Parliament to reconvene on 14 Dec

The decision was handed down after the court found that the Speaker’s recalling of Parliament to reconvene on 17^th November 2020, was unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court has ordered that Parliament sit on Monday 14^th of December at 10am. The sitting will also allow Parliament to deliberate on the 2021 National Budget which was declared invalid and ineffective.

The five man bench unanimously reached the following decisions this morning, that;

• The Parliament sitting on November 13^th is constitution
• The Speakers decision of 16 November to recall Parliament is unconstitutional and consequently the November 17^th Parliament sitting is also unconstitutional
• The 2021 budget passed is invalid and ineffective
• The adjournment of parliament from November 17^th to 20^th April 2021 is also unconstitutional
•  And the removal of private business committee on November 17^th is illegal

The court heard that the Speaker’s decision to overrule Deputy Speaker Koni Iguan’s decision, was deeply flawed and that the Speaker has no power acting outside of Parliament to make the decision based on his “conscience” to reconvene Parliament on November 17^th.

The view of the Judges is that if the Speaker had issues regarding Parliamentary standing orders, he should have sought the courts for interpretation.

After nearly three weeks of political deadlock, when Ialibu Pangia MP Peter O’Neill filed the application at the Supreme Court challenging the Speaker’s decision to convene Parliament sitting on November 17^th, members of Parliament can now settle their political interests and disputes on the floor come Monday 14^th of December 2020.