PNGBLOGS

by BRYAN KRAMER   The National Alliance Party convened its first formal caucus meeting on Saturday (26/9/15). The meeting was called by four party members led by former Attorney General Kerenga Kua and Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare to discuss the concerns about the state of the economy and whether it was in the Party's best interest to stay in Government going into 2017 National Elections. Political insiders confirmed that Pruaitch met with Prime Minister Peter O'Neill the day before he agreed to the meeting. It was alleged Prime Minister put to Pruaitch in no uncertain terms if he fails to get NA's house in order they would be sacked from his Government. Senior Ministers close to the Prime Minister were openly boasting on the eve of the meeting Pruaitch would sack both Somare and Kua from NA. The meeting was convened around mid-day and attended by the full 14 Members of NA. The motion was moved and seconded whether it was in the best interest to stay in Government. Eac

by BRYAN KRAMER I came across an article and research paper by Dr Bill Standish Consultant, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group published back 1999. I've pasted a number of extracts from the article that interestingly enough are very much relevant today. CRISIS OF GOVERNMENT: THE SKATE ERA The Skate Government attracted international attention after its most senior ministers were videotaped discussing bribery and thuggery; and other personal scandals shocked the PNG community. Catholic bishops warned of popular revolt against declining levels of government services and increasing social misery and crime. It appeared that the independence of the Central Bank and the Judiciary had been seriously compromised. Having pushed through his harsh yet partly unfunded 1999 Budget, on 4 December 1998 Mr Skate used his numbers to adjourn PNG's National Parliament for over seven months. The effect of this was to delay by five months a motion of no-confidence which the Opp

AAP Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare hopes a last minute court challenge can stop a leadership tribunal probing allegations he failed to lodge yearly financial statements. Sir Michael, 74, who has been PNG's prime minister four times in a political career spanning more than 40 years, is due to face a three-member bench on Thursday, where charges dating back 20 years will be heard. This week, Sir Michael's lawyers filed a new Supreme Court challenge against the tribunal's proceedings, claiming the original Ombudsman Commission investigation into the prime minister was biased and had protocol and procedural flaws. Sir Michael's lawyers lodged the submission in an effort to either delay or derail the tribunal in what a senior legal source told AAP was "a very PNG situation", with the two proceedings running concurrently. Since 2008, Sir Michael has used the courts to fight the Ombudsman Commission - PNG's corruption watchdog - but his efforts fa

AAP Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare hopes a last minute court challenge can stop a leadership tribunal probing allegations he failed to lodge yearly financial statements. Sir Michael, 74, who has been PNG's prime minister four times in a political career spanning more than 40 years, is due to face a three-member bench on Thursday, where charges dating back 20 years will be heard. This week, Sir Michael's lawyers filed a new Supreme Court challenge against the tribunal's proceedings, claiming the original Ombudsman Commission investigation into the prime minister was biased and had protocol and procedural flaws. Sir Michael's lawyers lodged the submission in an effort to either delay or derail the tribunal in what a senior legal source told AAP was "a very PNG situation", with the two proceedings running concurrently. Since 2008, Sir Michael has used the courts to fight the Ombudsman Commission - PNG's corruption watchdog - but his effort

RADIO ABC A constitutional lawyer in Papua New Guinea says Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare should have automatically stepped down or be suspended, after a tribunal was set up to look into alleged misconduct in office. Doctor John Nonggorr says it's the first time in PNG's short political history a prime minister will face a leadership tribunal. The tribunal is made up of judges from the Supreme and Appeals Courts of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Sir Michael is alleged to have failed, or lodged incomplete annual returns to PNG's Ombudsman Commission between 1994 and 1997. The Tribunal will start the inquiry on March 10. Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare says he will comply with the laws but will remain in office and allow the tribunal to rule whether he could be suspended or not. Constitutional lawyer Doctor John Nonggorr says Sir Michael should be made to step aside until the inquiry is complete. "Clearly the leader ship tribunal says that the laws t

RADIO ABC A constitutional lawyer in Papua New Guinea says Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare should have automatically stepped down or be suspended, after a tribunal was set up to look into alleged misconduct in office. Doctor John Nonggorr says it's the first time in PNG's short political history a prime minister will face a leadership tribunal. The tribunal is made up of judges from the Supreme and Appeals Courts of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Sir Michael is alleged to have failed, or lodged incomplete annual returns to PNG's Ombudsman Commission between 1994 and 1997. The Tribunal will start the inquiry on March 10. Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare says he will comply with the laws but will remain in office and allow the tribunal to rule whether he could be suspended or not. Constitutional lawyer Doctor John Nonggorr says Sir Michael should be made to step aside until the inquiry is complete. "Clearly the leader ship tribunal says that the

