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{
    "id": 963584,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/963584/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 211,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, the beneficiaries of the war that continues in DRC are not Africans. It is countries of the West and yet, because of not ensuring that we have proper institutions that have been set up in Africa like the PAP, we continue to have conflict in Africa. How difficult is it for us, as a country to sign up and ask our presidents when they meet for the AU Summit, to commit themselves and set up a proper PAP that is true to the meaning of the word “Pan-African”? They can then sit down and come up with recommendations. They can point out and issue sanctions against members of certain regions. It should function the way a proper parliament is supposed to function. As it is - with all due respect - it is a talking club. It is good because people must first begin to talk. We must begin to encourage each other before we finally get to a point of looking at each other straight in the eye and speaking the truth to each other. The issues that we are raising about our brothers in South Africa; they must also be able to look back at us and tell us the things they know are not right with our country. Sometimes it is only your neighbour who can tell you how much potential you have and how better you can be as a person when you face up to them. That can only be done in a proper established Pan African Parliament (PAP). However, this is the situation that we end up finding ourselves in. I see even one of the resolutions that has been brought is a request by the African Union (AU) to engage the European Union(EU) in handling migrants that are prevented from entering Europe. It is a very sad issue and I do not know why you want to engage the EU. It is like when people are fighting in your own house that you want to engage your neighbour on how to allow the people that are coming out of your house to be allowed to access the neighbour’s house. That is not proper. We should be able to tell each other the truth as Africans. What is it that is making our young people get into a rickety boat and cross very dangerous waters and oceans just to try and get decent lives in different parts of the world? What is it that Europe has done that we, as Africans, cannot do so that our population can be happy amongst itself? All these issues though not to the scale that is faced in Africa, exist in Europe. If it is about unemployment, the difficulties of life and all the challenges we continue to face in Africa exist in Europe. The only issue is that they have been able to manage their challenges better. Their leadership is able to rise up to the occasion and provide, yet in Africa, we are still saying: “Please Europe, if our sons and daughters cross the Mediterranean on a rickety boat, do not chase them; allow them to come in”. That is unfortunate. This is insulting and a serious indictment on the leadership of Africa. Madam Temporary Speaker, each of the persons that sit in the AU Summit should receive part of these recommendations. I do not know, but I think Sen. (Dr.) Ali needs to send them copies and they need to be read aloud before the beginning of the extra- ordinary meetings of the AU Summit where all the presidents sit down in their nice well- cut suits, none of which is made from Africa. I am sure, if you walked into that room, from head to toe, you will not find an African President who is wearing anything that has been manufactured in Africa and yet we want to sit here and say that we are doing justice to our people."
}