PNGBLOGS

Next Prime Minister?? Mr Nape, whilst he is my hero, should for all intents and purposes be declared clinically schizophrenic. I don't even think he knows what he's going to do next, but it will be interesting I'm fairly certain of that. Sure he's made some dubious calls in favour of the now-deposed Somare/Abal govt. And whilst Belden and company made noise about blatantly disregarding the Constitution etc etc, legal redress was always available to them to challenge the validity but they declined to so is there a degree of hypocrisy from the now opposition that Mr "No Idea" Nape has woke up one day and decided that there is a vacancy so we can go straight to court? Any layman/woman that clearly can see when looking at Section 142 that Peter O'Neill and company cannot stand on any leg and rely on it to validate his election as PM, and it smacks of smugness and arrogance that the new PM or new AG has not come out to the media and stated unequivocally

AUSTRALIA’S prime minister, Julia Gillard, was quick to telephone her congratulations to her new counterpart in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She rang Peter O’Neill on August 3rd, just a day after he assumed office, reflecting the hope in Canberra that PNG’s incoming government might manage the affairs of state better than its predecessor—if it manages to survive an impending challenge in the Supreme Court. The chairman of the local branch of Transparency International, Lawrence Stephens, also applauded Mr O’Neill’s promise to fight corruption. Some in his cabinet have promising reputations, including the new minister for public service and sport, Bart Philemon, and Sir Mekere Morauta, himself the prime minister from 1999-2002, who played host to Mr O’Neill’s faction at his Toaguba Hill residence in Port Moresby last week as they prepared their parliamentary coup. But some caution is necessary. PNG’s governments are notorious for corruption, and ever run the risk of turning the state into a

AUSTRALIA’S prime minister, Julia Gillard, was quick to telephone her congratulations to her new counterpart in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She rang Peter O’Neill on August 3rd, just a day after he assumed office, reflecting the hope in Canberra that PNG’s incoming government might manage the affairs of state better than its predecessor—if it manages to survive an impending challenge in the Supreme Court. The chairman of the local branch of Transparency International, Lawrence Stephens, also applauded Mr O’Neill’s promise to fight corruption. Some in his cabinet have promising reputations, including the new minister for public service and sport, Bart Philemon, and Sir Mekere Morauta, himself the prime minister from 1999-2002, who played host to Mr O’Neill’s faction at his Toaguba Hill residence in Port Moresby last week as they prepared their parliamentary coup. But some caution is necessary. PNG’s governments are notorious for corruption, and ever run the risk of turning the state into a

Papua New Guinea’s deputy Prime Minister, Belden Namah has urged Papua New Guineans to support the new Government, as it instigates investigations into the disappearance of millions of kina in public funds. Namah, also called for cooperation from public servants, the private sector and civil societies, as the Government tries to instill some corrective measures. The disappearance of public funds will be among the top agendas for discussion when new O'Neill-Namah cabinet meets for its first session today. Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, says a team of special investigators, vested with prosecution powers will be engaged, to investigate the controversial 125-million Kokopo deal, among other corrupt dealings by the previous regime. Instead of a commission of inquiry, which normally takes up a lot of time in the past, O’Neill said his government wants to speed up the process as people of Papua New Guinea are demanding answers. PM O'Neill said they will engage a special investiga

Papua New Guinea’s deputy Prime Minister, Belden Namah has urged Papua New Guineans to support the new Government, as it instigates investigations into the disappearance of millions of kina in public funds. Namah, also called for cooperation from public servants, the private sector and civil societies, as the Government tries to instill some corrective measures. The disappearance of public funds will be among the top agendas for discussion when new O'Neill-Namah cabinet meets for its first session today. Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, says a team of special investigators, vested with prosecution powers will be engaged, to investigate the controversial 125-million Kokopo deal, among other corrupt dealings by the previous regime. Instead of a commission of inquiry, which normally takes up a lot of time in the past, O’Neill said his government wants to speed up the process as people of Papua New Guinea are demanding answers. PM O'Neill said they will engage a special i

THE towering figure in post-independence Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, has been officially removed from office, and one of his former ministers, Peter O’Neill, voted by parliament to replace him. Mr O’Neill, the son of an Irish-Australian kiap (district officer), promises to lead a government no longer based on “materialism and power-hunger”. He will not have long to live up to those ideals. An election, due by mid-2012, is usually the signal for parliamentarians to clamour for handouts. Sir Michael’s departure is a landmark in the politics of the country of 6.7m. Widely known as the “Grand Chief”, he was first elected to parliament in 1968, led the country to independence in 1975, held the top job until 1980, returned as prime minister from 1982 to 1985, and again from 2002 until this year. He presided over a mineral-resources and logging boom, and built his National Alliance into the dominant party in a fractious parliament. But recently things have not gone his way. In April

