boycott

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Vanuatu

Parliament

boycott

All 16 members of Vanu atu’s Opposition boycotted the beginning of the second ordinary session of the House on November 9 forcing it to adjourn because of a lack of quorum.

Only 30 of the 46 members of parliament turned up at the chambers when, accord ing to the Standing Orders, at least two thirds or 31 mem bers should bee present for the sitting to go ahead.

Speaker Alfred Maseng post

poned the meeting until No vember 12.

In a statement, Vanuatu’s Opposition Leader, Donald Kalpokas, said they boycotted the meeting because the notice of the parliamentary sitting put out by the clerk on October 19 was not consistent with the Standing Orders.

He said the Appropriation Bill had not been given to the MPs within the required 25 days before the parliament session.

Kalpokas said he had sought corrective action from the speaker in a letter on November 3 but did not receive a reply.

Kalpokas had earlier called for the resignation of Prime Minister Maxime Carlot Korman. This follows the supreme court’s ruling the government’s Business Licence Amendment Act and its Broadcasting and Television Act are unconstitu tional.

Kalpokas says the government went ahead with the two acts contrary to advice from its lawyers that the legislation breached the constitution. He says this amounts in effect to misleading parliament.

Kalpokas says the Prime Minsiter and the Finance Minister Willy Jimmie in particular lied to parliament and to the people of Vanuatu. He says this means they’ve breached the country’s

leadership code.

Kalpokas: resignation call