[pima.nius] Nauru's parliament in deadlock

Nauru's parliament in deadlock

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201004/s2885377.htm

Updated April 29, 2010 07:32:51

Nauru's parliament remains in a deadlock with neither side looking like conceding ground after the weekend's snap election.

If the government or opposition nominates a Speaker it will automatically lose the majority in the 18 member house.

Parliament will sit each Tuesday and Thursday until a Speaker and President are elected.

Presenter: Geraldine Coutts
Speaker: Marcus Stephen, Nauru's Caretaker President

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STEPHEN: Well I guess there are many scenarios if one side nominated Speaker obviously there'll be some conditions attached to it in terms of participation in executive is one proposal that's a possibility. Probably the worst scenario is that we all agree and go back to the people, but again that may turn out to be a fruitless exercise that I want to avoid.

COUTTS: Well even if you do go back, you face the possibility of another election anyway if the opposition chooses to block supply, which is probably on the cards?

STEPHEN: Yes we are limited in terms of what the constitution will allow us. We need to maybe put in a supplementary bill or the budget in June, again that's the constitution allows us that we need parliament to be in place and to be able to move and pass supply and budget bills. But that is something that we will have to deal with when the time comes, we've still got a few months to sort out the impasse in parliament and hopefully that we will be responsible and come up with something in terms of a solution.

COUTTS: What is behind this President Stephen, is it just simply a grab for power or is there more to it, for instance it's been said that some members of the opposition are aggrieved that you have turned down the Getax phosphate contract and that has prompted this current spate of dissension in the parliamentary ranks?

STEPHEN: I'm sure it's more than just a loan document that we turned down in Cabinet. That document really is not in favour of Nauru, it's a document that would be another mini-GE loan, where it will tie down the country and it will put the country into a debt situation where we cannot afford to pay and we simply cannot allow that. At the same time we're looking at other options of funding from donor countries to fix the problems that we're facing in terms of our mooring system and other infrastructure programs.

COUTTS: President Stephen you just said that you're sure it's not just the Get-axe contract or document that has caused this, so what is it then?

STEPHEN: Well I think like in any politics and in any elections it's really like you said it's a power play and at the same time that both sides wants to govern. But unfortunately the people did not return each party with a majority.

COUTTS: Would it take you to stand down to break this deadlock?

STEPHEN: I don't think that comes into the equation. Really I'm just a caretaker president, so really with the new parliament in place now it has nothing to do with the caretaker president. I'm just caretaker president until the deadlock is broken and parliament has decided to elect a new Speaker and a new president. So the discussion about myself resigning or standing down has really no bearing at all with the outcome of the new parliament.
You have to understand that it is a new parliament and it has its own procedures, and that procedure is to elect a Speaker and to elect a new President. This discussion about myself resigning or standing down has really no bearing at all.

COUTTS: Well we've talked about blocking supply, so this situation just can't go on, so is it going to take one side or the other to be more gracious and take a statesman like attitude to this now and break the deadlock?

STEPHEN: Yes that's what I'm looking at, I'm speaking with the Opposition Leader, Former President Scotty, spoke with him, that really the loser in this scenario is really the country, so we must be responsible and start putting proposals on the table and see what is the best outcome for both sides. At the same time we are all aware that we are limited in how far we can continue the deadlock and the stalemate. So again we have to be really responsible and seriously start discussing options.

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aotearoa, new zealand
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