3 May 2018

Kiribati ferry disaster motion defeated

4:51 pm on 3 May 2018

The opposition in Kiribati has expressed concern over limits placed on the number of MPs allowed to speak to its motion on January's ferry disaster.

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A lifeboat from the MV Butiraoi Photo: supplied

The motion blaming the government for the sinking of the MV Butiraoi was defeated in parliament yesterday.

The Leader of the Opposition, Tiitabu Taabane, said the speaker's ruling on speaker numbers was unfair to the party and to the people of Kiribati.

The Speaker, Tebuai Uaai, allowed three MPs from the opposition to speak, five from the government and one from the independent party.

He said the number of speakers reflected the parties' numbers in parliament.

He said the opposition should not forget that they had raised the same issues, claims and allegations in parliament when they'd moved their bill concerning the matter.

The opposition leader said the bill to amend the Marine Act was separate from the motion.

But the speaker said they were repeating the same old stories.

"Don't worry MPs, the people of Kiribati listened and heard what you have said in parliament," the speaker said.

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