The controversial Standing Order 51 (SO 51) will remain as it is, the Standing Orders Committee has decided.
In their review of the Standing Orders report that was tabled in Parliament yesterday, no changes have been made to the Standing Order 51.
“The Secretary-General to Parliament advised that the proposed amendments to SO 51 as mentioned below were not approved and that the status quo would remain,” states the minutes of the Standing Order Committee meeting on May 3.
“Bill that needs to come under 51 needs to be presented to business committee before it’s tabled in Parliament.
“To remove sub-clause 2 (b), since the Bill is being fast-tracked, there should be no time limit to scrutinise the Bill by the Parliament during the debate.
“The members agreed that there be no amendments to SO 51 at this time.”
The Opposition in Parliament has on numerous occasions criticised the introduction of Bills in Parliament under (SO 51), claiming the enactment of laws must not be rushed through Parliament.
