The National Legislative Assembly

A row has emerged over the decision of the Speaker to appoint chairpersons of the specialized committees without consultation.

The Speaker of the Transitional Assembly, Anthony Lino Makana, reshuffled the heads of the 22 specialized committees recently.

But some MPs were unhappy about the procedure, arguing that he did not consult with the heads of state caucuses although it was the speaker’s mandate to reshuffle the chairpersons.

This disagreement prompted some MPs to call for a vote of no confidence against the speaker.

“So, that brought a lot rows,” said Hon Andrew Okony, the former Opposition Chief Whip. “Some of them [MPs] went as far as collecting signatures to call for vote of no confidence against the right honorable speaker.”

However, Hon Okony said members of the SPLM Caucus sat on Monday to address the issue.

It is unclear what they have resolved about the matter.

Efforts to reach members of the SPLM at the legislature were not immediately successful. The Speaker is yet to comment on the matter.