By William Madouk
National Legislative Assembly postponed its first session on Monday due to an agenda error.
John Agany, the spokesperson for the National Assembly, informed the media that the sitting has been rescheduled for Friday due to an administrative mistake in setting the agenda for the session.
“The sitting of today is supposed to be the first session, 2024, ordinary sitting number two, 2024. It is supposed to take place in the chamber of the National Legislative Assembly,” said Agany.
“The opening usually is considered to be the first sitting, and then the following sitting is supposed to be the second sitting, as to deliberate on the speech of the president,” he added.
According to Agany, the Houses were supposed to deliberate on the president’s speech during the inauguration of the parliament; however, that was not included in the sitting timetable, leading to a postponement.
“But definitely, the two houses were planned differently. The National Legislative Assembly planned their own items, and then I think the Council of State was coming for the joint sitting,” he explained.
“So, in fact, there was miscommunication between the two houses, and that has led to the adjournment of today’s sitting,” Agany noted.
He emphasized that the sitting has now been pushed to Friday, April 12, 2024.
Lawmaker Agany stressed that the first item should have been the speech of the president, which would be referred to a specialized committee for deliberation by Rt. Hon. Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba.
“She [Nunu] is supposed to refer it to a specialized committee for deliberation. And then it has to be reported back to the House, which, in fact, did not make itself,” he elaborated.
According to the Parliament spokesperson, the president’s speech is considered to be a holistic session, and the second session that followed was supposed to discuss his speech before referring it to the committee before the two houses go back to their respective businesses.
“So, it is supposed to be now a joint sitting still, then the speech of the president will be referred to the specialized committee, and then now the whole houses—the National Legislative Assembly will sit alone and the Council of the State will move to their chamber,” he clarified.
In a statement seen by this outlet, atop the agenda for the Monday sitting of the August House was the presentation of the joint report of the committee on water resources and irrigation on the ratification of the framework agreement of the Nile Basin Initiative.
It includes a presentation of an urgent motion on logging and depletion of forests in Morobo County, Central Equatoria State, by Remijio Lasu Peter.