A VONC for April 2021 is Disastrous

 


David Kawage Bitno

The opposition opted to name their alternate PM after the Supreme Court Decision. If both the National Budget and the VONC are in favour of opposition, it will compel the Governor General’s intervention to order a date for Parliament to convene.

Though the opposition pledges to remain intact, an alternate PM nominee is in limbo. The dominant PNC Party under O’Neil is clandestine to eye for the top post but its leader O’Neil tenacious court challenges will toss him to the fringe. An imaginable revolution of PNC Party leadership in dispensing the reign to his deputy MP Richard Maru will keep the hope of PNC for the highest post blooming.

If Richard Maru don the party leader role will perhaps crumble the opposition bloc because of Sepik politics animosity presence. NA leadership will be put to reality check, a palpable atmosphere for Patrick Pruaitch and his NA collaborator to switch is looming. If NA is given the top post, a disintegration and shift of Sepik MPs to government is possible with MP Maru. Richard Maru who is the impeccable standby for Sam Basil in the Ministry of National Planning will not be restrained if bargained.

A stout candidate for alternate Prime Minister in the Opposition Camp is Dr Allan Marat. Allan Marat emancipation will fascinate MPs from both camps, especially the original Laguna Team of May 2019 who are in fact the real power brokers because Dr Marat was one of them. It’s been a long while since Sir Rabbie Namaliu was a PM from NGI and now it’s about time a regional equilibrium is of a greater interest as far as national politics is concerned.

In the government camp, Bryan Kramer needs to be enclosed and controlled. If Kramer is given a lot of room to navigate, he may viably get the house down. He is the only MP in the government who never voted for the Prime Minister James Marape and is of public knowledge to all MPs in the camp.

Marape is also conscious of URP Duma’s position. Marape in his preeminent wisdom will delay the appointment of his Deputy Prime Minister irrespective of Duma’s convenience as the second majority party in the camp. While the opposition contest for alternate PM post is tight, Marape is enjoying the undivided support and taking advantage of opposition’s indecisiveness of a PM candidate to lure more MPs into the government camp.

Governments are too optimistic about the Supreme Court decision pending, if SC stays the decision for VONC for April next year, a mass exodus from opposition to government is imminent. Because historically, politicians in PNG have never inaugurated a VONC less than 12 months before the issue of writs for the next election.

This is because, if the vote is successful, the Governor General will dissolve parliament and bring elections forward 12 months. MPs will want to retain power perceiving that they might lose or win in 2022 is ambiguous and will want to enjoy more time in parliament.

This was the outlook of the Marape Government's new bid to increase MP term to 7 years. And for that professed case if materializes, then surpassing 5th year into 6th year will be appealing for the government in passing a bill to upturn MP term to 7 years. A 5 year term is ample to judge and appraise a MPs performance and to vote in new MPs to represent the interest of their respective electorates and provinces. A stay of VONC for April 2021 will not be in the best interest of this nation and the principles of parliamentary democracy.

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