and look at your Form Four certificate. The Form Four certificate is very critical. These days students hire people to write thesis for them at the university, but a Form Four certificate is critical. We must get a middle ground. Why is it a must that the President and Deputy President and even governors and their deputies must have degrees? Why not Parliamentarians? If there was hue and cry about education by people who had performed very well previously and they have never gone to school, then we must strike a balance. Let us not just come here with our ID cards. In my view, it is a shame. I support, but I will propose amendments when it is due. 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."
}