Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 844240,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/844240/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 157,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Mbadi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. We sat in the HBC and agreed that we request the House to change the calendar. The date when we start the recess remains the same, 30 August 2018, but the resumption date be adjusted by an extra week to 2 October 2018 as opposed to 25 September 2018. The reason we wanted to come a little earlier was because we thought we may not be able to dispose of the Finance Bill, which has timelines ending in September, that is, 90 days from the date of passing the Appropriations Bill. So, we request that Members give themselves one more week to have time with their constituents. As the Leader of the Majority Party has ably put it, this is a time that you need to engage in exercising your supervisory role in terms of development of your constituencies. This is basically a procedural Motion. As I sit down, if you allow, Hon. Maoka Maore made a very interesting allegation regarding the formation of a select committee. He said that if that committee was constituted, then conflict of interest would have been removed. First of all, we do not even know who those Members would have been to be sure that there would have been no conflict of interest. Again, we formed the various committees early enough; no one knew that there would be an inquiry into any issue around sugar. So, certainly, we would have not known that the membership of that Committee were people who would have conflict of interest. I think it is just an admission that probably some extra work should have been done by the two committees, an admission that many have not been able to accept previously because of political expediency. I want to ask Parliament that, at times, we belabour issues that we can resolve differently. Actually, the issue of sugar that I see people talking about can still be resolved even by the agriculture committee taking it up. That is because what was resolved in the negative was just the issue of bad sugar. Anyone can come with issues around the problems in the sugar industry and no one would stop that. It will not even be affected by your ruling as far as I am concerned. If the Agriculture Committee wants to do its work and not to play politics, they can still investigate other issues around sugar and bring a report. We will adopt it. I think a lot on this issue of sugar is politics, so to speak. I have been here long enough to know when people play politics and when they mean business. If people really want to help the sugar sector, the Agriculture Committee should even start sitting tomorrow and invite various stakeholders to come and make presentations and even investigate all those other matters that they want investigated. Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I second the Motion."
}