The Kiribati opposition is planning to take its concerns over the actions of the government directly to the people.
Opposition MP and Kiribati's founding president, Sir Ieremia Tabai, said that last week they were thwarted in their efforts to have a motion of no confidence debated before parliament went into recess.
Ieremia Tabai MP from Nonouti. Tabai was the first Beretitenti President of Kiribati. Photo: Supplied/UNDP
This follows the government trying to deport High Court judge David Lambourne, then suspending the Chief Justice and the Court of Appeal judges, accusing them of trying to turn Kiribati into what it calls a 'judicial tyranny'.
Sir Ieremia said the people are not being informed properly because the local media is mostly controlled by the government.
He said from Saturday the opposition will try to counter this by holding public meetings.
"The aim of the meeting is to make the people aware of what we would have said if we had been able to move the motion of no confidence. Because they did not have an idea of what we would have said because the media is really in the control of government."
Sir Ieremia said while the government was stopped from deporting Justice Lambourne by the Court of Appeal, it has now issued a 21-day demand that he leave the country or be forcibly removed.
He said correspondence from the president Taneti Maamau accusing Justice Lambourne of undermining the security of Kiribati made no sense to him.
RNZ Pacific has sought explanations from the Kiribati Government but these have not been forthcoming.
President calls on US to apologise to China over Pelosi visit
The Kiribati President has called on the United States to apologise to China for the House of Representatives' Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visiting Taiwan.
The Kiribati opposition asked a written question in parliament last week about this, after the Chinese Global Times had reported that Maamau called on the US to apologise over the visit.
Maamau replied that this was his government's stance.
He also said he had responded to the diplomatic enquiries that the report initiated, saying both these friends of Kiribati are being encouraged to engage in peaceful dialogue so a practical and enduring solution can be found.
China and Kiribati established diplomatic relations in 2019 when the Maamau government ending a long standing relationship with Taiwan.
Maamau has also recently pulled the country out of the Pacific Islands Forum, though efforts are underway to re-establish links.
