Was the sitting to pass the budget legal?
By Allan Bird | 17 November 2020.
Yes it was. Let’s go through the process required for Parliament to sit. Parliament quorum is 37 according to law. 49 MPs attended so we were legally compliant.
The rules to pass the budget are by a simple majority of those present. We met that legal requirement too.
Was the law followed by the Opposition to adjourn Parliament to the 1st of December? The answer is No. The legal requirements were not met. So in simple terms the Opposition broke the Law to adjourn Parliament.
Is the Speaker correct in ruling that the law was breached on Friday? Why not? The Constitution says he has equal powers with the PM and the CJ?
So should he not utilize his equal powers to correct a legal breach in his jurisdiction? I certainly think so. Even a grade 2 student can see that the law was breached.
Many times certain people break the Law deliberately knowing that the legal challenge will take years. People who break the law regularly know that decent people are too respectful to take action. So they take advantage of this weakness.
That’s what happened on Friday. An illegal action done deliberately thinking that we would give up and throw in the towel. So does that mean we should allow the illegal action to stand? No we should fight against every illegal action. We did that today.
Any hijack by abusing the rules and the Constitution will be met with an equally appropriate response by those who want to maintain rule of law. We did that today.
Everyone has a right to want to be PM. That’s totally understandable. But follow the rules to get the job. Don’t break the rules to get it like in 2011. Do it properly.
I am not a lawyer but I have read the Standing Orders and the Constitution as required by my job description.
We broke no laws today.
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