Rambi removed

Change in cabinet hits highlands MPs

THE Highlands faction of the National Alliance party suffered a blow yesterday when Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare “demoted” Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi, The National reports.

The prime minister called a meeting of cabinet ministers and announced he was removing Rambi as internal security minister. He moved Rambi to labour and industrial relations and switched Mark Maipakai to internal security.

The move created a murmur among MPs from the highlands region.

Sources told The National last night that Deputy Prime Minister Don Polye, who is deputy leader NA in charge of highlands region, was not consulted about the move.

A number of cabinet ministers contacted last night confirmed the change.

“It is the prerogative of the prime minister to make changes in cabinet,” a minister said when contacted last night.

The changes were unclear but sources said the police force would also see major changes to its hierarchy.

The move would trigger political ripples in the lead-up to the parliament sitting in two weeks, in which Speaker Jeffery Nape was certain to allow a notice on a vote of no-confidence in the prime minister on the floor of parliament.

There were concerns among government circles last night that such an action could provide the opening the opposition needed to talk to factions within government to give credibility to its move to oust the government.

Only last week, Rambi and Police Commissioner Gari Baki brought a submission to cabinet to secure K10 million to urgently fund police operations for the security of the PNG LNG project.

It was said the urgent submission was necessary because of threats by investors and companies involved in the LNG project to pull out due to law and order issues.

It was not clear if this would be followed through by Maipakai.

Rambi is the MP for Mul-Baiyer in the Western Highlands.

Together with Governor Tom Olga and Polye, they form the core of the strong presence of the National Alliance in the highlands region.

But, Rambi had, in the past, been accused of conflicts of interest where his hire car company had benefited financially from the presence and operations of police in the highlands region.

Rambi had maintained that he never used his position to benefit his vehicle hire company.