Vanuatu opposition considers legal action against speaker

Transcript

The opposition group in Vanuatu says it is considering legal action against the acting speaker of parliament for refusing to call a sitting this afternoon to debate on the 2016 budget.

An opposition MP Ralph Regenvanu told Koroi Hawkins he thinks that Samson Samsen is just trying to buy more time for the beleaguered government after the jailing of 14 government MPs convicted of bribery last month.

RALPH REGENVANU: The opposition will be considering what we said we would which was to seek a court order for the speaker to convene parliament. So we have to make a decision as to whether we are going to do that or when  we are going to do that.

KOROI HAWKINS: What would he be buying time for though in your view?

RR: Parliament cannot sit from the 20th of December that is when Parliament recesses. Also there is one MP in the opposition side who was recently elected in the by-election last month who hasn't been sworn in and can only be sworn in at a parliament sitting. Which disadvantages the opposition in terms of numbers. So we believe the prime minister doesn't want to call parliament because what, what will happen in parliament is that the position of the speaker is currently vacant because he is in jail. So we will elect our on speaker from the opposition and then we will proceed to have the majority in the house and control the speaker so that is something that the government is trying to avoid.

KH: And in terms of the status of the jailed MPs are they still counted amongst the government number while the appeal is underway?  

RR: They are still counted amongst the government number because of the vacation of seats act which says that when an MP gets convicted of a crime and receives a sentence of more than two years they cease to exercise their functions as members of parliament and their seats become vacant 30 days later. So 30 days later from the sentencing will be the 22 second of November. That date for the vacation of their seats can be extended by the speaker if the appeal extends beyond the 22nd of November so they are still members of parliament at present?

KH: So there is actually no threat in terms of calling parliament and getting the budget as you have been agitating for underway?

RR: No, and we are strongly wanting the budget to be passed. Because there are a lot of problems we are facing now with the results of cyclone Pam a lot of that money that has been spent needs to be appropriated. The government was given provisions under emergency legislation to spend over what has been allocated but that needs to be confirmed by parliament, also there is a lot of outstanding costs that need to be covered in terms of education and so on and all of that needs a budget and of course we need a budget for next year for the government to continue to operate. So that is the main concern of the opposition right now is to make sure we have parliament called. The constitution also requires that there are two ordinary sessions in a year. We have just had one, we need the second one to comply with the constitution we also need a budget. So we don't have the numbers to get rid of the Prime Minister so we don't see why he is reluctant to call the parliament because what will happen is we will get our speaker but at least he will get his budget passed.

KH: And there is another deadline presented by the President, when was that and what was he saying he was going to do?

RR: The President gave a deadline of the 6th of November but he has since withdrawn that deadline on the basis that he cannot dissolve the parliament while the appeal is still being heard because he would infringe the rights of the MP's who are making the appeal. So he has basically stated that he will wait until the appeal is heard and finalised.