Lilo Withdraws Motion After Speaker Confirms Parliament Will Proceed as Scheduled
“Open all the windows of this chamber and then throw this motion out”, says Gordon Darcy Lilo, Central Honiara MP as he moves that the motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele be withdrawn.
The motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, introduced by Gordon Darcy Lilo, MP for Central Honiara, was withdrawn after Lilo confirmed that he did not have enough support to move forward with the challenge to the Prime Minister’s leadership.
Earlier this morning, Speaker of Parliament, Oti, clarified the procedures for the motion, stating that the motion was set down on the Order Paper and was ready for introduction. Lilo had initially requested a deferral of the motion, citing procedural concerns and referencing the Sikua v. Kemakeza case, which affirmed that the mover of a motion has the right to control its timing. However, Speaker Oti emphasized that parliamentary proceedings must follow the established rules, and there was no provision in the Standing Orders for deferring a motion without unanimous support.
After Parliament was briefly suspended to seek further clarification on the matter, Lilo announced that he was withdrawing the motion, acknowledging that he did not have sufficient numbers to proceed with the challenge. Speaker Oti confirmed that, with the motion now withdrawn, Parliament would resume normal proceedings as scheduled, with no further debate on the motion.
The withdrawal of the motion marks the end of this phase of political maneuvering, with Prime Minister Manele continuing in office. The focus now shifts to other parliamentary matters as the year draws to a close.