OP/ED A community leader from Mt Hagen rang this newspaper last night to confirm what he heard on the radio - was it really true that a leadership tribunal had been set up to hear allegations of misconduct in office against the Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare? The call from this leader in the mountains might just have been another curious member of the public but more significantly, it shows the interest with which ordinary Papua New Guineans have in this particular case. The Prime Minister’s referral has been in the public domain for such a long time it has often been used as a political weapon against the Prime Minister by his opponents, for which there are many, because he has vigorously fought it legally. This remote community leader, far flung from the corridors of powers of Waigani, shows how Papua New Guineans country-wide have watched and waited for an outcome such as announced yesterday afternoon by the Chief Justice after a long time – a Leadership Tribunal to h

OP/ED A community leader from Mt Hagen rang this newspaper last night to confirm what he heard on the radio - was it really true that a leadership tribunal had been set up to hear allegations of misconduct in office against the Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare? The call from this leader in the mountains might just have been another curious member of the public but more significantly, it shows the interest with which ordinary Papua New Guineans have in this particular case. The Prime Minister’s referral has been in the public domain for such a long time it has often been used as a political weapon against the Prime Minister by his opponents, for which there are many, because he has vigorously fought it legally. This remote community leader, far flung from the corridors of powers of Waigani, shows how Papua New Guineans country-wide have watched and waited for an outcome such as announced yesterday afternoon by the Chief Justice after a long time – a Leadership Tribunal t

National Reports Sir J wants Somare to step down as PM Former prime minister and New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan has called on Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to step down and allow the law to take its course. He said over the weekend that Sir Michael, as a founding father of the nation and a prominent Melanesian leader, must gracefully allow and uphold the integrity of the judiciary to deliberate without fear and allow the due processes of law to run its course. Sir Julius said he was encouraged by Sir Michael’s willingness to allow due process of law to deliberate. “He will have the opportunity to legally defend and prove his innocence and clear his name before the people and the nation, rather than contest and circumvent the normal system under the Leadership Code law, which in itself implies his possible guilt. “Many peers, including former governor-general Vincent Eri, myself, deputy PM, ministers and MPs have gone through and accepted the outcomes of leadership tribunals.”

National Reports Sir J wants Somare to step down as PM Former prime minister and New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan has called on Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to step down and allow the law to take its course. He said over the weekend that Sir Michael, as a founding father of the nation and a prominent Melanesian leader, must gracefully allow and uphold the integrity of the judiciary to deliberate without fear and allow the due processes of law to run its course. Sir Julius said he was encouraged by Sir Michael’s willingness to allow due process of law to deliberate. “He will have the opportunity to legally defend and prove his innocence and clear his name before the people and the nation, rather than contest and circumvent the normal system under the Leadership Code law, which in itself implies his possible guilt. “Many peers, including former governor-general Vincent Eri, myself, deputy PM, ministers and MPs have gone through and accepted the outcomes of leadership trib

SOUTH PACIFIC POST We were inundated with telephone calls from our readers all day yesterday for news on the latest political developments in Waigani from our readers throughout the country. All we did was to inform them that the updates were still coming in and by the end of the day; we will have something solid for them. By the end of the day, we learnt that the Highlands Bloc of the National Alliance Party was meeting with the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, which culminated in a petition to the Grand Chief to rescind his decision to replace Don Pomb Polye with Sam Abal as the Deputy Prime Minister. Abal, the son of one of the Highlands region most respect Parliamentarians in the colonial era, was not present at this meeting, we were told. The Prime Minister is yet to respond to the petition, or if he did late last night after we went on to print it, we are not aware so it is safe to assume that Mr Abal, the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Minister is the new Deputy Prime

SOUTH PACIFIC POST We were inundated with telephone calls from our readers all day yesterday for news on the latest political developments in Waigani from our readers throughout the country. All we did was to inform them that the updates were still coming in and by the end of the day; we will have something solid for them. By the end of the day, we learnt that the Highlands Bloc of the National Alliance Party was meeting with the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, which culminated in a petition to the Grand Chief to rescind his decision to replace Don Pomb Polye with Sam Abal as the Deputy Prime Minister. Abal, the son of one of the Highlands region most respect Parliamentarians in the colonial era, was not present at this meeting, we were told. The Prime Minister is yet to respond to the petition, or if he did late last night after we went on to print it, we are not aware so it is safe to assume that Mr Abal, the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Minister is the new Deputy