BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
THE political impasses of Western Province has ended in court following an Extraordinary Gazette Order made by the Minister of Provincial Government instructing the Western Provincial Assembly to convene on October 25.
Responding to the order, the Speaker of Western Province submitted a case at the High Court for a judicial review of the Gazette Order.
The judicial review will try to pinpoint the legal bases of the decision made by Speaker of Western Province to adjourned Provincial Assembly Meeting until November 7 and the Gazette Order made by the Minister of Provincial Government to convene the Assembly Meeting on 25th this month, which is on Monday this week.
Sharing his view on the litigation, Ramrakha Talasasa said the Assembly is the right place to solve the political issue of Western province and not the court.
He said the litigation will drag lots of time and those who will suffer the most are the people of Western Province.
Talasasa said the general public of Western Province has been a bystander with lots of questions pending answers.
“Just for public’s information, of course there are opportunities to go to court with these issues but we don’t feel that the court is the right place to address these matters.
“I for one believes and I’ve shared with my group that the courts will not solve these issues, the court can only give us the legal interpretation of these issues in accordance with the law, but it will not solve the problem.
“These issues can be solved on the floor of the Assembly and this issue is not as complicated as someone might think, it’s easy and simple, convene the assembly and we address the issues,” he said.
Talasasa said the current governance system of Western Province is beyond the rule and fundamental principle of democracy.
He adds that the basic principle of democracy has been buried and gone.
“The fact behind this issue is that, the government does not have the majority to rule but yet it has been allowed to sit in office for more than 30 days. Where is the rule of democracy? Majority rule,” Talasasa said.
He said the other side of the house has raised the majority rule principle to MPGIS based on the fact that Solomon Islands system is recognised majority rule as the basis of democratic decision.
Talasasa said MPGIS is yet to respond to their queries.
Attempts to get comment from the government proved futile yesterday.
