By ISAAC NICHOLAS
DEPUTY Prime Minister Belden Namah has announced that parliament is looking at deferring the general election for 12 months to allow the government to fully implement its major policies, The National reports. He said if he had the support of the prime minister, he would use all his resources to ensure Peter O’Neill was returned as prime minister after the election.
Namah made the announcement yesterday at the Independence Oval in Vanimo in front of O’Neill and half his cabinet ministers plus members of parliament.
Namah had invited the national parliamentarians to West Sepik province for two days.
He said this in response to O’Neill’s address to hundreds of people that the government would be funding major projects in West Sepik totalling more than K140 million.
The prime minister had earlier told the Sepik people: “We had to change the government and give it back to the people.
“We have introduced free education for a total cost of K700 million and have already front-loaded K300 million to all schools.
“We have sold the Falcon jet, which has been used as a private PMV and given the proceeds of that sale, K350 million, to the health sector. We have introduced basic free health care for our people.
“This government is people-focused and people-friendly. In seven months, we have shown our true colours compared to nine years of waste,” O’Neill said.
He said the government he led was for the people, not for one man or one family.
Namah, in reply, told his home crowd that he would use all available resources at his disposal to retain O’Neill as prime minister for a new five-year term after the general election.
He stressed that there was no guarantee that a new government would support the development package that the O’Neill-led government had introduced in the past seven months.
Namah said the Electoral Commission had failed the people, the national population census had failed and PNG needed a system for a fair, just election so that quality leaders were elected “instead of coming through the window”.
On O’Neill’s reference to the scheduled election, he warned: “You said to hold the election by April 27 this year and a new government comes in. The projects will not be implemented and the government policy of free education and free health care will be dismantled.
“This government must continue.
“How do you make a comparison between a government of nine years and government
of six months?
“The Electoral Commission has failed the people. The census has failed. We do not know how many people are in this country?
“There are a lot of mistakes in the common roll. For example, a ward in Koroba has 467 eligible voters and that number has soared to 4060. We must have been working very hard overnight.”
Namah said 40% of the roll had not been completed in the highlands region alone.
He said the new bio-metric system must be in place to ensure a fair and just election.
“The government has plans to delay the election for 12 months to fully implement government policies and ensuring a fair election.”
DEPUTY Prime Minister Belden Namah has announced that parliament is looking at deferring the general election for 12 months to allow the government to fully implement its major policies, The National reports. He said if he had the support of the prime minister, he would use all his resources to ensure Peter O’Neill was returned as prime minister after the election.
Namah made the announcement yesterday at the Independence Oval in Vanimo in front of O’Neill and half his cabinet ministers plus members of parliament.
Namah had invited the national parliamentarians to West Sepik province for two days.
He said this in response to O’Neill’s address to hundreds of people that the government would be funding major projects in West Sepik totalling more than K140 million.
The prime minister had earlier told the Sepik people: “We had to change the government and give it back to the people.
“We have introduced free education for a total cost of K700 million and have already front-loaded K300 million to all schools.
“We have sold the Falcon jet, which has been used as a private PMV and given the proceeds of that sale, K350 million, to the health sector. We have introduced basic free health care for our people.
“This government is people-focused and people-friendly. In seven months, we have shown our true colours compared to nine years of waste,” O’Neill said.
He said the government he led was for the people, not for one man or one family.
Namah, in reply, told his home crowd that he would use all available resources at his disposal to retain O’Neill as prime minister for a new five-year term after the general election.
He stressed that there was no guarantee that a new government would support the development package that the O’Neill-led government had introduced in the past seven months.
Namah said the Electoral Commission had failed the people, the national population census had failed and PNG needed a system for a fair, just election so that quality leaders were elected “instead of coming through the window”.
On O’Neill’s reference to the scheduled election, he warned: “You said to hold the election by April 27 this year and a new government comes in. The projects will not be implemented and the government policy of free education and free health care will be dismantled.
“This government must continue.
“How do you make a comparison between a government of nine years and government
of six months?
“The Electoral Commission has failed the people. The census has failed. We do not know how many people are in this country?
“There are a lot of mistakes in the common roll. For example, a ward in Koroba has 467 eligible voters and that number has soared to 4060. We must have been working very hard overnight.”
Namah said 40% of the roll had not been completed in the highlands region alone.
He said the new bio-metric system must be in place to ensure a fair and just election.
“The government has plans to delay the election for 12 months to fully implement government policies and ensuring a fair election.”
Any body listening? Give Namah 12 months for contempt of court. Not that he can escape but he is demanding for it! Cheers
ReplyDelete"I must be given another 12 months to complete the legislative changes that will guarantee that I will be 'Prime Minister for life'. And if O'Neill thinks I'm a man of my word, I'll teach him the facts of life too. It's in the interests of PNG to become a 'Beldenocracy'. The best interests of PNG are my best interests and those who don't agree might find life will get a bit tough for them" The thoughts of Field Marshall (self-appointed) Namah.
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