Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has survived a motion of no confidence against him in Parliament.

During the proceedings, livestreamed on EMTV, Speaker Job Pomat announced the results of the vote as 16 votes in favour and 89 against.

In moving the motion, the member for Abau, Sir Puka Temu, nominated Sir Peter Ipatas as an alternative prime minister to Marape, and said the motion was moved on principle.

“This is not a vote of ambition, it is a vote of accountability, it is a vote of conscience. Mr Speaker what is the role of government if not to uplift its people,” Sir Puka said.

The seconder of the motion, Wabag Open MP Lino Tom acknowledged the government’s superior numbers, but said the opposition were acting in the interest of the people and challenged Marape to address them on the floor.

“He needs to tell the people because he is the chief accountable officer of this country,” Tom said.

“He can no longer blame his incompetent ministers. He can no longer blame any other person here on this floor.”

Speaker put question
The Speaker then went to immediately put the question, provoking the ire of the opposition bench with Madang MP Bryan Kramer accusing him of acting contrary to the Supreme Court order that had the House resume to hear the motion, which had initially been denied by the Parliament’s private business committee.

“Mr Speaker must be consistent with the privileges and the spirit and intent of the constitution that provide every member the opportunity to debate,” he said.

“This is a court order if you entertain this motion of ‘question be put’ then there will be contempt proceedings.”

Despite multiple points of order from the opposition calling for the motion to be debated, Pomat proceeded to put the question and the results were overwhelmingly Marape’s favour.

“Those in favour of this motion are 16 and those who are not in favour of this motion and who want the Honourable Member for Tari Pori, Honourable James Marape, to remain as prime minister are 89.”

After the vote, Marape moved a motion to address the movers of the motion, and spoke at length about the achievements of his government, while throwing jabs at the opposition MPs, many of who had served as ministers in his government at different times.

He finished by thanking all who supported him in today’s leadership challenge.

Thanks to members
“I want to say thank you for members on both sides of the House for your participation today.

“A sincere thank you to the 89 on their feet, who stood up to vote and I want to say thank you as your chief servant.

“I will try my absolute best to continue on leaving no place and no one behind as the ultimate aim of this government and should be for any government going forward into the future.”

The nominated challenger, Sir Peter, also rose to thank the opposition for nominating him, and to all the people of Papua New Guinea who reached out to him with messages of support.

He said he only accepted the nomination because so many MPs had complained about the prime minister’s performance.

Sir Ipatas challenged government MPs to stop bickering and gossiping about James Marape behind his back.

“As he rightly said, he is putting his time and effort into trying to make this country great,” he said.

Call to ‘not gossip’
“It is about our ministers and leaders and leaders of coalition partners not gossiping, but be open with the prime minister and talk about issues that we have for the country and for the people.

“This country belongs to all of us. Our people.”

Parliament is now adjourned until May 27.

Under new laws passed last month, Marape now has an 18-month reprieve from votes of no confidence.

With only two years left until the next election, RNZ Pacific understands this effectively gives him a clear run to the 2027 National General Election.

Several opposition MPs in Parliament on Tuesday urged Marape to make the most of the upcoming period of stability, and deliver some real results for Papua New Guineans.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Papua New Guinea’s opposition leader James Nomane says Parliament needs to be recalled immediately as the gravity of Wednesday’s actions to adjourn Parliament to dodge no-confidence vote “is something that cannot be taken lightly and can’t be dismissed”.

“This is not a dictatorship but a democratic country,” he said.

“If you say you have the numbers, why didn’t you allow the Vote of No Confidence to go ahead and you test your numbers, because the minute that happens, the PM will be disposed and we will have a new PM,” Nomane said, addressing Prime Minister James Marape.

He said Papua New Guineans lived in a country governed by the rule of law — the most important law governing the country was the constitution.

After the constitution, there were Organic Laws, Acts of Parliament, and the rules and regulations.

“The constitution is supreme, the Vote of No Confidence comes from Section 145 of the Constitution and it comes from the supreme law. Members of Parliament and dealing with the [no-confidence vote] need to take it very seriously on both sides of the house.”

‘Completely rejected’
“You have already heard from the last couple of motions we have submitted and it has been completely rejected by this Private Business Committee comprising of members of Parliament,” Nomane said.

He said the PBC is checking if the ‘tees’ and the ‘ayes’ have been crossed

“They have been nitpicking,” Nomane said,

“We brought our numbers, the office of the Prime Minister belongs to the people of Papua New Guinea.

