LDS MNAs’ salaries will not be cut for this week’s walk-out |20 March 2020

Members of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa in the National Assembly will not have their salaries slashed following their walk-out from Tuesday morning’s session, Speaker Nicholas Prea has said.

Answering Seychelles NATION’s question yesterday as to whether the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) members would be penalised for walking out a mere half hour into the Assembly sitting, as according to opposition leader Wavel Ramkalawan the no-show by ministers invited to answer a Private Notice Question (PNQ) on the COVID-19 pandemic situation and its different implications for our country proved that government was not giving the COVID-19 situation the importance it deserves, Speaker Prea said the case is an exceptional one.

“The circumstances of the case was an exceptional one as the walk-out was not planned but it was merely in protest for the no-show of high government officials and for this I made an exception and members will not have their salaries cut,” Speaker Prea affirmed.

Meanwhile, it has been brought to this newspaper’s attention that apart from the department of health and Ministry of Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning, none of the ministers of the other ministries referred to in the question, namely Education and Human Resource Development, Fisheries and Agriculture and Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine had received a formal invitation like is usually the case, to come to the National Assembly to answer questions. This is even though the formal procedure related to a PNQ had been followed by the National Assembly secretariat.

In the meantime, the National Assembly is also stepping up measures to minimise the risks of COVID-19 transmissions by not receiving different groups to follow sessions from the gallery as well as interactions with members of the public and individuals in one to one meetings.

The National Assembly will resume its normal sittings next week on Tuesday and Wednesday unless there are any measures nationally which would interrupt its programme, Speaker Prea noted, adding that the PNQ on COVID-19 will be answered as the different ministries have now confirmed their availability after apparently a revised communication was sent to them this week.

Marie-Anne Lepathy