THE towering figure in post-independence Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, has been officially removed from office, and one of his former ministers, Peter O’Neill, voted by parliament to replace him. Mr O’Neill, the son of an Irish-Australian kiap (district officer), promises to lead a government no longer based on “materialism and power-hunger”. He will not have long to live up to those ideals. An election, due by mid-2012, is usually the signal for parliamentarians to clamour for handouts. Sir Michael’s departure is a landmark in the politics of the country of 6.7m. Widely known as the “Grand Chief”, he was first elected to parliament in 1968, led the country to independence in 1975, held the top job until 1980, returned as prime minister from 1982 to 1985, and again from 2002 until this year. He presided over a mineral-resources and logging boom, and built his National Alliance into the dominant party in a fractious parliament. But recently things have not gone his way. In A

THE actions of both the in-coming government and the out-going one are in breach of the Constitution, a leading constitutional lawyer said yesterday. Prof John Nonggorr blamed this on the “unbridled greed of politicians” acting in their own interest rather than that of the people and the country. He described Tuesday’s election of a new prime minister as a “sad day in our history”. Nonggorr said: “We, today, have an illegitimate government. The purported election is unconstitutional. “Sir Michael Somare remains the prime minister. “In his absence, due to ill-health, Sam Abal is the acting prime minister. The office of prime minister is not vacant by operation of the Constitution. “How can parliament elect a prime minister when there is no vacancy? “While Sir Michael has not resigned and parliament has not voted, on the advice of two doctors coming through the governor-general, to remove Sir Michael, this purported election cannot be based on a vacancy in the office of prime minister,”

THE actions of both the in-coming government and the out-going one are in breach of the Constitution, a leading constitutional lawyer said yesterday. Prof John Nonggorr blamed this on the “unbridled greed of politicians” acting in their own interest rather than that of the people and the country. He described Tuesday’s election of a new prime minister as a “sad day in our history”. Nonggorr said: “We, today, have an illegitimate government. The purported election is unconstitutional. “Sir Michael Somare remains the prime minister. “In his absence, due to ill-health, Sam Abal is the acting prime minister. The office of prime minister is not vacant by operation of the Constitution. “How can parliament elect a prime minister when there is no vacancy? “While Sir Michael has not resigned and parliament has not voted, on the advice of two doctors coming through the governor-general, to remove Sir Michael, this purported election cannot be based on a vacancy in the office of prime minister

OUSTED Attorney General and Justice Minister Sir Arnold Amet says there’s a constitutional crisis in the country created by Tuesday’s overthrow of the Somare-Abal government. He said the actions of the Speaker and the Opposition, in collusion, in circumventing and corrupting legitimate constitutional process on Tuesday when Peter O’Neill was elected Prime Minister resulted in the crisis. In a statement, Sir Arnold said the purported vote to support the motion to declare a vacancy in the office of Prime Minister and to appoint a new Prime Minister was fundamentally wrong in constitutional law. “There is no constitutional provision to support such a motion and vote to declare a vacancy in the office of Prime Minister. There is no inherent power in the Parliament to vote to support such a motion. There is no power in the Parliament to, by such a vote declare arbitrarily that there is a vacancy in the office of Prime Minister, by the fact of sheer numerical strength. “A very important and

OUSTED Attorney General and Justice Minister Sir Arnold Amet says there’s a constitutional crisis in the country created by Tuesday’s overthrow of the Somare-Abal government. He said the actions of the Speaker and the Opposition, in collusion, in circumventing and corrupting legitimate constitutional process on Tuesday when Peter O’Neill was elected Prime Minister resulted in the crisis. In a statement, Sir Arnold said the purported vote to support the motion to declare a vacancy in the office of Prime Minister and to appoint a new Prime Minister was fundamentally wrong in constitutional law. “There is no constitutional provision to support such a motion and vote to declare a vacancy in the office of Prime Minister. There is no inherent power in the Parliament to vote to support such a motion. There is no power in the Parliament to, by such a vote declare arbitrarily that there is a vacancy in the office of Prime Minister, by the fact of sheer numerical strength. “A very important a

THEY are, without doubt, the political coups of the decade. Of course, those involved will be disinclined to publicly voice it or even take credit for it. Nonetheless, they shall become coups worthy of mention in the annals of history. With less than one-fifth of parliament, the opposition on Tuesday threw asunder the most stable government in the history of PNG. That was the first coup. The second, of course, was the ascension to the prime minister’s post by Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill. From about sixth position in the line-up for the post, O’Neill has become the dark horse that has stormed to victory in the last 50m. With less than six MPs, the People’s National Congress has triumphed over the NA, the United Resources Party, the PNG Party and Pangu Pati to take the coveted prize. How the two coups took place will unfold in due course but suffice it to say for now that they are quite stellar performances, masterful strokes if you will. The wounds the first coup has opened will, per

THEY are, without doubt, the political coups of the decade. Of course, those involved will be disinclined to publicly voice it or even take credit for it. Nonetheless, they shall become coups worthy of mention in the annals of history. With less than one-fifth of parliament, the opposition on Tuesday threw asunder the most stable government in the history of PNG. That was the first coup. The second, of course, was the ascension to the prime minister’s post by Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill. From about sixth position in the line-up for the post, O’Neill has become the dark horse that has stormed to victory in the last 50m. With less than six MPs, the People’s National Congress has triumphed over the NA, the United Resources Party, the PNG Party and Pangu Pati to take the coveted prize. How the two coups took place will unfold in due course but suffice it to say for now that they are quite stellar performances, masterful strokes if you will. The wounds the first coup has opened will,

