PNGBLOGS

Peter ONeill, Jeffrey Nape, Jimmy Maladina are all thieves and opportunists who now have free reign over this country's coffers. They are the same fellows implicated in the NPF inquiry. Nape is the same fellow who is an ex-con from Barawagi Corrective Institution where he was a guest of the state for stealing and forgery. These guys cunningly orchestrated their way into the national life of this country. None of them have any integrity whatsoever. So who are we all trying to fool by celebrating their self propelled opportunistic emergence in the public life of this country? That is not to say that every thing that the last government did was proper and legal. Not at all. However, we are a democracy and there is a proper process to ascend to government and govern this nation in the democratic tradition we have set. It was Mekere who established the Integrity of Political Parties laws for political stability. Yet when it suited him he has shown the nation that he is no

Peter ONeill, Jeffrey Nape, Jimmy Maladina are all thieves and opportunists who now have free reign over this country's coffers. They are the same fellows implicated in the NPF inquiry. Nape is the same fellow who is an ex-con from Barawagi Corrective Institution where he was a guest of the state for stealing and forgery. These guys cunningly orchestrated their way into the national life of this country. None of them have any integrity whatsoever. So who are we all trying to fool by celebrating their self propelled opportunistic emergence in the public life of this country? That is not to say that every thing that the last government did was proper and legal. Not at all. However, we are a democracy and there is a proper process to ascend to government and govern this nation in the democratic tradition we have set. It was Mekere who established the Integrity of Political Parties laws for political stability. Yet when it suited him he has shown the nation that he is n

IN A row boat at low tide, the distance between one of the best health systems in the world and one of the worst can can be easily travelled in less than 15 minutes. So it is not surprising that over the past decade some 200 people sick with tuberculosis have been bundled into boats by their families and ferried across this frontier, the narrow band of water separating Papua New Guinea (a nation ranked 137 out of 162 in the UN World Development Index) and islands that are outlying territories of Australia (ranked No. 2). After being examined at the islands' TB clinics, about one-quarter of the sick have been found to be infected with multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), a dreaded modern manifestation of a disease that still ranks among humanity's greatest killers. From the Torres Strait islands of Saibai and Boigu, the sickest are then flown to hospitals in Cairns, Queensland, where access to powerful second-line

IN A row boat at low tide, the distance between one of the best health systems in the world and one of the worst can can be easily travelled in less than 15 minutes. So it is not surprising that over the past decade some 200 people sick with tuberculosis have been bundled into boats by their families and ferried across this frontier, the narrow band of water separating Papua New Guinea (a nation ranked 137 out of 162 in the UN World Development Index) and islands that are outlying territories of Australia (ranked No. 2). After being examined at the islands' TB clinics, about one-quarter of the sick have been found to be infected with multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), a dreaded modern manifestation of a disease that still ranks among humanity's greatest killers. From the Torres Strait islands of Saibai and Boigu, the sickest are then flown to hospitals in Cairns, Queensland, where access to powerful second-line

The son of dumped Papua New Guinean leader Sir Michael Somare has vowed to bring his father onto the floor of parliament when it next sits, defying Speaker Jeffery Nape's decision to end the political veteran's 43-year parliamentary career. Arthur Somare, himself a suspended MP, has told local media he will bring the ailing 76-year-old Sir Michael into the chamber when parliament gathers on September 20. "Wefeel confident that there is no vacancy in the East Sepik provincial seat," Mr Somare is reported to have said in the Port Moresby-based newspaper, The National. The Post Courier reported a "visibly angry" Mr Somare as saying neither the prime minister, Peter O'Neill, nor Mr Nape could stop him "literally open[ing] the door to the chamber and bringing in the Grand Chief". Comment is being sought from Sir Michael. Sir Michael was dismissed from parliament on Tuesday by Mr Nape, who said the nation's longest-serving prime minist

The son of dumped Papua New Guinean leader Sir Michael Somare has vowed to bring his father onto the floor of parliament when it next sits, defying Speaker Jeffery Nape's decision to end the political veteran's 43-year parliamentary career. Arthur Somare, himself a suspended MP, has told local media he will bring the ailing 76-year-old Sir Michael into the chamber when parliament gathers on September 20. "Wefeel confident that there is no vacancy in the East Sepik provincial seat," Mr Somare is reported to have said in the Port Moresby-based newspaper, The National. The Post Courier reported a "visibly angry" Mr Somare as saying neither the prime minister, Peter O'Neill, nor Mr Nape could stop him "literally open[ing] the door to the chamber and bringing in the Grand Chief". Comment is being sought from Sir Michael. Sir Michael was dismissed from parliament on Tuesday by Mr Nape, who said the nation's longest-serving prime min

AAP Sir Michael Somare has been disqualified from Papua New Guinea's parliament just hours after making a dramatic return after a five-month absence. The 76-year-old former prime minister had arrived back in PNG from Singapore on Sunday to prevent the attempt by the government of Peter O'Neill to unseat him. Speaker of the house Jeffery Nape ended the 43-year career of PNG's first prime minister, affectionately known as the father of the nation, just before 6pm (AEST) on Tuesday. "It is now my solemn duty to advise you that by operation of Section 104(2) (d) of the constitution your former seat, East Sepik Provincial, is now vacant," Mr Nape said in a statement which he read out in parliament after Sir Michael had left the chamber. "I have advised the governor-general and the sergeant at arms of the parliament accordingly. I shall announce my decision to the parliament when it next meets." Mr