Vanuatu's opposition offers support to pass budget

Transcript

Vanuatu's opposition says it is prepared to support the prime minister Sato Kilman to pass a budget for 2016.

The country's parliament is currently in a deadlock following the jailing last month of 14 MPs after they were convicted of bribery.

An opposition MP, Ralph Regenvanu, says a session of parliament needs to be convened so a budget can be passed but the speaker, Marcellino Pipite, is one of the jailed MPs.

However, Mr Regenvanu says the acting speaker is able to convene parliament in his absence.

He told our correspondent, Hilaire Bule, the opposition has issued an ultimatum for him to convene parliament.

RALPH REGENVANU: The members of the opposition wrote a letter to the first deputy speaker, honourable Samson Samsen, which was delivered to him on the weekend asking him to summon parliament to meet a second ordinary session for 2015. We asked this because, two reasons, one it's a constitutional requirement, article 21 (1) of the constitution requires that parliament meets twice a year in ordinary session. We've had one ordinary session, we haven't had the second one and the main reason is to pass the budget for 2016, it's essential that we pass the budget. The government has not called the second ordinary session but the opposition has informed the prime minister that the opposition will support the budget on the floor of parliament even though the government doesn't have the majority we will back the government up to make sure the budget goes through to meet all the various requirements to allow the country to function and we've given the first deputy speaker until 4.30pm on Thursday the 5th of November to call parliament otherwise we may have to go to court to get a court order issued so that parliament can meet to pass the budget.

HILAIRE BULE: What is the response of the government that the opposition will support the budget?

RR: We haven't had any response yet. I was talking with the minister of justice yesterday about it, the acting leader of the opposition was talking with the prime minister today about it so hopefully we will see a response in the form of the fact that the acting speaker will summon parliament but there's no response to date.

HB: You have the deadline until the 22 November to fix [inaudible...] if not the president will apply the second option which is to dissolve the parliament.

RR: Well the president has said he will not take any decision to dissolve parliament while the appeal is still pending so once the appeal finishes he will be at liberty to dissolve parliament but the problem is if you dissolve parliament without an appropriated budget for an election then what's going to happen. You can dissolve parliament but there's no budget for an election so what we're saying to the government is 'call parliament, get the budget passed, the opposition doesn't have the numbers to get rid of the prime minister, it doesn't matter we'll make sure the budget passes' so that if we do get to the final option of dissolution there is at least an appropriated budget for the election.

HB: The opposition is optimistic that there will be no dissolution of the parliament?

RR: It's going to be very very irresponsible for parliament to be dissolved without a budget for the election and while the appeal is still pending and the president is well aware of this and so we don't think anything will happen until the appeal finishes and the budget is passed. So we're basically appealing to the government and the speaker of parliament and the prime minister to make sure that we do pass a budget in parliament before we can get to the final option of dissolution and if that option comes along, if the budget is passed, at least we have the money for the election.