Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman said yesterday that he has written to the Clerk seeking guidance on a proposed date for the next sitting of the House, the first following the dramatic events of February 14.
“…I don’t want to pre-empt [anything] since he hasn’t yet responded,” said Trotman last night. He said he has proposed a date for the next sitting and while he does not envisage any issues with the proposed date, he did not want to reveal it just yet.
Trotman said the Clerk needs six clear days and will now have to check the availability of the date proposed for the sitting and communicate this to the Speaker.
Asked what caused the impasse following the last sitting more than three weeks ago, Trotman said Mashra-mani was one of the reasons. He said too that other issues of not being able to agree on a date between the parties in the House also presented a problem.
“The Clerk said that the whips were speaking about a possible date but that did not [result in anything definitive],” Trotman said.
While it is not yet clear when the sitting will be held, the government has said that the 2013 national budget will be presented during this month.
The last sitting of the National Assembly ended abruptly during the debate into the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amend-ment) Bill 2013. The Speaker was chiding members on both sides for being disruptive and after repeated warnings; he excused himself from the sitting as per the Standing Orders.