“It is not the private business of one province, one district.

“There is no accountability.”

The government, using its numerical strength, voted 69-0 to adjourn Parliament until September.

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Papua New Guinea’s rising voice as opposition candidate for prime minister, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, has pushed back after addressing recent death threats.

Bird told RNZ Pacific he has declined police protection and is opting to use his own security after his nomination as opposition candidate for prime minister resulted in alleged threats to his personal safety.

“I was informed about 10 days ago of the threats against my life. I’ve heard a few more threats are in fact active,” he said.

“So I thought, probably the best way to declare it would be to put it out in the public domain.”

He said three senior government ministers informed him about the death threats and were no longer contacting him, due to concerns his phone was “being monitored”.

Bird was confident in his security to keep him safe and said whoever was behind the threats had picked on the wrong person.

“My people served with the allied forces in the Second World War. So my grandfather did that. He was uneducated. So picking on me is not a smart thing to do.”

RNZ Pacific has contacted the PNG police for comment after Bird accused authorities of illegally monitoring his phone and looking for dirt to charge and arrest him.

“I have nothing to hide. So, apparently, they haven’t found any dirt.”

PNG riots aftermath
“I do understand that they’re trying to connect me as one of the masterminds behind the Black Wednesday day events in Port Moresby.”

He said it would be “almost impossible because I was out of the country prior to that happening. And then I understand they’re looking now at all my travel allowances, so they’re looking at that to see what they can find.”

Regarding the threats, he said: “I’m not too stressed. These are some of the things you expect in PNG, otherwise you wouldn’t be in PNG.”

Bird said he did not trust the country’s police and declined their offer for protection, opting to use his own personal security instead.

“If things get pretty bad in the capital, I will just go back home. But for now, I’m just keeping a low profile, not really moving around, just restricting movements.”

He addressed sceptics who criticised him for attempting to boost his profile to become PNG’s next prime minister.

Bird said he had accepted the nomination as candidate out of “respect to his colleagues.”

‘Asked by my caucus’
“I didn’t put my hand up. I was asked by my caucus.”

He said, the country needed change, even if it was at the expense of his safety.

“Who wants to run around with security guards all the time?

“Whoever gets into the hot seat, whether it’s me or someone else, in all seriousness and honesty will soon to have to deal with these problems, the problems that are begging for solutions, and these are personal criticisms of Prime Minister Marape.”

He said supporters of the nation’s current leader James Marape lacked proper education and said it was “like a cult following”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A Papua New Guinea MP who is being touted by the opposition as the next prime minister of the country says “my life is under threat”.

East Sepik governor Allan Bird said that since his nomination, he had been advised of this by a deputy police commissioner, who said they were monitoring the situation.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Bird claimed “senior government ministers” told him his phones had been illegally tapped.

“All the apparatus of state have been put on full alert to hunt down the most dangerous criminal in PNG: his name is Allan Bird,” he wrote on Facebook.

“This is not the country I was born into, this is not the country the founding fathers envisioned.”

He said “reliable sources” had told him various state institutions had been instructed to try and find anything illegal on him, and charge and arrest him.

Last week, Bird told RNZ Pacific the country needed to decentralise power to deal with its challenges.

He said PNG had “very serious challenges”.

“Anyone who fixes these problems will be hated just like Sir Mekere [Morauta] did 25 years ago. Doing what needs to be done is not pretty, but it has to be done. Someone has to be willing to do the hard things.

“Many countries have problems, but not many countries have all those challenges all at the same time. PNG does so right now.

“If the problems aren’t fixed quickly then they will continue to get worse. Most of our people experience these problems every day now. It’s a struggle for survival.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A vote of no confidence in Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape is set to be moved on May 29.

Sinasina-Yongamugl Open MP Kerenga Kua told the media yesterday that the Marape government had “subverted the opposition’s attempts to hold them accountable for their actions”.

“I want to give confidence to the people of Papua New Guinea that this opposition is committed to ensuring that this government is brought to account,” Kua, an opposition MP, said at a media conference in Port Moresby.

“People are screaming for accountability. On behalf of the people. We are serious. The people are sick and tired of this government.

“They want to see the back of this government. They want to see them out.”

The opposition bloc stands by the motion filed on February 20 despite discrepancies raised by the overseeing Private Business Committee in a letter.

“The Acting Speaker was clear and advised that there was a discrepancy or discrepancies and so on legal advice, we have opted to not challenge that stance.

