Dear Editor, I must thank Mr. Moekaa for his recent reminder that our Parliament continues to dazzle us with its efficiency – or lack thereof – despite its ever-generous budget allocation and the ambitious calendar of sitting days it adopted with such gusto last year … the calendar that was supposed to keep Parliament glued to their seats for 42 days in 2024. I’m sure the MPs had every intention of working those days … until, well, they didn’t.

Take Monday, the 16^th September for example. Parliament sat at the respectable hour of 1 pm, but, lo and behold, by 1:30pm, we were all off on an early mark, because netball beckoned! Who could resist the Oceania Netball Qualifier for the World Youth Championships 2025? Certainly not our elected representatives, whose dedication to the nation’s sporting prowess appears to rival their dedication to actual legislative work. Hats off to the PM for his timely motion to adjourn, which I, of course, seconded with gusto. Sadly, only four or five MPs managed to drag themselves to the event. Maybe the others were preparing for a gruelling parliamentary session the next day?

Ah yes, Tuesday 17th! Parliament reconvened, fuelled by… well, I’m not sure what, because by 3pm, we were already fresh out of business. My modest little Companies Amendment Bill, the lone item of the day, was shipped off to the Bills, Petitions, and Papers Committee for review, leaving Parliament with nothing to do. So, naturally, we adjourned.

Why continue pretending, right? Instead of 10 days of riveting debates, Parliament decided one day was quite enough. Because who needs more sitting days when you can have next to none?

If you’re keeping score, Parliament has sat a grand total of 12 days this year –out of the planned 42. But don’t despair! December promises to be a veritable marathon of governance with, what I predict, four whole sitting days. Yes, MPs will certainly work up a sweat delivering heartfelt Christmas greetings to their constituencies, which should take a couple of hours (assuming they’re reined in to five minutes each). So, by year’s end, we’ll have managed 16 sitting days out of the 42 promised. A marked improvement over last year’s dismal 20 days out of 45, don’t you think?

My point is simple, dear readers: why bother adopting a calendar of sitting days if we’re going to treat it as more of a whimsical suggestion than a commitment? Even more baffling is the lack of business from the government, despite a backlog of legislation screaming for attention. It’s almost like they’re avoiding work altogether. Could it be?

Thank you again, Mr. Moekaa, for pointing out what we’ve all been thinking: is Parliament really giving us value for money? I leave that to the ever-watchful Public Accounts Committee. Let’s hope they’re sitting for more than a day to answer that one!

Tina Browne

Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition