By Loretta B Manele
Government should bring in a new amendment.
Peter Kenilorea Junior, member of parliament for East Are’Are constituency and Leader of the Independent Group said this on the floor of parliament when speaking on the Constitution Amendment of the Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill 2024 on Tuesday this week.
He stressed that this bill was supported in the last parliament and not yet implemented.
“Now it’s going to be two years’ time, but are we going to do it again. The amendment that we did in last parliament has not been implemented and there’s a need to amend yet again”
Kenilorea Jr said they have supported this amendment in the last parliament but the idea is that they also want to protect our constitution.
“At least those of us that really hold that principle close would like to do that”
Kenilorea Jr expressed that they should not treat the constitution frivolously by continuously amending it, setting deadlines that for whatever reason, for administrative reasons that cannot be met.
“These are issues that weigh heavy and it should weigh heavy on all of us as legislators. Those of us that make the law, those of us who speak on behalf of our people, who also respect our constitution.
Our inability to implement is an administrative matter and I think that is very clear and, in a way, it reflects us parliamentary failure. All of us, all of us who voted, we failed.
We failed. It’s nothing to do with our constitution. It is administrative and it comes back to us as leaders, knowing full well that perhaps we may not be able to deliver and yet still making laws”
He told parliament that this time around, it’s not just any law but the constitution of Solomon Islands that they are talking about.
Kenilorea said it is on those grounds that he’s really appealing to the government to really relook at the amendment they are trying to bring again to parliament.
“But coming back to the issue we’re dealing with, with the amendment, the government can bring amendment to the constitution any time”
Kenilorea Jr said what he is asking now is for them to rethink as they are only a few days until the current amendment expires.
He furthered that they’ve been enriched with a lot more discussions in parliament that could help inform a new amendment that might come in.
“Nothing wrong with letting it expire and then come back fresh with a new amendment to the constitution. My suggestion would be something very general”
The Constitution Amendment, Constitution Assembly Sitting Bill 2024’s objectives are to firstly amend the constitution to extend the date for the sitting of the Constituent Assembly from a date before 31st Dec 2024 to a date before 31st Dec 2026 and secondly, to increase the membership of the constituent assembly.
