Opposition respects court’s decision

The Leader of the Opposition, Douglas Tomuriesa says that the Supreme Court decision on Monday [yesterday] was not the outcome they hoped for, but they respect the decision and now move forward with advocating for a much-needed change in government.

Per the ruling of the five-men bench, the Supreme Court has decided that the standing orders of parliament concerning a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister are non-justiciable, meaning the court has no jurisdiction to deliberate on matters that are not prescribed for in the Constitution.
“I respect the court’s view and I welcome their decision regarding the application we put forward for their consideration.

“Although the court did not dispute nor qualify the actions of the Private Business Committee [PBC], the PBC’s conduct is still questionable in our view.

“As our previous attempts have demonstrated, the PBC overstepped their authority by continuously disqualifying our motions of no confidence for trivial reasons.

"We remind the PBC members that the games must not continue. Our people and leaders are well aware of the delay tactics being employed to disrupt the VONC,” Tomuriesa said.

Tomuriesa said now that the proceedings have reached the end, the next possible opportunity for a vote of no confidence still remains September 3, 2024, when parliament resumes and opposition still remains committed to filing a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister James Marape.

“My message to the Prime Minister is this, if you are not afraid of a VONC like you say you are, then don’t meddle in the affairs of the PBC, let it be placed on the notice paper, and beat us fair and square with your numbers.

“The country is not in a good place and the more time this government stays in power equals more pain for our people,” Tomuriesa added.