By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
Members of the opposition Human Rights Protection Party are going to attend the opening of Parliament on the 14 of September 2021 whether they are officially summoned or not.
Behind them are expected to be a huge turnout of families to garland them in celebration of the occasion at the Parliament House, Mulinu’u.
Party supporters and electoral constituency voters are invited also and that could result in a crowd “stretching all the way from the town clock to the Tiafau Malae,” according to the HRPP expectations.
What happens from there and then on is new territory for Parliament that could turn explosive.
This is where the pressure is building for the new Speaker Papali’i Masepa’u who has summoned only sworn members to the Parliament session.
The HRPP leadership is not budging on its demands that they be sworn in the presence of the Head of State in a symbolic gesture to restore respect for His Highness and the Constitution.
Opposition leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi confirmed writing to the Speaker during the week to officially inform him of their intentions.
“We have also offered him three ways he can go about to swear us in and we’re waiting on his response,” Tuilaepa told the local media without revealing the choices put to the Speaker.
The Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa has been elusive as if reluctant to contemplate the rumbling of major trouble building up to the first session of Parliament.
“Parliament has already been sworn in so the session coming up is just a normal one,” PM Fiame declared off handedly.
There are 18 HRPP Members of Parliament yet to be sworn in including party leader Tuilaepa.
Several confusing issues remain to be played out when Parliament is called to session including the powers of the Speaker to disqualify an MP from the House.
“Any MP who missed 3 consecutive sessions without a valid excuse is let off with a warning,” Tuilaepa explained.
“Suspension for several sessions is the second stage with the third and final one ending with the MP removed from Parliament,”
Tuilaepa appeared to be hinting at any thoughts the Speaker may entertain at permanently removing the HRPP members from Parliament.
He added also that unpaid salaries for all of his party members should be backdated to the day the Head of State issued the writ of the general election results.
The opposition leader reminded the Speaker that he is the head of the Legislative Assembly on equal footing with the Chief Justice as head of the Judiciary and the Prime Minister as the Executive leader.
He emboldened the Speaker to stand his ground and make his own decisions as he sees fit and not be dictated from somewhere else.