MPs in the dark as anti-Jawari motion deadlines runs out
The fate of the no confidence motion against Lower House Speaker Mohamed Jawari hangs in the balance as the submission deadly closes in less than 24 hours with sources in Parliament saying there are no plans to schedule sitting of the House.
A lawmaker who sits in the House Business Committee whose responsibilities include among others setting the calendar and scheduling business of the House has told Goobjoog News ‘there’s now word so far’. According to its calendar, the Lower House does not sit on Sunday.
Supporters of the motion which has since spiraled into a political crisis drawing local and international concerns have, according to Speaker Jawari’s directions last week until tomorrow to table it. The Speaker confirmed receipt of the motion March 14 but owing to quorum threshold after some MPs pulled out, directed it be tabled in ten days’ time. That deadline lapses Sunday.
The lawmaker who sought anonymity told Goobjoog News ‘powers beyond the 1st deputy speaker Abdiweli Mudey who is supposed to recall the House are controlling this business’. Since Jawari is subject of the motion, his immediate deputy, Mudey is procedurally supposed to convene the House.
Mudey found himself in an awkward position last week after switching sides one evening from condemning the motion to endorsing it. Mudey joined Jawari for a media conference shortly after the motion flopped last week in which the embattled speaker castigated the motion. But in a dramatic turn of events, Mudey summoned journalists the same night in his residence endorsing the motion.
WORKING ON THE NUMBERS
He is now the centre figure in this debate tasked with summoning the House for business but an MP who spoke to Goobjoog News said powers beyond him were calling the shots. “The business of the House is being deliberately delayed as the other faction works on the numbers.”
To unseat the Speaker, at least 184 MPs must cast their vote in favour of the motion.
A source at the office of the Permanent Secretary of the Lower House also affirmed the MP’s position that there was no information yet on when the House will resume business. “We have no information yet about when MPs will return to the House.” The PS is an equivalent of clerk of the House in other jurisdictions.
The House leadership normally sends text messages to MPs whenever they is business to transact.
An ad hoc committee formed by the Senate last week to mediate on the political stalemate called on the government to withdraw the new security team in the Lower House to allow lawmakers proceed with business. However, as of today, there are no security changes in the Lower House premises. The Internal Security ministry had earlier indicated the deployment of new forces was a security procedure. But Jawari has maintained the move to deploy the forces a day after the motion failed the quorum threshold was aimed at frustrating the functioning of the House.