Politicians Have Moral, Ethical Obligation To Tell The Truth
Niko Nawaikula is again engaged in his favourite pastime – to touch on issues that lack substance and facts – in order to gain political mileage and relevance.
Secondly, he does it to distract attention from the real issues that may be painful to address.
His baseless rants about the suspension of SODELPA Members of Parliament comes as no surprise. He reads the law to suit his own political agenda, even if he is wrong.
This is the same person who uses parliamentary privilege to make outrageous remarks. He even said at one point that it was okay to lie in Parliament.
The law is pretty clear. It is a party-based system. Politicians are elected to Parliament under their party banner.
In Parliament, parties keep an eye on the performance of their members. If they stray from their policies or ideological beliefs, they have the power to take disciplinary action that includes expulsion for serious offences. When the MPs are expelled from their parties they lose their seats as a result.
They cannot remain in Parliament if they decide to cross the floor or defect to another party.
This provision protects the parties and maintains decorum and dignity of the august House.
If the expelled MPs want to return to Parliament they have to stand in a general election under a new party banner. It is only appropriate and fair because they were elected by supporters of the old party.
It’s an orderly way of preserving the sanctity of the institution of Parliament and the integrity of our electoral system.
When a party is suspended, it loses all its rights as a political entity for the period stipulated, 60 days in the case of suspended SODELPA. If it is deregistered, then it becomes permanent.
Put simply, if there is no party, there are no officials or representatives in Parliament or outside of Parliament. Those in Parliament are representing their party. Who are they representing if there is no party? They are occupying party seats.
This was reinforced by the High Court judge in the National Federation Party Suspension Case, in which he upheld that the Registrar of Political Parties was correct in announcing that the party could not operate, function, represent or hold itself out to be a political party.
Rather than confusing members of the suspended party with his incorrect and misleading rhetoric, Mr Nawaikula should be focussing on the real issue that caused the party’s suspension and the acrimonious split of the suspended party into two factions.
He has a reasonable following in the suspended party. His conspiracy theories are a great disservice to his supporters who deserve to be given facts and truth.
The fact is that suspended SODELPA is in this sad state because it has breached its constitution. The timing is a coincidence – that the suspension of its MPs has happened before the Budget debate in Parliament.
Mr Nawaikula and other politicians for that matter must realise that they have an important role to play.
They have a moral and ethical obligation to tell the people the truth, the whole truth, nothing else but the truth. If they fail to do it, they must remember one thing – it will come back to haunt them later.