Member of Parliament Sanjay Kirpal will be an Independent Opposition member for the remainder of this Parliamentary term.
The announcement was made this morning by the Speaker of Parliament, Filimone Jitoko. He says that Kirpal has informed his office that he will become an Independent Opposition member.
Jitoko says he recognises that the Leader of Opposition Inia Seruiratu will now be the leader of the Opposition Group of 13 Bloc.
In October last year, the Speaker’s Office received information from 25 members of the Opposition that they are now independent.
The former Speaker Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu confirmed that pursuant to Parliamentary Standing Orders 4, Clause 2, there are two working groups or blocs in the Opposition.
One group will be known as the Group of 16 Bloc and is being led by the Leader of the Opposition, Inia Seruiratu, while the other will be known as the Group of 9 Bloc and will be led by Ioane Naivalurua.
In March this year, Independent MPs Shalen Kumar and Sachida Nand left the Opposition Group of 16 Bloc and joined Naivalurua’s Opposition group.
