Efficiency, voting rules
Efficient government
IN less than two months time frame, changes to the Electoral Act were realised, conceived, drafted, tabled, debated and passed in the Parliament.
This speaks volumes of the Government’s efficiency.
Let us now hope and pray the same level of efficiency is also applied to the long awaited and promised Local Government Act changes to bring back the municipal elections. BHARAT MORRIS
Rifle Range, Vatuwaqa, Suva
Voting by ‘acclamation’
PARLIAMENT is not following its own voting rules. This point is so basic to our democracy that no responsible lawyer can ignore it.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, has decided that Parliament can vote “by acclamation”.
That means that when he calls for a vote, he only has to listen to MPs saying “aye” and “no”.
Then he decides, by himself, if the motion or Bill has been passed (or rejected).
The Standing Orders of Parliament do not allow him to do that.
On Wednesday, Opposition MP Lenora Qereqeretabua raised a point of order about this voting method.
She pointed out that the Standing Orders require that if there is objection on any business requiring a vote, each member of Parliament must vote separately. Parliament must either use its electronic voting system or have a roll call.
The Speaker told her: “The Business Committee has made its decision on the voting system”. He told her that unless the Business Committee decided otherwise, the new socalled “voting by acclamation” system would not change. He said that deciding how Parliament votes “is the job of the Business Committee”.
With all respect to the Speaker, he is wrong.
The Standing Orders of Parliament tell Parliament how it must vote. The Speaker and the Business Committee cannot change these rules.
What the Speaker told Ms Qereqeretabua is like saying that the Cabinet can just decide by itself to change a law. But everybody knows that a law can only be changed by a vote in Parliament.
Likewise, the only way to change Parliament’s Standing Orders is by a vote in Parliament.
Now, we do not know how any MP has voted on any Bill. We do not even know if a majority of MPs voted to make it the law.
Democratic decisions require a majority vote. But in our own Parliament — the highest point of our democracy — we do not even know if a majority is voting for our laws.
In every democratic Parliament in the world, MPs have the right to require that the votes in Parliament be counted.
How else do we know if there is a majority in favour of anything?
We call on the Speaker to get competent independent legal advice on how Parliament should vote under the Standing Orders. He should then publish that advice for everyone in Fiji to see and follow that advice.
The Speaker should ensure at all times that the Standing Orders are followed and that Parliament operates in a transparent and democratic way.
GRAHAM LEUNG
RICHARD NAIDU
FILIMONI VOSAROGO
Suva