BY MELVILLLE TITIULU
The Court of Appeal will today at 11:30am hand down its judgment in a closely watched appeal that could determine whether Parliament must convene to debate a Motion of No Confidence against Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.
The ruling follows a High Court decision earlier this month that sided with the majority opposition coalition, ordering Parliament to sit.
The three appeal justices — Chief Justice Sir Gibuma Gibbs Salika, Justice Howard Lowry, and Justice Gina Nott heard and dealt with oral and written submissions from both parties last week.
Attorney General John Muria Jnr, representing the Governor General and Prime Minister, had argued that the High Court exceeded its jurisdiction by ordering Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele to summon Parliament, stressing that “whatever happens in Parliament is in the territory of Parliament”.
Mr Muria maintained that the Prime Minister never refused to call Parliament and that the High Court wrongly converted power into a binding duty.
Counsel Gabriel Suri countered that the Prime Minister’s omission to notify a sitting date was akin to “laying on a soft pillow comfortably without action,” amounting to ‘unlawful and unreasonable use of power’.
Justice Lowry reminded parties that the stay of Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer’s April 14 ruling remains in effect, temporarily pausing the order to convene Parliament within three days.
The Court of Appeal’s eventual decision will determine how swiftly motions of no confidence can be debated.
The political stakes are high. Earlier this week, Opposition numbers were weakened when David Gina, MP for South New Georgia Rendova and Tetepari, defected to join the Government. His move boosted Prime Minister Manele’s grouping to 23 MPs of the total of 50 MPs.
With only three more needed to secure a majority in the 50-seat parliament, the government is strategically positioned should Parliament be ordered to convene, given the fluidity of Solomon Islands politics.
Prime Minister Manele, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday this week, told the media that Parliament would not be called until the Court of Appeal delivers its ruling. He emphasised that his government would respect the independence of the judiciary and await the outcome before taking further steps.
Given the urgency and public interest surrounding the matter, today’s ruling is anticipated to have far-reaching implications for Solomon Islands’ politics, shaping both parliamentary accountability and executive authority.
The appellants in the case include the Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Attorney General.
Wilson Rano represents the Speaker while the Attorney General and his legal team represent the Governor General and the Prime Minister.
For feedback, contact: [email protected]
Editor: [email protected]
