Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 8883,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/8883/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 452,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Abdikadir",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1,
        "legal_name": "Abdikadir Hussein Mohamed",
        "slug": "abdikadir-mohammed"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker Sir. I am very grateful for your indulgence. I just have two points. The hon. Minister spoke to this House as having the power to amend the Constitution. Our view is not that this House does not have power. This House absolutely, has the power to amend the Constitution. That is very important and it must be clarified. Our view is that an amendment to the Constitution is not like any other Bill. It is a special Bill. This is called a “Parliamentary Initiative to Amend the Constitution”. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the culture we develop as a House for amending the Constitution is very important, from the word “go”. The Constitution, the way it is set up now gives very strict rules to its amendment. It says that 90 days must be waited for. It says that some of the amendments must require a referendum. That is pushing us to a culture where we move away from how we used to do it before. That requires us to do one of two things: One, the Parliamentary initiative must be a Parliamentary initiative; where Parliament is involved in the initiation of the proposal to amend and not in debating the amendments once they are cast. Two, in us respecting the other arms of Government. If one arm of Government called the Judiciary, which is the one in charge of interpretation of the Constitution, which this Bill is attempting to do; interpret the Constitution so that clarity can be heard, is seized of this matter, including the head of that arm, who, just yesterday said that they would ensure that this matter would be heard on a day-to-day basis so that we can have a decision, why not wait for that arm of the Government to sort it out? It requires respect between the arms of Government. Nothing stops this House from taking up that matter immediately after the court decides, because we still retain that power. But we will have developed our culture of constitutionalism, so that we respect the other arm of Government. Thank you very much for your indulgence."
}