Opposition BLASTS gov’t as it maintains stand against extension

The Opposition Group today reiterated its strong opposition to the extension of Parliament expressing their anger against the move saying “we have a deceptive Prime Minister and a deceptive Government”.

The Bill is to postpone the dissolution of the 11^th Parliament from May next year to the 31^st of December 2023. This means elections must be held in four months of Dissolution which is April 2024.

This didn’t go well with the Opposition Group.

Opposition Leader Matthew Wale said the are no sufficient weighty ground to amend the constitution merely to host the Pacific Games, which seems to be their main justification.

“We are playing around with the constitution and setting a bad precedence. Any governments in the future who wants to do any thing that is not as important or less important will be using this as a precedence. This is a terrible decision and bad governance,” Wale told journalists this morning.

Wale also added there is overwhelming public objection to extension as well.

MP for West Makira Hon Derek Manuari in support said there are much more important things that “we need to amend the constitution for— but not for the games.”

He said the government is hijacking the process.

Wale stated that had the government wanted to postpone the election they should have taken to the polls in 2019.

He added had they taken that to the election and people agreed to it that the elections would be delayed because of the games “then we will not have this debate. There is a clear mandate.”

“But we have a deceptive prime minister and deceptive government where in the last election they ran as independent. And after they come out with these things saying they have mandate for which they never put to people in the election,” said Wale.
“We have significant bad government issues. Disrespect for voters, deception worst than disrespect,” he said.

“We have a bad government making bad decisions. This is our problem now,” said Wale.

He said even the Opposition didn’t have the numbers to beat the bill they would do their part when the bill comes parliament.

News@SBMOnline2022