OPPOSITION Leader Hon Jeremiah Manele believes keeping Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and the DCC Government in office would do more damage than good for the country.

Manele was giving justification why it is necessary for a change in Government with just over a year left before the next national general election.

He was speaking on the floor of Parliament on Monday during a successful motion of no confidence against the leadership of Sogavare.

“While we all understand that nothing much can be done in this short period of time, the most important aspect people have overlooked is if we allow things to continue as they are now, we allow more damage to be done in the 16 months that is left of this 10th Parliament,” Manele said.

“For example the economy is bleeding, we must stop the bleeding. So is it wise to take action now or sit back and allow more damage to be done in the remaining months under this leadership [of Sogavare],” he added.

Manele said the duty of performing roles as leaders to save this country is not bound by time.

“Even in a year a lot of good things can be done. What we need is a competent government that works together as a team, a government that has the political will and focus, a government that has the heart to lead and serve the people of this country.

“Our group has leaders that have the heart for this country and leaders who can take the economy and this country forward,” he said.

Manele also defended the Opposition group’s decision not to join the DCC Government and maintain political stability.

“For the last three years the Opposition group has provided constructive advices to the government, and played its oversight role as serving as a check and balance on the government.

“The government, including the Prime Minister has failed to take onboard these views and advices.

“We did not cross to join the government or what is left of the DDC Government at the first opportunity because we are mature leaders and we accessed the situation and decided on what is best for the nation and not what is best for ourselves,” he said.

The Opposition side with its seven MPs has joined forces with Independent MPs and those that have defected from the DCC Government to successfully remove Sogavare and are likely to form a new government in the coming days.

BY PHILIP LILOMO

By Alfred Sasako

PREPARATORY work for the election of the nation’s next Prime Minister has begun in earnest, but the Opposition which ousted the government on Monday is keeping a lid on its candidate for the top job.

Acting Governor General and Speaker of Parliament, Ajalon Nasiu, is expected to sign a letter advising Members of Parliament of a schedule of activities for next week, Government House told Island Sun yesterday.

That schedule includes the date of when nomination for the post of Prime Minister opens and closes and when Parliament would meet to elect the new one, Government House said.

“All these should [be] early next week,” Government House said.

The Governor General’s letter would be hand delivered to MPs in the two opposing camps after it is signed today.

Government House also said Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s group which was ousted in a no-confidence motion on Monday is eligible to nominate its own candidate.

Observers said such a scenario is keeping the fluidity of the situation alive, putting the new grouping on their toes.

“The fact that the margin separating the two sides is very thin is something the new group would have to watch carefully when they are deciding who their candidate for the top job would be,” one observer said.

“The selection of and support for their candidate is crucial otherwise Sogavare’s group known for making hard-to-refuse offers would capitalise on the situation. On Mr Sogavare’s camp, the difficulty lies with the North East Choiseul MP himself. He is not going to part with the job too easily,” the observers said.

Meanwhile former secretary to Caucus, Maratahana Sarah Susuta-Yee said Mr Sogavare had misled Parliament about the appointment of his nephew, Robson Djokovic, as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister.

“Caucus never approved the appointment because the position COS was abolished from the structure,” Ms Susuta-Yee said.

“I have records of the Caucus Minutes to prove it,” she said.

Sogavare told Parliament during the debate of the no confidence motion on Monday that Caucus approved the engagement of his nephew as Chief of Staff.

“Big bulls…” Susuta-Yee said.

“I vowed I would bring him down when they fired me and I did it from Australia too,” she said in a Messenger exchange from Brisbane yesterday.

“I have Caucus Minutes (which will) make Soga look like a weak person who agrees with the rest of the pack for the PM’s chair. The position COS was abolished from the structure.

“I have Minutes to confirm that.”

BY CAROL-ANNE SULEGA

THE new Prime Minister (PM) is most likely to be elected by early next week.

According to Schedule 2 to the Constitution, the place, date and time on which nomination papers of PM candidates are to be delivered to the Governor-General (GG) no later than four days before the date appointed for the election meeting.

A list specifying all candidates nominated and their respective nominations will be submitted by or by direction of the GG to each Member of Parliament (MP) before the election meeting.

The election will be done by secret ballot and the election will be presided over and the election conducted by the GG.

If any candidate should at any ballot receive an absolute majority of votes he will thereby be elected Prime Minister.

If no candidate receives an absolute majority of votes at the first ballot a further ballot will be held and the candidate who received fewest votes at the first ballot will be eliminated.

If there is a tie between two or more candidates for the fewest number of votes received at the first ballot, the GG will decide which of the candidates will be eliminated.

The Constitution further states that if the ballot conducted results in a tie between two candidates, one further ballot will be conducted to decide the election between these two candidates and if there is a tie between them again, the GG will countermand the election and the election procedure will be commenced ‘de novo’.

This means the election will start all over again but no ballot will be held within a period of less than six hours after the conclusion of the preceding ballot.

When the count has been completed in any ballot the GG will then announce to the meeting the number of votes received by each candidate and where any candidate receives an absolute majority or the greater number of votes will be declared the elected PM.

Upon the election of a Prime Minister, the GG will, according to the Constitution, “cause that fact and the identity of the Prime Minister to be known to the public in such manner as to him may seem appropriate and to be published as soon as may be in the Gazette”.

Any dispute arising out or in connection with the calling or conduct of any election meeting or the election of the PM under Schedule 2 to the Constitution will be determined by the GG whose determination of the matter in dispute will be final and conclusive and will not be questioned in any proceedings whatsoever.