Agau : TNLA illegitimate, cannot transact House businesses
A member of the National Democratic Movement Party under the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) alleged that the current Transitional National Legislative Assembly is illegitimate.
Bol Joseph Agau claimed that laws being passed by the national Parliament are null and void because three parties are not involved in the House business. Members that are boycotting the sittings are 128 SPLM-IO members, six ANC members, and three NDM members.
“If these members who are signatory to the agreement are not present; it means the parliament is illegitimate,” he told The City Review.
On the other hand, Minister of Information, Michael Makuei said the laws could still be validly passed even if SPLM-IO members are not present. Makuei argued that for as long as the Parliament managed to raise the right quorum, the House business could go on. This assertion was disputed by Bol.
“The quorum is not about the number of people but the number of parties. Even if there is a single party that is not participating intentionally for a reason, then that reason must always be first given a solution before sitting,” said the lawmaker.
Bol argued that the Parliament should halt passing legislation and wait for the impasse to be resolved. He pointed out that there was already a vacuum in the Parliament that needed to be resolved by the president and issued a warning that if the issue is not resolved, the time of those who are currently passing laws will be wasted.
“The quorum for sitting in TNLA is not about the number. It is not about quantity. It is about quality.
“There is a boycott, so the current parliament is illegitimate.” Whatever laws you are passing, you are not passing any laws. So, what is happening in the parliament is illegitimate until SPLM-IO and other parties that are boycotting because of the political parties bill being passed with errors are back to the Parliament, ” Bol emphasised.
So far, the TNLA has discussed three bills, among them the National Wildlife Service Act, which is being protested because the three parties boycotted sittings over the alteration of the political parties act.
The Political Parties Act was amended in June and the speaker announced that the parties that are boycotting were unhappy with the decision. In her conclusion, she urged all the members to maintain their unity and not allow the political parties to act to divide them, considering it a normal exercise of the house.
