Vanuatu MPs

MP for Malekula, who is also the Third Deputy Speaker, Assang Sannick is carrying out his community service at the cemetery.

He was convicted and given a suspended sentence for domestic violence.

Sannick was also ordered by the court to complete 50 hours of community work.

The Daily Post reports Minister of Climate Change, Bruno Leingkon was given 120 hours of community work and fined for being under the influence of alcohol on a domestic flight.

He was assigned to carry out community work at Korman Stadium.

One of the party's six MPs, Tanna's Robin Kapapa, defected to the opposition from the Bob Loughman-led government last week.

The party's executive, led by president Serge Vohor, has been pushing for the other five MPs to also join the opposition.

However, the party's parliamentary leader, deputy prime minister Ishmael Kalsakau, says the other MPs will stay with the coalition.

A meeting of the party's executive in Port Vila failed to resolve the split within the UMP.

Following the March 2020 general election, 50 percent of the members in the 12th Legislature of the Republic of Vanuatu are newly elected MPs.

The induction programme is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and focuses on key areas such as professional development of MPs and staff, the improvement of Committees’ legislative and oversight work, and support to parliamentary outreach and citizen engagement roles.

Fifty-two members including 14 former MPs who were jailed for corruption in 2015 are eligible.

Under the law, MPs are entitled to $US35, 000 each at the end of a four-year parliamentary term.

The 2012 parliamentary term was dissolved by the President amid a constitutional crisis in 2015.

But the Financial Controller in the Parliamentary Secretariat, Willie Watson, said the figure for the jailed MPs has been adjusted because they did not serve a full term.

The total gratuity payout for the 52 MPs is 290 million vatu, or about $US2.5 million.

RNZ reports the opposition leader Ishmael Kalsakau and Ephraim Kalsakau have quit, with other opposition members expected to follow.

The opposition leader said the amendment to the constitution should be done meticulously and there should be no political motivation.

Mr Kalsakau said he believes the people should be allowed to speak first before proceeding to parliament and in his view the bills were not debated in the interest of the people of Vanuatu.

 The opposition submitted the motion against the government of Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, bearing the signatures of 31 MPs to the Speaker of Parliament yesterday.

But Deputy Prime Minister Joe Natuman said the government has managed to win back the support of several MPs, and he is confident the government will survive the vote next Wednesday.

He said he went to elections in January promising to bring reforms to create stability in Vanuatu politics, and yesterday's motion is an example of why reform is needed.

When confirming the depositing of the motion yesterday, Speaker Saimon also confirmed six of the signatories have written separate letters to withdraw their support from the document.

However, he made it clear the motion will still go before Parliament to debate on Wednesday next week because the withdrawal letters came after he had announced his decision to put the motion in order for debate.

On Tuesday, the Government side was struggling and loosing numbers to the opposition.