Port Villa (Vanuatu Daily Post): The Speaker of Parliament, Philip Boedoro, has ruled that the motion of no confidence in the Government of the Prime Minister, Moana Carcasses, filed by the Opposition and carried the signature of 28 Members of Parliament, was not in order.
At 4.30pm Thursday, Boedoro summoned the Leader of the Opposition, Ham Lini, and Opposition MPs Sato Kilman, Willie Jimmy and Charlot Salwai to his office to announce his decision on the motion the Opposition had deposited at 3.30pm Wednesday.
In a statement, the Speaker gave two reasons for his decision. One is that a number of signatures on the Motion were ‘forged’, in particular the signatures of the Minister of Justice and Community Services, Toara Daniel, and MPs John Amos, Arnold Prasad and James Jonas. The press release said all four men had also signed a statement in the presence of the Speaker at his office a few hours after the motion was deposited declaring their signatures were forged.
Secondly, the Speaker ruled that the suspension of the MP for Luganville Georges Wells and newly elected Member of Parliament for Tanna, Pascal Iauko, as “complimentary issues that affect the order of the motion.” Both men’s signatures were on the motion, the Speaker pointed out. Pascal Iauko won the by-election in May for the seat left vacant by the death of his father Harry Iauko, but he is still to take his Oath, which will happen when the House sits.
“Under the Oath Act, Section 8, only the Oath gives the legal standing of any decision taken by a national leader,” the Speaker stated.
“In the same manner, also the former Speaker of Parliament, George Wells, signed the motion, knowing that he was under suspension (motion 14 previously passed by Parliament suspending the former Speaker and prohibiting him from entering the Parliament premises),” the statement continued.
It says the Speaker manages every direction and order for all the Members of Parliament and deems it proper to fulfill the suspension before MP Wells can again participate in the national duties of the House.