00:00 Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this report,
00:07 tabled by the Committee of Powers and Privileges.
00:11 And Mr. Speaker, we have seen this play out in our social media platforms, our official
00:19 WhatsApp group page, between Senator Gloria Oroba and the people alleged, namely the clerk
00:27 and others.
00:28 Mr. Speaker, we have also...
00:33 I also happen to be in the committee that she's referring to, the Committee for ICT,
00:39 and I'm also privy to some of the alleged conduct by my colleague, Senator Gloria Oroba.
00:50 But Mr. Speaker, I beg to differ with the report and state that not only is it very
01:01 punitive to our colleague, Senator Gloria, it is also...
01:07 Seems to be discriminatory because, first of all, we are tabling this report and debating
01:12 it in her absence, in the full knowledge of the Secretariat of the Senate, and your
01:19 office, Mr. Speaker, that she is away.
01:23 We have also seen conduct that could be similar, if not worse, to what Senator Gloria is accused
01:31 of.
01:32 When we had...
01:37 When the minority side was having an altercation with Senator Dulo, we saw Senator Eddy get
01:49 rough and disorderly in the House.
01:54 I have seen my colleague, Senator Sifuna, address the Speaker and tell the Speaker,
02:00 "Shame on you," to his face.
02:03 Is it because Senator Gloria is a woman?
02:09 Is it because that Senator Gloria is a woman that she has to go through this punitive...
02:17 I don't want to be misunderstood, and don't get me wrong.
02:22 I am for discipline of the members.
02:26 I am for the Senate's respect, and I'm for order.
02:31 But Mr. Speaker, we cannot banish a member for six months in this House because of maybe
02:40 she did not express herself in a way that we expect.
02:43 She did not conduct herself in a way that we all expected because we hear we are different
02:51 characters.
02:52 And as young people, we can get overzealous and overenthusiastic.
02:57 So Mr. Speaker, even if we are to take action against Senator Gloria, I am of the opinion
03:06 that six months is too punitive, it is unnecessary, and if we are to adopt the report, we adopt
03:12 it with changes so that we minimize and we reduce that period where our colleague is
03:19 supposedly supposed to be away from the House.
03:21 I thank you, Mr. Speaker.
03:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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