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{
    "id": 98181,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/98181/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 244,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Deputy Speaker",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Order! Order! Hon. Members, to begin with, this is a democratic and sovereign State that has got separation of powers. It is also our practice that the Members of the Cabinet are also Members of Parliament. But, indeed, every Minister has at least one Assistant Minister. The responsibility of the Government is, first and foremost, to its own people, the masters of this country through the legislature. So there is absolutely no reason why a Minister cannot be here to answer a Question. Under Standing Orders, I am sure the President who is visiting us today has got his Parliament back at home functioning and Ministers are answering Questions. The Standing Order No.46 is very explicit. It states that it is disorderly conduct for a Member to fail to ask or for a Minister to fail to answer a question listed on the Order Paper without the leave of the Speaker. The Chair is not in possession of any Minister who sought leave today from answering a question on the Floor of the House, because he or she is attending a luncheon or dinner or whatever it is with the visiting Head of State. Under the circumstances, the Chair takes very serious note of this. I am sure that Parliament is also outraged. It is time Members of Parliament used their own authority as provided for in the Standing Orders. The Chair can only say one thing; that, that Minister is not going to transact any business on the floor of the House until he is able to satisfy the House. Indeed, it is time hon. Members exercised their own powers under the Standing Orders to seek sanctions that punish this kind of behavior. So, hon. Members, there is absolutely no reason for Ministers not to come and answer Questions on the Floor of the House. The Chair is quite often in a sticky situation because the Chair wonders whether the Ministers actually are happy when the Chair sanctions them and bars them from transacting any business on the Floor of the House pending their own explanation. Nonetheless, the Chair directs that this Question also be put on the Order Paper tomorrow afternoon. The Chair is hopeful that the Minister will have a very good reason for not being here today to answer this Question, failure to which the Chair will take further sanctions."
}