“But then by the position that the integrity of the notice of motion that we have filed is intact,” said opposition MP Keith Iduhu.

Accused the opposition
He said in their view there were no issues with the paper despite the Prime Minister having “rubbished it” and accused the opposition of forging names.

“If the committee or this chair decides to tamper with the motion . . . in any manner other than contemplated by the Supreme Court, section 23 of the constitution will be invoked and punitive measures will be sought from the courts,” Iduhu said.

“What that means is that penalties to the tune of even imprisonment up to 10 years,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to exercise our rights and the cause under the constitution.”

RNZ Pacific understands that Acting Speaker Koni Iguan and the Private Business Committee would be impacted on if that is the case.

Meanwhile, Marape said last week he would refer the second motion of no confidence paper — the one the opposition bloc said it stands by — to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee following allegations of forgery.

“It looks as if somebody is cutting and pasting these signatures and filling in names,” Marape said.

Acting Speaker Iguan told Parliament on Thursday last week that the first motion of no confidence did not qualify to be listed on the notice paper.

All MPs accountable – watchdog
Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) said the abuse of Parliament’s processes undermined public confidence and “fed corruption”.

TIPNG said all MPs were ultimately accountable to the people of PNG.

The anti-corruption watchdog said undermining democratic processes not only erodes public trust but hinders the country’s progress and development.

It said the refusal of the acting speaker to allow the motion for a vote against the prime minister, followed by an adjournment until May raises serious questions.

TIPNG chair Peter Aitsi said the motion is a fundamental tool within the parliamentary system, allowing MPs to hold the executive accountable.

He said denying a no confidence motion without due process was an affront to the democratic rights of both the opposition and the people they represented.

It “perpetuates a culture of impunity and weakens the already fragile checks and balances within the government and fuels an environment rife to corrupt behaviour,” he said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A total of 12 MPs in the Papua New Guinea government of Jame Marape have now switched sides, joining the opposition ahead of an expected vote of no confidence in Prime Minister James Marape.

Governments in PNG have 18 months’ grace after an election when opponents cannot bring motions for votes of no confidence.

That period, in place since August 2022, expires this weekend.

RNZ Pacific correspondent in PNG, Scott Waide, said the latest resignations came yesterday with the East Sepik Governor Allan Bird and Sam Basil Jr, who holds the Bulolo Open seat, strongly criticising Prime Minister Marape.

“Both expressed that they were disappointed in the performance of the Prime Minister and they decided to move, Sam Basil Jr in particular expressing that he was disappointing in the manner in which resources were being distributed for MPs on both sides of the House,” he said.

Waide said Bird raised concerns about Marape’s alleged involvement in controversial payments to lawyer Paul Paraka — something Prime Minister has strenuously denied.

There are now 23 MPs on the opposition benches but a successful vote would require the backing of 60 members in the 118-seat Haus Palamen.

No motion has yet been filed, though the possibility of a motion is being widely discussed in PNG.

Meanwhile, Marape became the first Pacific Island leader to address the Australian Federal Parliament yeterday, when he stressed PNG’s desire to become an economically independent nation.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific journalist

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape has rejected opposition leader Belden Namah’s call for him to resign.

Namah’s call came after the Supreme Court yesterday ordered Parliament to sit next Monday, quashing the government’s recent adjournment of Parliament until April.

The court ruled that the Speaker’s move to overrule an earlier adjournment allowed by his deputy and recall Parliament last month, when the opposition was not present, was unconstitutional.

“If you want to get me out of office, then the proper place is contest through a vote of no-confidence process on the floor of Parliament.”

Parliament appears evenly split, with Marape saying he had the support of 55 of the 111 MPs.

Marape said the MPs with him could “not be bought or sold”, characterising the opposition’s move to remove him as driven by some MPs’ personal interest to be prime minister.

But his government is under significant parliamentary pressure, as the Supreme Court ruling rendered all Parliamentary business on November 17 invalid.

That included the government’s passing of the 2021 budget, which will have to be tabled again – although this time the opposition MPs will be present.

The opposition has not revealed who its nomination for alternative prime minister would be.

O’Neill key player
The former prime minister Peter O’Neill, who filed the successful Supreme Court challenge, remains a key player in efforts to remove Marape.

Last year, Marape led moves to oust O’Neill, who resigned before a Parliamentary vote elevated his former close ally to the leadership.

O’Neill said that Marape should do what he did when he had lost a clear majority and resign.

