Government withdraws urgent Bills [1]
Thursday, March 7, 2019 - 23:37. Updated on Friday, March 8, 2019 - 10:52.
From the House, by Pesi Fonua.
Government yesterday, 6 March after lunch retrieved from the House the six urgent bills that it had tabled into parliament.
There was no detailed explanation for why the Bills were withdrawn, but Hon. Vuna Fa’otusia, the Minister of Justice who tabled the Bills, said that it appeared that they (government) and the public were indifferent over the Bills, so he said that they would present the Bills to the Public and Members of Parliament would be invited to attend a public consultation over the Bills.
The PM stressed that a public consultation over the bills should have been carried out, and those who tabled the Bills should carry out the consultation. “They are our bills and we should do it.”
“For government to carry out their own Public Consultation?” queried Lord Tu'i'afitu
The Minister of Justice, Hon. Vuna Fa’otusia responded, “yes”
Lord Tu'i'afitu pointed out that there was a conflict of interest, and mentioned that there was a proposition for the formation of a Royal Commission to carry out such a consultation.
The Speaker Lord Fakafanua, however, reminded the House, that they were government Bills, and they were no longer within the working agenda of the House.
Government retrieved the Bills after a group tabled into parliament a petition calling for the Bills to be made available for a public consultation.
The petition had more than a thousand signatures, but the Standing Committee of the House on Privileges expressed their concern over possible false signatures.
Under the Rules of Regulatrion of the House a petition shall be “signed by three or more persons.” So the Speaker was in favour for the Petition to be tabled into the House.
There was a fierce opposition from government, and the petition was returned for the presenters to address the concern over the possibility of false signatures.
The presenters returned and stressed that there was nothing wrong with their petition.
Among the seven urgent bills that were presented to the House by government, only one had been passed and is awaiting the consent of the King, the Foreign Investment Bill 2019.
The six Bills retrieved by government are:
No. 1 – A Bill to Amend the Constitution.
No. 2 – A Bill to Amend the Constitution.
No. 3 – A Bill to Amend the Judicial Commission Act
No. 4 – A Bill relating to the planning and control of public areas.
No. 5 – A Bill relating to Tonga Police.
No. 6 – A Bill relating to the Police Magistrates.