THERE is still no word from the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC) as to when the next Parliament will commence its sitting for this year.
Three months on and the Office of the Clerk and Speaker of the National Parliament Office are yet to receive advice from the Prime Minister’s Office, an officer from the National Parliament Office said over the weekend.
According to unconfirmed reports, Parliament is expected to meet anytime this month of March or later depending on the government’s advice.
“However, the Clerk and Speaker’s Office is awaiting the Prime Minister’s advice on when to resume Parliament as the usual practice, since we don’t have the official calendar as yet and most of the meetings are Government Business,” the officer told the Solomon Star.
The fifth meeting of the 11th Parliament was adjourned sine die on Monday 19th of December 2022.
The motion of the sine die was moved by the Hon. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Thursday 15th December 2022 “That at the adjournment of Parliament on Monday 19th December 2022, the present meeting shall be concluded and Parliament shall then stand adjourned sine-die.”
It took three days for members of both sides of the house to debate the motion.
In his response speech last year, Prime Minister Sogavare thanked all members who have contributed to the motion whilst responding to their queries and defending the government’s policies and programs of national interest.
The Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Patteson J. Oti in his closing remarks before adjourning Parliament said the passage of the sine die motion moved by the Prime Minister concludes the fifth meeting of the first session of the 11th Parliament which commenced on Monday 28th March 2022 and concluded on Monday 19th December 2022.
The Speaker highlighted that during the course of the 5th meeting, Parliament had sat for 48 days in a plenary; • 6 bills were tabled and were passed by the house, 4 of which were appropriation-related bills. • In this period a total of 38 parliamentary papers were tabled, • 11 motions were put on notice • 30 questions asked and answered
Also, during the 5th meeting, Parliament resolved and approved the extension of the state of public emergency on one occasion to allow the executive government to manage responses to the global pandemic of Covid-19.
Mr. Oti added with community transmission of Covid-19 affecting the country earlier this year, Parliament has to be resilient and ensure continuity.
Also, during the last meeting, one constituency retained a new Member of Parliament in this year’s by-elections, a member for West Kwaio.
A total of five inquiries were conducted so far as the standing committees are concerned, 110 deliberative meetings convened and 5 committee reports were tabled.
The Speaker further told Parliament that he looks forward to when Parliament will have a meeting calendar for the whole year.
The Motion of Sine-die has been put in and passed and Parliament has now stood Sine-Die meaning without any future date being designated for its resumption. This is for an indefinite period.
PM last year said, Parliament will resume as soon as possible as there are many issues to address given the upcoming Pacific Games this year.
By MOFFAT MAMU
