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    "id": 729371,
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    "content": "wrong for the presiding officer to demand what the Chair decided after being petitioned? This is because we must start with decorum and be honest with each other. For you to claim that we have a conspiracy, I wish you had spoken the way you spoke last. It just made it even worse. I may not feel aggrieved for all the reasons that you have said. We know each other and we think there is that respect but sometimes when it comes to certain things, you wonder whether that respect is there or it is just for temporary purposes. I think respect, even as the Senate Majority Leader, for you to be listened to, the example you have given of the former President, when he was the Leader of the Opposition, I do not remember him abusing anybody. In fact, one of my memorable statements from him was attacking the police vehicles; the Mahindras and he said: “How does a Government buy vehicles that cannot even catch a goat.” All of us could see what it meant; that you have vehicles that are not moving fast enough. There is a way which you can still make the language flowery and all that without really attacking personalities. This is all the House is demanding of you and I know for sure you are not short of language. If certain words are offensive to certain Members and you do not find them offensive, you can elect to use other words and still deliver the same message without hurting other people. The issue you raised about Speaker Lenthall was actually in 1642 and it was about an outsider, the king, coming to Parliament and when he said: “On a bended knee, I have neither the eyes to see, nor ears to hear but to do the will of the House” That is the House and another arm of government. What do you do when it is within the House? Can you pretend to have neither the ears, nor the eyes? The king, by the way responded: “Fairly, I hear you.” If an issue arises as part of the deliberations of the House, the Chair has a responsibility to make sure it is prosecuted to its logical conclusion. Our rules are very easy; prove something, withdraw and apologise. You made a few attempts to withdraw and apologise and I said I was not satisfied and you went ahead and gave a suitable apology as required by the Speaker and demanded by the Standing Orders and I agreed. We were to proceed along those lines. I think I have said enough. I will take your last statements and I think that is the spirit that should guide us going forward and I think Sen. Kembi-Gitura has also said his piece. As Senators, we all have a history with each other which should guide us to bring us closer than to pull us apart. This is because we have a long history and we are seasoned politicians in this Republic, leaders of this Republic and you did very well early this year so that our country did not go into unnecessary turmoil and we should maintain that decorum which should be the spirit. If one Senator feels offended, be magnanimous. There is no harm because in my other profession we have something called utility curve. If the satisfaction along the same does not alter yours but improves another one, the society’s welfare has improved. I think that is where we should all be learning to be tolerant. We continue with the Presidential Address. Sen. Kembi-Gitura."
}