-PM Manele’s minority government works to refill Cabinet, swearing in 4 more ministers
-Opposition coalition maintains it still has 28 members
BY IRWIN ANGIKI
Despite having a minority number of MPs, Government is swearing in new ministers and replenishing its cabinet.
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele in a statement yesterday said the government executive is ‘fully operational’ and still committed to “delivering essential services to our people”.
Mr Manele’s Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) is doing this with 22 MPs. Total seats in the parliament is 50.
The other 28 MPs are tucked away in the new opposition coalition, awaiting their notice of motion of no-confidence (MoNC) to mature before they can be given the legal opportunity to challenge and remove PM Manele from power.
The MoNC notice is set to mature on Monday next week, March 23. The motion can then be debated in parliament the next day or any day after, the parliament clerk explained to SIBC on Tuesday this week.
Whether PM Manele will call for parliament when the notice matures and he is still with a minority government remains speculative.
He has not made any statement to quell this.
In his press conference on February 2 this year Manele voiced his intention to call for parliament in the ‘later part of the second quarter of this year’, either May or June.
Welcoming back GNUT’s prodigal son
Yesterday GNUT swore in Manasseh Sogavare, MP for East Choiseul, as the new Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and minister for national planning and development coordination (MNPDC).
Mr Sogavare, after leading a similar mass walkout in May last year triggering a second MoNC against PM Manele, had remained in the opposition side after the MoNC was withdrawn.
Yesterday also saw the reshuffling of Trevor Manemahaga (MP for Gao/Bugotu), who was the Minister of MNPDC, to be the new minister for Environment (MECDM).
GNUT backbenchers Nestor Giro (MP for Central Makira) and Alfred Tuasulia (MP for West Kwara’ae) were given ministerial portfolios as well.
Mr Giro was sworn in as new minister for Agriculture (MAL) and Mr Tuasulia the new minister for Communications (MCA).
On Monday this week GNUT swore in two back-benchers to become new ministers. Mary Garu (MP for West Guadalcanal) for the Ministry of Traditional Governance (MTGPEA) and Freda Tuki Soriocomua (MP for Temotu Vatud) for Ministry of Justice (MJLA).
In total GNUT has re-filled six ministries, and seven executive portfolios (ministries and DPM) – six more ministries to go.
More swearing-in are expected in the coming days, PM Press Secretariat statement said yesterday.
‘Reshuffling and recycling’
The opposition coalition consisting of the defected government MPs and Opposition and Independent MPs have reacted to GNUT’s swearing-in of new ministers describing it as mere ‘reshuffling and recycling’, since it does not affect their numbers.
A statement by the group yesterday said they still have 28 members and that GNUT’s swearing-in of new ministers does not mean the new coalition has lost members.
The group points out that GNUT is simply recalling its back-benchers to fill-up vacant ministerial portfolios.
“Our group is intact and our number stands at 28. They are simply reshuffling and recycling within their own camp,” the statement said.
The new coalition also highlighted that they had not counted Sogavare in their 28-member list.
“The public would have thought that the recent swearing ins would have changed the number game but that is not the case.
“The fact is they are running a minority government and swearing in MPs from their own camp,” the statement said.
The statement adds that they are expecting more MPs to leave GNUT ‘in the coming days’.
Photo: Press Secretariat, OPMC
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