Praetorian guard media in PNG now protecting Prime Minister O'Neill


It has been an ongoing issue where media outlets have deliberately helped to omit Press Conference Media Statements and concerns raised during media conferences especially by Opposition Leader Hon Belden Namah on issues of massive corruption in this country.
The below media release was not reported in the papers nor on EMTV or the radio stations due to an email I will also post that was sent out by PM's Media Chief.
The National on two occasions last week deliberately omitted the Opposition leader's Media Statements with explanation, it is before the courts when it was not. Even to an extent where we were told they could publish at their own discretion.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POST IS DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS;

PART A - OPPOSITION MEDIA RELEASE
PART B - EMAIL TO ALL MEDIA OUTLETS BY PM's MEDIA PERSON
PART C  - RESPONSE FROM OPPOSITION MEDIA OFFICE

PART A - OPPOSITION MEDIA RELEASE

From the Office of the Opposition Leader
Hon Belden Namah
24 July 2013

MEDIA STATEMENT

PRIME MINISTER AS ACTING POLICE MINISTER IS INAPPROPRIATE

The Prime Minister must immediately relinquish the Police Ministry to a Minister who is not under any police investigation. The Prime Minister’s decision for himself to be the Acting Police Minister is highly improper and suspicious, given the fact that I have raised a major corruption case in which he is implicated.
In the May sitting of Parliament, I raised a very serious corruption case involving the theft of a staggering K71.8 by Mr. Paul Paraka and his cronies within the two years that Mr O’Neill has been Prime Minister. I accused the Prime Minister of directing the payments inappropriately and produced a letter bearing his signature and addressed to the then Finance and Treasury Minister Don Polye and to the attention of Secretary Steven Gibson.
When I raised the matter in Parliament, the Prime Minister assured me and the nation that he had already directed a thorough investigation into the matter by local authorities, the Australian Federal Police and Interpol.
Within a week of my raising of the scandal, the National News Paper, a paper that chose not to report the K71.8 Million fraud, carried a Headline story that I was being pursued by the Police Fraud and Anti-Corruption Squad in respect of the expenditure of a Ten Million Kina Timber Export Levy Fund.
In order for the Police to do a fair and thorough job of investigating both myself and the Prime Minister in the respective cases, it is only proper that the Prime Minister must immediately appoint another Minister to be the Acting Minister for Police.
I take this time to also call on the Prime Minister to tell the nation if the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Squad and the Task Force Sweep will make any arrests soon, and further-more, if the Australian Federal Police and Interpol are already investigating possible laundering of the stolen funds into Australia and other places by the beneficiaries.
The Prime Minister made these commitments on the floor of Parliament and it is appropriate that the nation is updated on the progress of the investigations.

Authorized by;
Belden Norman Namah, MP
Leader of Opposition

PART B - EMAIL TO ALL MEDIA OUTLETS BY PM's MEDIA PERSON

From: daniel korimbao [mailto:]
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2013 5:18 PM
To: Isaac Nicholas; news; Lisa Pagelio; news; Alexander Rheeney; ; fuliau; Freddy Mou; Geralinda Warre; wesley raminai; John Eggins; Sunday Chronicle;; Bernadette Efi; Ivan Bayagau; jelapa; Joy Kisselpar; jwari; kennethg; MEMAFU KAPERA; ; Leo Wafiwa; ; Liam Fox; Firmin Nanol;; Ponifasio, Lorraine; ; Laumaea Sus; 

Subject: Namah's comments on sub judice matters

Hi all, it has been brought to our attention certain comments made by Belden Namah at a media conference today. The comments relate to the arrest of lawyer Mr Paul Paraka, a letter allegedly from the PM relating to payments to the law firm, and alleged direction by PM for a payment of K10 million to an Australian lawyer to defend Paul Paraka.It should be noted that Mr Paraka has been arrested and charged in relation to payments from the Finance Department, and therefore any matter concerning this is before the court, or sub judice, and cannot be debated or commented on, or used to make political statements in public. It would amount to discussion of matters that are likely to come up in court, and therefore publications or broadcasts would be in contempt of court.
When the issue of the letter was brought up in Parliament early this year, the PM stated that the letter did not come from his office. He said the signature appears to be a forgery. The letter was referred to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee to investigate, and that investigation is pending. Therefore, there can be no public discussion on this letter.
Namah's claim relating to K10 million payment to an Australian lawyer, allegedly to defend Paraka, is best referred to the Attorney General to address. The Attorney General is in charge of all brief outs by the State to private lawyers. This appears to be a wild and untrue allegation that is highly defamatory to the PM, the Australian lawyer, Mr Paraka and others.
I would advise against the publication of any stories from this Namah conference today for the reasons that he is discussing matters that are sub judice, that he is making wild and highly defamatory allegations, and that his comments do not support public policy, nor does it promote public good.
Thanks 

The above email shows is an example of how media is controlled in PNG. Following is a response from the Opposition Media Office.

PART C  - RESPONSE FROM OPPOSITION MEDIA OFFICE

28 October 2013                                 
FROM                THE OPPOSITION MEDIA OFFICE    
TO                      ALL MEDIA OUTLETS       

SUBJECT           DANIEL KORIMBAO’S ASSERTIONS ARE BASELESS AND MISLEADING

We wish to ask all, to carefully note,that the written statement of the Leader of Opposition is being misconstrued so as to misrepresent the Opposition Leader and mislead the Media.
First, Korimbao states that “Mr.Paraka has been arrested and charged in relation to payments from the Finance Department, and therefore any matter concerning this is before the Court, or sub judice, and cannot be debated or commented on, or used to make political statements in public”
He concludes that to do so, would be contemptuous.
Take careful note, that there is no discussion in the Leader’s statement about the merits or de merits of Paul Paraka’s arrest or the reasons or circumstances surrounding the arrest. As such, Mr.Korimbao’s assertion is misleading.
Second, Mr.Korimbaoasserts that because “the PM stated that the letter did not come from his office” and because the matter was now before the Parliamentary Privileges Committee, there can be no public discussion”.
For argument sake, Mr. Korimbao needs to outline to the media, the statutory basis for such an assertion. What law prohibits public discussion of a matter that is before the Parliamentary Privileges Committee, and even if there is such a law, it will be very clear from the Opposition Leader’s written statement, that there was no discussion on the merits or de merits of the authenticity of the Letter of Directive or the merits and de merits of the intentions and purposes of the Directive.
What the statement simply says is that, the Leader of Opposition will lodge a fresh complaint to the police to investigate the Prime Minister with respect to the Letter. The Opposition Leader has decided on this course, in view of the fact that, the Prime Minister has not headed his call for him to relinquish the Police Ministry and for him to step aside as Prime Minister, pending police investigations into the Paul Paraka saga, including the letter of Directive allegedly signed by him. The other reason is that the Opposition Leader is concerned that, the Prime Minister being the complainant in the payment of the K71.8 Million, may not have included in his complaint the issue of verification of the letter, thus the letter not being investigated. The Opposition Leader is also concerned that the police investigations may not cover the issue of the letter in fear of reprisals by the Police Minister who is also the Prime Minister.
There is also nothing defamatory about the Leader mentioning that he will lodge a separate complaint against a Directive by the PM to pay Ian Molloy K10 Million.
We do not see any substance in Mr. Korimbao’s assertions. He is simply attempting to suppress and deflect the real issues as he has been championing since becoming media advisor to the PM.
Media organizations must be guided by the advice of their own Lawyers, not a political staff of the PrimeMinister.

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