Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 671475,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/671475/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 375,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "First, I would like to inform this House and remind Members of this Committee that the Constitution in Article 248 creates more than 10 independent commissions. After doing so, the process of removal of all those commissioners in all those commissions is uniform. So, the first thing this Committee and ourselves as legislators is to assure the country that we still believe in constitutionalism that the other commissioners sitting in their offices still enjoy the confidence and have their tenure of office secured. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, just by a plain reading of our Constitution; Article 249 (2)(b) on the independent commissions is very clear. It states that commissions are independent and not subject to direction or control by any person or authority. When we are looking at the work that has been laid down for this Committee, the line between constitutionalism, the work and mandate of this Committee will be very thin every single day. As a House, we must avoid the continuous erosion of confidence by negative propagation of any agenda or policy against institutions that are created by this Constitution. We also need to assure this country that we are also ready and willing to follow the laid down constitutional process. However, I would like to narrow myself to what the mandate of this Committee is as read in this Motion. I am especially keen on 2(a) where it says that the mandate of this Committee is to inquire into the allegations. To begin from there, would it not have been in order that these allegations are laid down first such that even as we pass these names, then we know what allegations we will give this Committee the mandate to probe. They could be 1,000 or amorphous allegations that are boundless and we could be sending this Committee into work that they may not conclude. Secondly, if you look at (b) on the mandate of the Committee; it says; that (a) above, they may recommend legal mechanisms for the vacation from office of the current commissioners of the IEBC. When we say that they may recommend the vacation of office, are we saying that whatever recommendations that this Committee may come up with are superior to the provisions of the Constitution which clearly lays down the process of removal of commissioners? The reason why I raise these issues is---"
}