16 Feb 2011

Solomons opposition seeks GG help for early house sitting date

2:31 pm on 16 February 2011

The Solomon Islands opposition says it's petitioning the governor general for the resumption of parliament to be brought forward after the government reneged on the agreed date.

Yesterday the Speaker Sir Allen Kemakeza announced that parliament would resume on March 28th, after receiving a letter from the Prime Minister Danny Philip.

Sir Allen has confirmed that in an earlier meeting with Mr Philip and opposition leader Steve Abana they had agreed on a March 14th resumption date.

But he says he had to comply with the Prime Minister's letter.

The deputy opposition leader Matthew Wale says it's now at the Governor General's discretion to name an earlier date.

"It has been our argument all along that there is an impending constitutional spending crisis and so I think the Governor General would be entitled to act and bring the meeting date forward. We will be asking his excellency to consider moving the meeting forward to as early as the end of next week."

Matthew Wale says the later date would land the country in dire straits if the government were defeated and a budget still needed to be laid.