Marape has meanwhile appealed for the public to remain calm, despite the political turbulence.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Politics in Papua New Guinea has been plunged into more turmoil today, with government MPs continuing to meet while the opposition was out of town, thinking they had adjourned Parliament.

The government MPs passed the Budget, and then made their own adjournment, until next April.

Last Friday, the opposition, bolstered by government MPs crossing the floor, called for an adjournment vote, which they won.

Those MPs, or an estimated 43 of them then travelled to Vanimo, to prepare for a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister James Marape, with that to happen on December 1.

The date is significant because Marape’s 18-month grace period from no confidence votes would expire then.

But yesterday the Speaker, Job Pomat, announced that opposition leader Belden Namah had no right to call for an adjournment and that Parliament was still in session.

Parliament was to resume at 2pm today but Michael Kabuni, a political scientist at the University of PNG, said this was brought forward to 10am, presumably prompted by legal action the opposition’s lawyers were preparing to take.

‘They had a quorum’
“They had a quorum. You need one third of the 111 MPs present, and they had more than 37. They presented a Budget to themselves, the government MPs and they voted on it, so the Budget is passed and they also voted to adjourn the parliament to 20th of April, 2021,” Kabuni said.

A vote of no confidence seems unlikely in April next year because it would be just a year or so out from the election.

Kabuni said such a move would prompt the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament and call an early poll.

Earlier today the former Commerce Minister, William Duma, who had stood shoulder to shoulder with the rebel MPs last Friday, rejoined the government, according to Kabuni.

This brought to three the number of MPs who have rejoined the government since the split.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

COMMENT: By Scott Waide

How much of the Papua New Guinean economy do we own?

All the prime shop spaces in your towns and cities are owned by foreigners. Can you easily get financing for a business? No. If you do get it, are the terms PNG customer friendly? No. Shop space rentals are unaffordable.

Governments past have had no will to reduce costs for PNG entrepreneurs and to create havens for PNG-owned business to grow.

There is a lot of rhetoric and it will intensify next year as people prepare for the silly season. Rental costs are among the highest in the region.

Cartels are paying off government workers, buying off properties and evicting our own people. Our justice system even favours the cartels and their lawyers.

We refuse to believe that organised crime and their masters have become bolder because our systems and its custodians have allowed themselves to be bought off.

The educated “elites” and “intellects” graduating from a a failed education system seek opportunities to profit from the the system and those less educated.

Praises for sweet-talking leaders
We sing praises to sweet-talking leaders and reporters repeat word for word without understanding the corrosive impact of that cheap narrative.

We criticise the media for not taking on the corruption, but when they do, nobody takes custody of the information and uses it for community action.

We are led to believe that unions, protests, and free speech are all illegal and should be discouraged.

Truth is founding father Sir Michael Somare and the independence generation wrote it into our laws. How did we come to forget our rights?

Because our education system made us more stupid that our grandparents’ generation. It taught us not to think for ourselves. A dumb generation raises dumb kids and dumb kids grow up to be dumb adults who vote dumb politicians.

That’s the truth.

They’re the ones who despise intelligence and free speech. They are offended by the expression of rights. Wake up Papua New Guinea!

Wake up! You need to get up and fight for what is yours.

Scott Waide is a leading Papua New Guinean journalist and a senior editor with a national television network. He writes a personal blog, My Land, My Country. The Pacific Media Centre republishes his articles with permission.

Pacific Media Watch reports: The 13 ministers who have defected are: Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil, Foreign Affairs Minister Patrick Pruaitch, Commerce and Industry Minister William Duma, Higher Education Minister Nick Kuman, Education Minister Joseph Yopyyopy, Public Enterprise Minister Sasindran Muthuvel, Mining Minister Johnson Tuke, Immigration and Border Security Minister Westly Nukundj, Health Minister Sir Puka Temu, Justin Tkatchenko, Labour Minister Lekwa Gure, CS Minister Chris Nangoi and Justice Minister and Attorney-General Steven Davis.

The opposition camp is also boasting four former prime ministers in Sir Julius Chan, Paias Wingti, Sir Mekere Morauta, Peter O’Neill and six former deputy prime ministers in Basil, Steven, Pundari, Chris Haiveta, Sir Puka and Allan Marat.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

COMMENTARY: By Scott Waide in Lae

As the new Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, you have your work cut out for you. You have to try to get a lot of it done within two years before the 2022 elections.

That’s a big job.

Do what is right by the people. Listen to their voices through social media. Not all of it is fake news. Take counsel from those who disagree with you, publicly and privately, in the interest of your 10 million people.

