BY MAINE LIVETT
ISLES MEDIA FREELANCE REPORTER IN GIZO
WESTERN Provincial Assembly second sitting on Wednesday was disrupted as the agenda of “motion of no confidence against the Speaker Adrian Sinabule Gina” heat up nerves when Gina rejected the Motion and refused to leave chamber.
Gina who returned to the provincial head quarter from Honiara two days before the agenda against him was on the order paper, took up the chair of Assembly pushing for the Mesepitu executive to withdraw the motion. The Speaker raised a point of order, claiming the motion was out of procedure.
He pointed out, that he filed a civil case pertaining to his authority to adjourned assembly meeting set on November 29 while he’s in Honiara, during which new executive ignored and had proceeded on with motion of no confidence against former premier and later elected the new Premier. The speaker said, that case is pending in court and that he sees the motion against him as an ignorance to standing orders and court process.
Meanwhile mover of the motion MPA for Marovo ward 24 Hon: Samuel Sive asked the speaker to leave the Chamber so that Assembly can continue with debate of the motion, to which the Speaker refused saying that he made his point clear, referring to a pending court case concerning matters of the speaker’s authority, in which MPAs bypassed on November.
Gina asked the mover of the motion to take his sit, but Hon. Sive continues pushing for the motion to be tabled on Wednesday afternoon, at the Chacha building conference room in Gizo town.
The Speakers refusal to leave chamber culminated into an atmosphere of disagreement amongst the Premier Mesepitu’s newly appointed provincial executive members, as the meeting was called off for more than an hour, while executive privately deliberated behind closed doors.
However, after the meeting recommenced, the mover withdraws the motion in the chamber, and so the assembly moved to next agenda motion of sine die.
MPA Hon: Sive was disappointed on the manner the meeting has been conducted, saying the motion against the WPA speaker will return in march 2022, as that was WPA’s last sitting for this year, 2021.
“He should leave the chamber because there is a deputy speaker, how can he sit on the chair while the motion is against him. The mover of the motion Honorable MPA for ward 24 Marovo said.
“that is why I requested him to move out, so that the deputy speaker can conduct the meeting.”
The motion was submitted on the 26th of October 2021and there was no deputy speaker to respond.
“In fact, we asked him to return to sort out issues but he did not respond and that’s why I disagreed, because his action put Western Province in ransom.” he said. Essential services delayed and employees suspended because no money.
“Speaker stand on his court case, but we followed advice from the Attorney General. we also submitted reports to counter speaker’s case. Only one case stands, we don’t know what he’s trying to achieve.” We cannot work with a speaker that is not independent, and continues to work with minority.
“I see it as straight forward, the motion should be tabled, but the speaker don’t accept our side of the story.
“I withdrew the motion on the floor of Assembly, but will bring it back in march 2022.” He maintained.
However, WPA on first sitting on Monday passed the 2021/2022 supplementary estimate budget.
Minister for Provincial government and institutional strengthening Rolen Seleso, already approved that budget, also considering what the province and the country had just gone through.
