Standoff: Government says SPLM/A-IO boycott harmless to Parliament

Standoff: Government says SPLM/A-IO boycott harmless to Parliament

The government has downplayed the impact of a parliamentary boycott by the main opposition outfit, SPLM/A-IO, saying it will not paralyse the country’s legislature.

The Spokesperson of the government, Micheal Makuei, said last Friday while briefing the Council of Ministers that the dispute was a party matter which is now being resolved. But Makuei argued that as long as the required number of members were present, the August House would still transact business as usual.

“That cannot stop the agreement from being implemented or stop the parliament from proceeding, because, after all, that is it when you decide to walk out of the meeting? It means you are abstaining, hoping that there will be no majority, but, unfortunately, the quorum is there and the parliament is continuing,’’ he said, in response to the question about the crisis.

The SPLM-IO members boycotted two of the assembly’s meetings last month, claiming that the speaker of the assembly, Jemma Nunu Kumba, had unfairly judged the Political Parties Act when it was tabled in the house for second reading following review by a specialised committee on legislation and justice.

 The committee had changed the number of voter registrations for party’s registration from 300 to 500 as drafted by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee and removed minority and marginalised groups, as well as other bills, such as the permanent constitution-making process, which the group claimed had changed the number of voter registration.

Makuei’s response came a day after the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, called on all parties to settle the outstanding disputes and permit the advancement of comprehensive parliamentary debates, including on the Political Parties Bill, which is crucial because it will allow for political parties to be registered.

The dispute has created a backlog of tasks. For instance, the new budget for the fiscal year 2022–2023—which was approved by the cabinet in June, and other bills, including the permanent constitution-making process bill, the National Elections Act of 2012, which will provide the legislative framework for commencing the electoral process, and the formation of the National Elections Commission—are still awaiting parliamentary approval.

It is nearly a month since SPLM/A-IO members in TNLA began to abstain from the assembly’s meetings. No ordinary sitting of the House was conducted after the group officially made their stand. On June 13, the group officially released a statement that was read out by the first deputy speaker, Oyet Nathaniel, during an ordinary session in Freedom Hall to deliberate on the bill of the permanent constitution-making process and wildlife Act.

They stated in the statement that their members’ offices in parliament would also be closed until their complaints are resolved.

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