READ MORE: PNG prime minister reveals caretaker cabinet

Be brave enough to listen to the criticisms and find the threads of truth in them.

Be truthful about the state of Papua New Guinea’s health system. The people of Papua New Guinea deserve a government that tells the truth. There is a severe shortage of medicine. Puka Temu did a bad job and he did not admit to it as Health Minister.

Many of our aid posts are closed and our hospitals don’t have medicine. Yet the media is accused of “being political” when we highlight these “open secrets”.

Be truthful about the Tuition Fee Free Education (TFF). It’s not working for us. Our schools don’t get the money on time.

Tell people straight
If we have to pay for school fees, tell that to the people straight as it is. Papua New Guineans are resilient and hard working. They do not deserve to be lied to.

Please appoint an education minister who will find out why teachers continue to have their pays cut when they do not have outstanding loans.

Remove the companies that are benefiting from the cumbersome procurement processed in the health and education at the expense of our people. Investigate and prosecute the kaikaiman and kaikaimeri who suck the systems dry. Send them to jail.

Provide housing for our people.

Fix the National Housing Corporation. It is a hub of corruption that has existed for decades. Papua New Guineans deserve affordable housing not unaffordable rentals meant for fly-in-fly-out company executives. They deserve a government that has the guts to dump the garbage and restore integrity.

Lower the taxes. Our people are suffering. Tax the companies that enjoy tax holidays.

Reduce internet costs. If we are going to empower our millennials, make it easy for them to be independent of their parents. Make it possible for them to own their own homes by providing the means for them to make money from tools they grew up with.

Don’t kowtow to foreign interests
They deserve a government that is able to stand up for them and not kowtow to foreign interests.

We have agreed, as a government, add to the miseries of other human beings by keeping them in a prison camp on Manus in exchange for aid. We cannot continue with that shameful legacy.

Don’t persecute the media. Don’t threaten journalists. It doesn’t do much for your credibility.

There’s a lot to be said and not enough time and space.

One final thing: For goodness sake, sell the Maseratis. Get back our money. It was of no benefit to us in the first place.

You were part of a government that bought them during APEC. Please do the right thing by the people and get rid of them.

Scott Waide’s blog columns are frequently published by Asia Pacific Report with permission. He is also EMTV deputy news editor based in Lae.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

ANALYSIS: By EMTV News

James Marape, Papua New Guinea’s former Finance Minister and the man who led the defections that brought down the Peter O’Neill government, was today elected the country’s eighth prime minister.

Another Highlands leader as member for Tari-Pori, Marape was the power-broker in the moves to shake up the government.

The 48-year-old politician, first elected to Parliament in 2007 beginning his portfolio as Secretary for Works under Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, eventually moving to become Education Minister and then Finance Minister under Peter O’Neill – until last month when he led the breakaway.

READ MORE: Bryan Kramer – Watch for ‘The deceit, the backstabbing and the clowns’

Continual disagreement’s with O’Neill saw Marape leave his position, resigning as Finance Minister, the first crack in the once solid government dam.

The month that followed, was an arena of intense politicking, punctuated by widespread public dissatisfaction on the leadership of now ex-Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Verbal sparring on the one hand, and divisive beliefs on the other, all played out for the country to see.

O’Neill had been a major influence on the state of affairs in a nation teeming with natural resources, and who had been accused on multiple occasions of corruption amid a failing economy.

Camly sidestepping
Earlier this month, O’Neill had appeared unperturbed, calmly sidestepping his opponents in suave fashion before speaker Job Pomat adjourned Parliament.

That three-week hiatus, however, creating a snowball effect that would see Marape build up his own coalition of alliances, with some of the country’s most influential leaders, all answering the calls to his banner.

He adopted Oro Governor Gary Juffa’s slogan “Take back PNG” to maximum effect, using multiple media platforms to get that message across.

It worked.

Marape was the darling of the media, captivating audiences.

With statistical evidence yet to be presented, public reactions so far show Marape as being the most popular leader in the nation.

For observers, Marape comes as a breath of fresh air, bringing with him the vibrancy of youth, against the backdrop of a maturing democracy in Papua New Guinea.

Leadership confidence
The confidence in his leadership was evident, with an overwhelming 101 – 8 votes in Parliament today, ahead of other prime ministerial nominee, another former PM, Sir Mekere Morauta.

Morauta had been Prime Minister under similar circumstances after a political crisis that saw 1999 Prime Minister late Sir William (Bill) Skate deposed.

