HAS PARLIAMENT ANSWERED THE PEOPLES CRY?

Photo Credit: ABC News: Eric Tlozek
by MARCUS PENI
The O’Neill Government has survived a vote of "no confidence" in PM O’Neill, thanks to the support from the 85 MPs who with willful blindness supported O’Neill.
What happened on 22nd July, 2016 was a desperate attempt by a corrupt government that is more concerned to cling to power than it is to seek the verdict of the people. The Venal MPs who protected O’Neill on Friday 22nd July do know that they did not commit their allegiance on matters of principle, policy or public interest. They stood with O’Neill for their own survival. What was expected on that day was not for both sides of the house to demonstrate their numerical strengths. It was a call far important than a show of mob potency. The Judiciary in attuning to the populous protracted call for PM O’Neill to step down, facilitated that change by ordering Parliament to reconvene and address the pressing issue –removal of Peter O’Neill as PM. The Parliament session however abruptly ended without solving anything. The issue therefore remains alive. Some may argue that the appropriate time to change O’Neill is at the 2017 national elections. That is however to suggest that a Government installed, however legitimately it may be, cannot be held accountable during its tenure. Such a contrarian view is undemocratic and offends good governance principles. In hindsight, O’Neill’s proclivity to manipulate state institutions leaves no hope of a free and fair election to change the leadership. So what has motivated the ‘85 band of bandits’ to betray their constituents and committed to a PM who is not only corrupt, but insulates himself against accountability and incompetently ruining the economy? There are learned politicians among the 85 who adorned O’Neill with the Prime Ministership last Friday. There are also professed Christians among the group who prayed cheerfully and earnestly for O’Neill to remain in power. Stories start coming in from the Alotau camp. Out there, the discussions were centered around the unfulfilled commitment on projects and of course they all got big payouts in cash. South West Air, which is believed to be owned by O’Neill, made multiple trips to Gurney airport, Alotau. There was a big pay out from Department of Finance as well. All these 80 plus MPs sold their souls to O’Neill for a dime. If their alliance was built on truth and principles, it would occur to them that O’Neill/Marape lied about the fall in commodity prices because Hon Ken Fairweather gave the correct figures in an objection to Marape’s assertions and Marape was embarrassed; Hon Mapakai confronted Marape with his prior inconsistent statement on the forward-fixed price of LNG and Marape gave the most clumsy answer. The O’Neill Government never addressed the student protests/shootings, never addressed pilot strikes, never addressed doctors strike, never addressed the State of the economy, never addressed the outstanding criminal and leadership cases hanging over O’Neill etc. So all the questions/issues that culminated the motion of no confidence are still remaining. Whilst the nation and its people are bleeding and suffering, the MPs aggrandize themselves with the lavishness of their ill-gotten gains that they forget the very people who put them there in the first place. The power that they have, is the power of the people, given to them by the people and should be used for the peoples benefit. The people have been crying and bleeding for a change of one individual and that call was loud and clear. The majority of the population is illiterate and so they remain in muted silence. Only a cross section of the society, being the educated elite, spoke out, making insurmountable sacrifices to express their dissent at the way O’Neill was running the country. Who says the university students, the doctors, the pilots, the maritime workers, the lawyers, are witless that they do not know what they are talking about? The O’Neill Government is identified with the use of extreme brute force in repressing freedom of expression of dissent and used their dominance in power as an occasion for pillage. The retention of PM O’Neill is the license given to him and all the 85 MPs to continue the grand scale looting of the public coffers. As of this date, it is almost a semester of missing classes for all the government run universities –UPNG, Unitech, UoG and UNRE. The country’s future is in real danger and yet the O’Neill government sees no urgency in attending to this issue. We have a PM who is relentless in his grip on power. To him power means more unjust wealth and security against possible arrest. He is unperturbed by the preponderance of public protests. We have a Government whose head is the master of lies. He tells all his MPs to believe in his lies and so they do. His leutenants like James Marape have now learnt the trades. O’Neill continues to run a government that does not subscribe to the rule of law for he himself is hostile to the rule of law. The O’Neill government is synonyms with lies and corruption. O’Neill goes to great lengths to remain in power. We have had the greatest blasphemy where the Speaker and the Governor of Morobe who claim themselves ardent Lutherans used the bible and prayer to orchestrate a bigger conspiracy that contributed to the defeating of the VONC. That is the extent PO is adulterating. Well O’Neill has garnered the support of 85 band of bandits he assembled in Alotau to remain in power. But one thing is for sure, he has lost the popular support. All these 85 MPs are sinking with O’Neill as he meets his fate in a matter of time. SO what now, PNG? Does that mean that we throw in the towel and move on? What is the guarantee that the 2017 National Election will not be rigged to O’Neill’s favour, if he could easily influence the Electoral Commission during the university SRC referendums for protests? He publicly claimed that he will be the first one to be declared and he will be around for a long time so he asked us to get used to him. O’Neill has the Electoral Commission, Police and Defence all geared up for the 2017 elections and he knows how to manipulate those institutions just like he has been successfully doing so far. What is the guarantee that O’Neill will not brutally penalize those who stood up and against him, like the student leaders, the National Doctors Association executives, the Pilots, the anti-corruption fighters, the judges who made the decision to recall Parliament? O’Neill is known for brutally reprising opponents and his common words are “I will undo you slowly…” We have to stand up for those who stood up for all of us. Our fight for justice is not over.