Papua New Guinea's new Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has announced the line-up of his new caretaker government. Eleven new ministers were sworn in by the Governor-General at a ceremony at Government House in PNG's capital, Port Moresby. The central figures in Tuesday's successful plot to overthrow the government of Sir Michael Somare have been rewarded with senior positions. Mr O'Neill was elected as PNG's new prime minister on Tuesday afternoon after disgruntled government MPs joined forces with the Opposition to have the prime minister's office declared vacant. The former opposition leader, Belden Namah, is now the deputy prime minister. Other portfolios were not announced but also sworn in were the former Foreign Affairs Minister Don Polye and former Petroleum Minister William Duma. Also in the line-up was former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta. Afterwards, the new Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said his government would not be initiating any major new

Papua New Guinea's new Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has announced the line-up of his new caretaker government. Eleven new ministers were sworn in by the Governor-General at a ceremony at Government House in PNG's capital, Port Moresby. The central figures in Tuesday's successful plot to overthrow the government of Sir Michael Somare have been rewarded with senior positions. Mr O'Neill was elected as PNG's new prime minister on Tuesday afternoon after disgruntled government MPs joined forces with the Opposition to have the prime minister's office declared vacant. The former opposition leader, Belden Namah, is now the deputy prime minister. Other portfolios were not announced but also sworn in were the former Foreign Affairs Minister Don Polye and former Petroleum Minister William Duma. Also in the line-up was former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta. Afterwards, the new Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said his government would not be initiating any maj

PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S NEW PRIME MINISTER - PETER O'NEIL Papua New Guinea has a new prime minister after disgruntled government MPs joined forces with the Opposition to have the prime minister's office declared vacant. When parliament resumed on Tuesday afternoon, several government MPs walked out with the Opposition and sat on their side of the house. With bolstered numbers, Opposition leader Belden Namah successfully moved to have the prime minister's office declared vacant because of the ongoing absence of Sir Michael Somare due to ill health. Mr Namah then nominated former treasurer, Peter O'Neil, as the new prime minister. Before defecting, Mr O'Neil was the works minister. He was installed as the new prime minister by a 70-24 vote. While the now former Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal sat dejected, the floor erupted with applause and Mr O'Neil was congratulated by his new colleagues. He is travelling to Government House to be officially sworn in as

PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S NEW PRIME MINISTER - PETER O'NEIL Papua New Guinea has a new prime minister after disgruntled government MPs joined forces with the Opposition to have the prime minister's office declared vacant. When parliament resumed on Tuesday afternoon, several government MPs walked out with the Opposition and sat on their side of the house. With bolstered numbers, Opposition leader Belden Namah successfully moved to have the prime minister's office declared vacant because of the ongoing absence of Sir Michael Somare due to ill health. Mr Namah then nominated former treasurer, Peter O'Neil, as the new prime minister. Before defecting, Mr O'Neil was the works minister. He was installed as the new prime minister by a 70-24 vote. While the now former Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal sat dejected, the floor erupted with applause and Mr O'Neil was congratulated by his new colleagues. He is travelling to Government House to be offi

Papua New Guinea's National Court ruled in favour of the owners of the controversial Ramu nickel mine in Madang on July 26, allowing the dumping of millions of tonnes of mine waste into the sea. The dumping will devastate the Basamuk Bay area, putting the environment and people's lives at risk. It is a key area for biodiversity and is vital for the livelihood and food security of the local community. More than 1000 locals joined the legal action to get a permanent injunction on the mine owners' plans to dump about 100 million tonnes of highly toxic mine tailings into the sea over 20 years. The company will use a process called Deep Sea Tailings Placement (DSTP). Dumping is expected to begin in September. The Ramu nickel mine is owned by Chinese state-owned company MCC. Australian company Highlands Pacific is a minority stakeholder. The plaintiffs were shocked when Judge David Cannings dismissed the injunction, despite explaining at length that the plaintiffs had proven thei

Papua New Guinea's National Court ruled in favour of the owners of the controversial Ramu nickel mine in Madang on July 26, allowing the dumping of millions of tonnes of mine waste into the sea. The dumping will devastate the Basamuk Bay area, putting the environment and people's lives at risk. It is a key area for biodiversity and is vital for the livelihood and food security of the local community. More than 1000 locals joined the legal action to get a permanent injunction on the mine owners' plans to dump about 100 million tonnes of highly toxic mine tailings into the sea over 20 years. The company will use a process called Deep Sea Tailings Placement (DSTP). Dumping is expected to begin in September. The Ramu nickel mine is owned by Chinese state-owned company MCC. Australian company Highlands Pacific is a minority stakeholder. The plaintiffs were shocked when Judge David Cannings dismissed the injunction, despite explaining at length that the plaintiffs had proven