Moving forward for Marape, the feeling of euphoria will undoubtedly be shortlived.

Papua New Guinea’s current failing economy, a loss of investor confidence and on-going public service issues, will be a major hurdle to be overcome.

Hurdles that have both been inherited from the previous administration in power, and that he had had a contributing hand in, something that he himself admitted to when queried three weeks ago about the controversial Swiss bank UBS dealings regarding Oil Search share acquisitions which were subsequently released by the PNG Ombudsman Commission.

And with these issues only a fraction of what needs to be addressed, a looming 2022 election gives Marape little time to make any serious changes.

And while there is the aura of euphoria, scepticism still remains, with Morauta declaring “we have a new prime minister but the same government”.

Barrage of criticism
Prime Minister Marape knows the level of accountability that he will be held to, with Papua New Guinea’s 8 million citizens, and outspoken parliamentarians all watching – one of whom is the firebrand Bryan Kramer whose constant barrage of criticism over the past two years has seen the public now more politics-savvy than ever before.

Marape is quite attuned to what the nation is saying.

In his inaugural speech, Prime Minister Marape paid heed to the collective influences that will shape his time in office.

“I am encouraged and strengthened and comforted by the fact that I have energy, youth and strength and stamina in many first-timers and second-timers who are in this house on both sides of the floor.”

This formed the crux of one of his arguments in the lead up to today, that it was time for a new generation of leaders to hold the reins of government.

It is no revelation that the old guard of PNG politics is fading into folklore: Sir Mekere, Sir Julius and Paius Wingti, are among the only elder statesmen – Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare and Sir Rabbie Namaliu the only absentees – from PNG’s post-independence era.

More decisions and discussions will follow over the course of Parliament, Papua New Guinea and the international community are watching intensely, Marape’s opportunity has come, and with it, the burden of an office that saw his predecessor relegated.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By RNZ Pacific

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has finally resigned.

O’Neill told Parliament this afternoon he had tendered his resignation to the Governor-General this morning.

“Mr Speaker, I want to inform this honourable house that at 9.45am this morning, I delivered to His Excellency the Grand Chief Sir Robert Dadae, the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, my letter of resignation so we can deal with this matter once and for all. Once and for all,” O’Neill said.

READ MORE: Crisis? What crisis? A new PNG prime minister might not signal much change

He has been in the role since 2011, but lost his strong majority in Parliament after mass defections from his government in the past month.

O’Neill’s formal resignation today came as he was facing a likely confidence vote brought by the opposition after he had appeared to backtrack on an earlier commitment to step down this week.

Leading opposition MPs today praised the Prime Minister for listening to the people by stepping down to allow new leadership.

‘Cry of our people’
“By your resignation today, you beat me and beat many of us and outclassing many of us to the view some of us have of you that you are power hungry. Today you showed that you still have the heart to listen to the call and cry of our people,” said opposition MP James Marape.

The resignation paves the way for a parliamentary vote for a new Prime Minister.

The New Zealand government said it was watching the unfolding political developments in Papua New Guinea closely.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the situation in PNG iwas still developing, and as such New Zealand would continue to monitor it.

However, she said it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

Australian PM criticised
Meanwhile, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been criticised for his reaction to the announcement by former PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill that he would stand down this week.

Morrison praised his counterpart as a great friend and partner.

However, a former PNG Prime Minister, Sir Mekere Morauta, said the praise was inappropriate, unhelpful and discourteous.

Sir Mekere claimed it echoed how the Australian government interfered in PNG’s 2017 election by supporting O’Neill.

• This article is published under the Pacific Media Centre’s content partnership with Radio New Zealand
  
• More PNG stories

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Embattled Prime Minister Peter O’Neill explains why he has gone to the Supreme Court to seek clarification on the vote of no-confidence procedure under the PNG constitution. Video: EMTV News

By Jamie Tahana, Johnny Blades and Koroi Hawkins of RNZ Pacific

Papua New Guinea’s Parliament erupted in chaos yesterday as the Speaker, Job Pomat, refused two key motions put forward by the opposition in its attempt to remove Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

It was the first time the government and the opposition had come face-to-face after a three-week break, during which time dozens of government MPs have defected to the opposition at its base at Port Moresby’s Laguna Hotel.

Furthermore, the resumption of parliament came just two days after O’Neill announced that he would step down this week, but has since backtracked on that commitment.

