Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas has promised that the proposed constitutional amendments pursued by his coalition government will get the people’s say through a referendum.
He was speaking to the media after a forced postponement of the extra ordinary sitting of parliament yesterday.
The parliament sitting was adjourned to Thursday 16 June due to a lack of quorum aggravated by a boycott by the 14-members Opposition Solidarity Bloc.
The prime minister conceded “parliament could not proceed because it lacks the required 39 members to substantiate a quorum. Only 35 government MPs were present including the Speaker, Esmon Saimon.
A government absentee, who claimed to be ill, was spotted having kava last night at a nakamal (kava bar). One seat of the 52-member chamber remained vacant following the death of former deputy speaker, Havo Moli.
Mr Salwai said the constitutional amendments will remain a priority of the government and that a Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) will be established through a motion in parliament to oversee the process leading to a referendum.
After 10 years of independence, two constitutional review committees had been established with their recommendations shelved. This will be the third such committee. Also in the past years, attempts to pursue political reform were either met with constitutional court challenges or resulted in eventual changes in government.
A determined Prime Minister Salwai, however promised that the proposed constitutional changes are a government priority agenda in line with its political reform policy that will go through the consultation process and eventually come to parliament for debate and enactment.
He believes political stability is the key and security for economic development initiatives in Vanuatu therefore the constitutional changes are necessary.