PMO adviser says Anti-Corruption Bill will be back in parl October 9
By AATAI JOHN
PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare will bring back the Anti-Corruption Bill he withdrew, Monday, when parliament resumes on 9 October 2017.
Technical Adviser to the Prime Minister on the Anti-Corruption Bill, Mose Saitala, revealed this in a meeting organised by civil society body Development Services Exchange (DSE), Thursday.
Mr Saitala said before he came to attend Thursday’s meeting, he had an audience with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
He told the meeting Mr Sogavare had told him to inform the gathering that he will bring back the bill when parliament resumes in October.
Mr Saitala also informed the meeting, that the decision to withdraw the bill was made on the advice of the Attorney General.
He outlined to the gathering clauses in the bill that he said need to be amended before the bill is brought back to parliament.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and members of his government voted in parliament on Monday to withdraw the bill, citing the need to amend certain clauses of the bill.
The decision sparked nation-wide public outrage, with some accusing the prime minister and his government of hypocrisy and self-serving.
Mr Saitala’s announcement yesterday that the bill will be brought back to parliament next month was also received with scepticism.
“This sounds unrealistic,” one participant said.
“But this is coming from the government. So let’s take their word.
“If they fail to bring the bill back when parliament resumes next month, we will see what happens.”
Yesterday’s meeting was organised by Development Services Exchange (DSE), the umbrella body representing civil society groups and NGOs in the country.
At the meeting, they appointed a working committee to take up people’s disagreement with Mr Sogavare.
“Our committee will make an appointment with the Prime Minister to present to him the views and concerns of the many civil society groups that met today,” Dr Huddie Namo, the appointed chair of the CSO Anti-Corruption Committee, said.
The committee described the deferment and withdrawal of the bill by the DCC government as a waste of resources and tax payers’ money.
It said Sogavare and his DCC government only think of their political survival at the expense of the people.
“We will be demanding the government to bring the Anti-Corruption Bill back to the parliament for its second reading at the resumption of the next parliament sitting in October 2017.”
Newly appointed general secretary of DSE, Jennifer Wate, said DSE has a mandate to facilitate the interest of civil society organisations in the country on issues affecting them.