READ MORE: EMTV News journalist Adelaide Kari reports on the parliamentary motions

However, on Tuesday, the opposition declared former treasurer Patrick Pruaitch as its nominee for Prime Minister in a planned motion of no confidence against O’Neill.

Ahead of the session, the opposition said it had the support of 67 MPs — a clear majority in the 111-seat house. That appeared to show as MPs filed into the chamber of Parliament, with a number of empty green seats surrounding O’Neill.

However, within minutes of Parliament opening, decorum had dissolved, many upset with the decision of the Speaker Job Pomat to refuse a motion to suspend a standing order, and a motion to have himself removed.

Pomat said he was not constitutionally bound to allow the motion.

‘Show me in the constitution’
“I am only asking asking if this house … can show to me in the constitution, or in the standing order, this is how we must get rid of the Speaker … let’s do it,” Pomat said.

The opposition member, Bryan Kramer, was outraged: “Parliament can remove the prime minister, how is it that you can remain and no one can remove you even if you do something wrong?”

After about half-an-hour, the chamber had dissolved into a screaming match. “Can you f**king wait,” shouted Fabian Pok, as members argued over various interpretations of the constitution.

After several more minutes, things nearly come to blows, with several MPs leaping from their seats, close to a fist-fight.

He tried screaming “order” to no avail, so shortly before 3pm Pomat finally gave up, adjourning parliament until 10am on Wednesday.

But as the Sergeant-at-Arms carried the mace out to a chorus of screeches, two opposition MPs snatched it from him and tried to place it back on the table.

As the hustle on the floor continued, O’Neill, who had earlier said “we don’t have to have a circus in this house”, as he challenged the opposition to table its motion, shuffled out of a side entrance, a grin across his face.

Speaker compelled to return
But it wasn’t over. Opposition MPs had remained in the chamber, and Pomat was compelled to return to tend to outstanding matters.

Twenty minutes after the adjournment, the bells rung out again, and government members rushed back into the house. It kicked off with another opposition MP, James Marape, moving a motion to remove the government members on the Parliamentary Committee on Private Business, which is the committee that vets and determines the validity of motions.

MPs Allan Bird, Charlie Benjamin, Johnny Alonk and James Donald of the opposition were then selected as the committee’s new members

Marape also successfully moved a motion to remove the chairman of the Appointments Committee, Koi Trappe, and replace hime with opposition MP Philip Undialu.

Marape was pushing his luck with the next motion which was against the deputy speaker, to which Pomat explained he would respond in similar fashion to the earlier attempt at the motion against himself.

The opposition subsequently withdrew the motion before Parliament was adjourned to 10 o’clock today.

Pressure on PM to resign
The parliamentary drama comes as the prime minister has been under growing pressure to resign. On Sunday, he said he would step down as prime minister this week.

The prime minister also announced that former Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan would replace him, although by law only Parliament can elect a new prime minister.

Furthermore, he is yet to tender a formal resignation with the Governor-General. On Monday, he instead filed a Supreme Court application regarding the rules of motions of no confidence, with his office confirming he would delay stepping down until that matter was heard.

The Supreme Court has said it will hear the application on Friday.

The opposition is still looking to table a motion of no confidence against O’Neill this week which, if in order, would likely result in a confidence vote against the prime minister as soon as next week.

• This article is published under the Pacific Media Centre’s content partnership with Radio New Zealand. Images from EMTV News.
  
• More PNG stories

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Sir Julius Chan says there has been a huge misunderstanding over yesterday’s press conference, reports EMTV News.

His comments follow a media frenzy that had him being called “Acting Prime Minister”.

“I have not been designated any ministerial role by Peter O’Neill”, he said today.

READ MORE: Embattled O’Neill ‘handing over’ PNG’s leadership to Chan

Sir Julius Chan said he was not Acting Prime Minister, although honoured to be considered as the government’s alternative when the resignation of the PM takes place.

“The existing Prime Minister has no power to nominate a new Prime Minister of his choice, Peter O’Neill simply designated me [as] the provisional caretaker of the government Coalition

“I want to be very clear – this is not a position I am seeking.

“However, I love Papua New Guinea, and there is a desperate need right now to unite the country, to heal our wounds, and to make the wealth of this country work to the benefit of the people of this country.”

O’Neill commended
The New Ireland governor commended Peter O’Neill for taking, what he believed what was necessary for Papua New Guinea by announcing his intentions.

“He is respecting the desires of the people, of the country, and stepping down.

“He simply asked me to help by maintaining order among the members of the coalition and helping the coalition to work with all parliamentary members to make a wise and uniting decision concerning who should become the next Prime Minister.”