Popular posts from this blog

PNG, VERY RICH YET STILL A VERY VERY POOR COUNTRY

Image
by GARY MONDULAME Papua New Guinea (PNG), a nation blessed with abundant natural resources, continues to grapple with economic challenges that belie its potential wealth. The nation's economic narrative is a paradox—rich in resources yet burdened by poverty. The explanation for this paradox lies not only in economic mismanagement but also in deep-seated corruption that has permeated the political landscape since independence in 1975. Following its independence from Australia, PNG was entrusted to leaders who lacked a vision for a holistic national development. This absence of foresight is evident from the lack of long-term development plans that could have distributed the country’s wealth fairly across all regions and communities. Successive governments failed to establish foundational strategies such as building satellite townships or creating robust rural housing schemes. Instead, they resorted to short-term, reactive measures that did not foster sustainable growth. The nascent l
Read more

BLIND LEADING THE BLIND, WHY THE PNG ECONOMY STILL SUCKS

Image
Elizabeth Genia, Acting Governor Bank of PNG (BPNG) by MICHAEL JOSEPH PASSINGAN The economy of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is at a crucial juncture. Despite some signs of recovery, the country faces several structural challenges that continue to impede its economic progress. The March 2024 Monetary Policy Statement from the Bank of Papua New Guinea sheds light on these issues, providing a comprehensive overview of the economic landscape and the policy responses being implemented to navigate through these turbulent times. In 2023, PNG's economy grew by a modest 1.4%, a significant slowdown from the 5.2% growth witnessed in 2022. This tepid growth is largely attributed to delays in major projects and ongoing economic issues that have not been fully resolved. The anticipated growth for 2024 is around 3.0%, buoyed by the resumption of production at the Porgera gold mine. While this marks an improvement, it remains subdued compared to the potential of this resource-rich nation. One of the mo
Read more

HIGHLANDS FRAUD F*CKS RUNNING GOVERNMENT AGENCY,,,

Image
A Fraudster and unqualified person has been shortlisted for NEC submission for the position of CEPA Managing Director. The candidate in question is Jude Tukulyia. His academic credentials are subject to scrutiny. Further investigation is required to verify the authenticity and legitimacy of his qualifications, particularly the reported diploma in accounting, Bachelor of Laws, MBA from Divine Word and UPNG respectively. It is very suspicious and unprofessional  when the Minister for Environment Conservation and Climate Change, Hon Simo Kilepa, wrote to UPNG Vice Chancellor asking to confirm Jude’s questioned education qualifications. This very due diligence work is the core responsibility of the Public Service Commission and Department of Personnel Management. What authority does the portfolio minister have to write to the Universities? Dumbfounding indeed if one asks. Ulterior motives written all over the letter. This amounts to  Questionable Academic Qualifications of Mr Tukulyia.    
Read more

AUGUSTINE MANO PNG'S PREMIER CORPORATE CROOK

Image
by  MICHAEL J. PASSINGAN In a significant setback for Mineral Resources Development Corporation (MRDC), the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea has dismissed the company's appeal to stop criminal investigations into its dealings with landowner funds held in the Pacific Balance Fund (PBF). The court ruled that MRDC's appeal was an "abuse of process" and ordered the company to pay costs of the proceedings. MRDC, a unit holder in PBF, had taken legal action against the National Court's decision to dismiss its case, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter. However, the Supreme Court disagreed and held that MRDC's appeal was nothing more than an attempt to interfere with the police's criminal investigative process. The court found that MRDC had no authority to conducted its own investigation into the activities of the Melanesian Trustee Services Limited (MTSL), the fund manager of PBF, and that its actions were in violation of the Trust Deed
Read more

James Marape's Missteps Openly Exposed at Australian Forum

Image
by  MICHAEL J. PASSINGAN  In a recent event that highlighted the complexities of international diplomacy and governance, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, faced a challenging situation during his appearance at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia. The Lowy Institute, known for its role as an independent think tank focusing on international policy, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, provided a platform for a candid assessment of Marape's governance. Following his formal address, Marape engaged in a dialogue with Dr. Michael Fullilove AM, the Executive Director of the Institute. Dr. Fullilove, a respected figure in public and international policy, scrutinized Marape's past promises and statements, contrasting them with the current state of affairs in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The discussion took a critical turn as Dr. Fullilove revisited Marape's 2019 speech at the same venue, where Marape had outlined his vision for PNG in a speech titled “A New Boo
Read more

PNG GOVERNMENT MINISTER IN PORN VIDEO

Image
WEWAK MP AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICE MINISTER JIM SIMATAB ANOTHER PUPPET WHO NEEDS TO BE VOTED OUT Wewak Open Electorate and the people of East Sepik Province are suffering from lack of development and delivery of basic services. Meanwhile, their MP, Jim Simatab, who is also Correctional Services Minister seems to be very busy having extra marital affairs with young Tolai girls who are young enough to be his child or grandchild. He is a typical puppet in the coalition of the corrupt who needs to be voted out in 2017. WARNING NUDITY AND SEX SCENE VIDEO LINK
Read more

PNC CANDIDATE & FORMER NHC CEO FILMED WIFE HAVING SEX WITH COUSIN IN NHC CEO'S OFFICE

Image
PNC Party has been rocked again this week after a video has surfaced online which involves the wife of the former National Housing Corporation CEO and now PNC candidate for Sinasina Yongomugl, JOHN DEGE , who is having sex on camera in the office of the National Housing Corporation CEO's with another man being filmed by the former NHC CEO himself. The sex scene took place inside the Office of the Managing Director and furnitures that are in the office are correctly identified. The voice of the man behind the camera is John Dege himself directing his wife MARIAH SUCKLING DEGE how to go about with the man who has been identified as her cousin. The PNC Party list of sexual infidelities and perverted mentality includes the Deputy Prime Minister and East New Britain Regional Member, Leo Dion , who  has a formal police complaint laid against him on allegations of incest, abuse of trust and persistent sex. The complaint was formally laid against him with the Sexual Offence Squa
Read more