A light but pointed exchange unfolded in Parliament on Wednesday when Speaker of Parliament Filimone Jitoko interrupted debate on the Tourism Bill and urged members to “let sleeping dogs lie.”
The comment came during a heated discussion between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism Viliame Gavoka and Opposition MP Jone Usamate over the Government’s decision to fast-track the Tourism Bill under Standing Order 51.
Usamate had questioned whether future tourism initiatives would undergo proper consultation, accusing Government of “ramming” legislation through Parliament.
In response, Gavoka defended the process, arguing that consultation on the Tourism Bill had already taken place years ago and that the legislation should have been passed in 2006 before political events disrupted the process.
As Gavoka referred to the events of 2006, Speaker Jitoko stepped in and told members to “let sleeping dogs lie” before asking Usamate to repeat his original question.
Usamate then restated his concern, asking whether future ventures would involve broader consultation rather than being rushed through Parliament.
Gavoka maintained that Government was operating within parliamentary rules and defended the use of Standing Order 51.
“We are in Parliament, we have an arsenal, we have Standing Order 51,” Gavoka said.
“You can walk out of Parliament, you can do lots of things in this Parliament and Standing Order 51 is one way of getting this done. It is all fair in Parliament.”
The Tourism Bill was later passed despite objections from Opposition MPs, who had called for the legislation to be referred to a parliamentary committee for further scrutiny and public consultation.