The 79-year-old politician, said he had been approached by both factions as a potential candidate for the nation’s top job.

“I do not need the job, frankly. I have plenty of work to do in New Ireland. I am governor of my province and legally remain so unless I am called to take up a post at the national level and sworn in as such. ”

But, Sir Julius said, if he was called, then he would serve.

“If we are honest, we have to admit the country is facing huge problems. If the members of Parliament – and I mean both opposition and government – feel I can contribute to dealing with those problems over the next year or two, then I am willing to do whatever I am asked to do to help make that happen.”

Sir Julius Chan has been involved in PNG politics since the late 1960s and served as Prime Minister on two occasions from 1980-1982 and 1994 – 1997.

• EMTV News items are republished by the Pacific Media Centre with permission.
• More PNG stories

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill steps down from the top job and hands over the reigns to Sir Julius Chan, leader of Peoples Progress Party. Video: EMTV News

By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific

Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has announced that he will step down from the role, after weeks of defections from his coalition government.

O’Neill held a press conference yesterday in Port Moresby, indicating that he would resign “in the coming days”.

After almost eight years in the position, he said he would hand over the leadership to Sir Julius Chan, a 79-year-old who has had two previous stints as prime minister.

READ MORE: PNG’s O’Neill announces he is stepping down as PM

The prime minister’s resignation is not final until after it is received in writing by the Governor-General. O’Neill said he would visit the Queen’s representative this week, to “clear the way for the Parliament to vote for the next prime minister”.

However, the prime minister yesterday afternoon conceded that recent political movements had indicated to him there was a need for change in leadership.

Pressure has been building for weeks on O’Neill’s coalition government with an exodus of MPs, including senior ministers, from his People’s National Congress party, joining the opposition.

As of Friday, with the defection of William Duma’s United Resources Party, the opposition was claiming to have 62 MPs in the 111-seat Parliament, as it sought to oust the prime minister by a parliamentary motion.

‘Change of direction’
Today, O’Neill appeared alongside Sir Julius and other leaders of coalition parties.

“We have agreed to a change of direction, that the leadership of our government will be now handed over to Sir Julius Chan, who is a veteran leader and one of the founding fathers of our great nation,” O’Neill said at the press conference.

“In consultation with coalition government partners, we have decided to ask Sir Julius Chan to lead the team in government for the remainder of this term of Parliament,” O’Neill said in a statement issued later on Sunday.

Usually, under provisions of PNG’s constitution, the deputy prime minister takes up the vacancy when a prime minister steps down. In this case, Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel has been overlooked by O’Neill in favour of the leader of a coalition partner, the People’s Progress Party.

The plan to pass the reins to Sir Julius comes after O’Neill recently lost the large majority support he had enjoyed in Parliament since 2011, as a flood of grievances over PNG’s ailing economy, deteriorating basic services and festering corruption allegations finally turned the tide against him.

‘Government in waiting’
Following O’Neill’s announcement, the opposition held a press conference at its Laguna Hotel base. Leading figures in the group said they would not believe O’Neill’s announcement until he formally resigned.

Opposition power broker James Marape, whose resignation as Finance Minister last month sparked the exodus, cautioned over “mixed signals” from the government.

“There is no such thing as the prime minister resigning and handing over leadership to someone who is not even a minister of state. That is legally not correct.”

Leading opposition MPs described their group as a government in waiting. Over recent weeks, lobbying between MPs has been intense, with at least two more government MPs joining the opposition today.

Environment Minister John Pundari made it to the Laguna just before the opposition decided to lock the gates of the complex at midday today, while another pair of government MPs looking to join the fray this afternoon were turned away.

But O’Neill, speaking from his base at the Crown Hotel, argued that maintaining a government based around his People’s National Congress and the remnants of his coalition would be best for the interests of political stability.

‘Dangerous mix’
“There is no way that I could stand by and allow the opposition to come into government with their dangerous mix of wild ideas,” O’Neill said.

A political, and potentially constitutional, crisis is brewing, because O’Neill’s move to hand over the role of prime minister to Sir Julius will not be readily accepted by opposition MPs.

Marape warned that attempts could be made by the O’Neill regime to sabotage processes of Parliament at this important juncture.

Yet with the opposition appearing to have a majority, a vote for a new prime minister is likely in the coming days once Parliament resumes tomorrow.

• This article is published under the Pacific Media Centre’s content partnership with Radio New Zealand.
• More PNG stories

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz