The opposition in Papua New Guinea has failed in its bid to put a motion for a vote of no confidence in the government before the parliament, Radio New Zealand reports.
Parliament has agreed that a vote for the position of governor general will take place on Friday.
Nominations for the position have now opened and will close on Wednesday afternoon.
Our correspondent Alex Rheeney says the opposition tried unsuccessfully to use the parliamentary session to put forward the no confidence motion.
“That did not eventuate. The leader of government business moved for parliament to be adjourned to Friday and the government was able to use their numbers and voted for the house to be adjourned until Friday. So the opposition did not actually get the opportunity to get the speaker to entertain other business in which the vote of no-confidence motion could have been discussed.”
Alex Rheeney says the opposition has indicated it will try again to put a motion for a vote of no confidence on Friday.
But he says this unlikely to be successful as the government walked into the parliamentary chamber together on Tuesday in a show of its strength of numbers.
Alex Rheeney says the indications are that the government will support the nomination of the former Governor General Sir Paulias Matane to return to the position, but other contenders may include Barry Holloway.
The opposition has indicated it will support a number of candidates including two women, Winnie Kiap and Enny Moatz.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The dame can be better than the knight
By REGINALD RENAGI
Apart from having a good deputy prime minister put up as the next Papua New Guinea prime minister, there is stiil another political option that may seem a controversial outcome, but not impossible.
This option could be another record breaker for grand chief Michael Somare that will be unbeatable in both PNG and Commonwealth politics.
If Somare is really serious about elevating the status of PNG women in his twilight years of politics, he will now give his job to the best-performing MP in the coalition government, Dame Carol Kidu.
The Dame as an MP has no equal.
This only woman MP's actions speak louder than words.
Dame Carol Kidu is ably supported by a good department secretary running an effective state agency than most of her MP peers.
This decisive action by grand chief Somare will be in full recognition for the tireless efforts of a lone women MP in parliament (and one of PNG’s best lawmakers in recent times).
This will no doubt upset the men in parliament, but will soon get over it to see that good governance, accountability, responsibility and ‘sanity’ return to both parliament; and government before the 2012 national elections.
Finally, I predict PM Michael Somare is not yet ready to quit politics in 2011 and before the 2012 national elections.
Importantly, there are still many outstanding political reforms left by former PM, Sir Mekere, that this government has yet to introduce any real substantial improvements , hence; this is no time to be quitting politics.
But today, PNG has the wrong political leadership running the country.
It should not be this way at all for our country.
So who’s going to do it for PNG?
Who will be the next prime minister of Papua New Guinea?
By REGINALD RENAGI
Recently the media raised three interesting questions: “Who will be the next prime minister?; will the prime minister quit politics in 2011 before the 2012 national elections; and what will happen to the National Alliance Party or the current government?
This is a subjective issue and you will get many different answers.
I will try to predict what may happen gauging from public perceptions and opinions of a coalition government’s performance since the 2002 national elections.
So who will be the next PM? This is easy in an ideal political world where the job will naturally go to the next senior MP after the prime minister in the ruling party’s hierarchical ‘chain of command’.
In this case, it should go to the deputy PM, if the PM quits politics this year as speculated in the media.
This will not happen because we are not in an ideal political world. There are many competing interests and shifting alliances within any coalition party government.
First of all, PM Somare will not quit politics in 2011 and before the elections.
Somare is enjoying the feeling of power and controlling the destiny of over six million citizens that he would still like to extend his record of being in politics until after the 2012 national elections.
More so, no-one believes Michael Somare's occasional talks of leaving politics any more in the media.
The people of PNG have heard it many times before, like prior to the 2002 and 2007 elections as predicted.
The man just does not keep his word anymore so the public does not now take him seriously at his word.
The PM did not quit politics as speculated by the media.
On a hypothetical note, if the PM was to quit politics in 2011 due to some reason like ill-health, the NA party will most likely see splits in its senor ranks.
Some NA party members have openly shown that they do not want the job going to the deputy PM incumbent as they see themselves as the ideal choice for the top job.
A prediction is the NA party may not do too well in the 2012 polls without the stabilizing presence of its drawcard, Michael Somare; the glue holding the NA party together.
With due respect to other NA party members, no-one is eminently qualified with the required seniority, depth of public administration knowledge and experience; and political maturity to succeed the PM Somare than the former deputy PM, Sir Puka Temu.
Sir Puka had the edge over all the NA party’s regional deputies as none were effective departmental heads like him before entering politics.
But alas, this is not to be as he has left for the opposition.
Another former DPM, Don Polye, has also been recently dispensed by Somare for fellow Engan, Sam Abal.
Michael Somare will not simply bow out of politics with a whimper but a loud bang in the 2012 national general elections.
Reginald Renagi
Two die in Port Moresby ethnic clash
Woman among two with limbs chopped off
By ANGELINE KARIUS
TWO people are dead, another two hospitalised and a number of properties and houses have been destroyed in the latest of a number of ethnic clashes that have plagued the country recently, The National reports.
The latest incident in Port Moresby involved settlers from Goilala in Central and Tari from Southern Highlands residing at the Badili, Vanagi and 2-Mile Hill settlements.
The fight started on Sunday afternoon and spilled into the early hours of yesterday morning.
Tension was high yesterday and traffic into downtown
There was no police presence within the fighting zone on Sunday.
In Bulolo, Morobe, several attempts at negotiations finally resolved ethnic clashes involving the people of the two
Early last month, Engans and Eastern Highlanders living at the Horse Camp settlement at Sabama came to blows which resulted in a number of injuries and damage to properties.
In the latest incident, NCD metropolitan superintendent Joseph Tondop said the fight started following the killing of a man from Goilala late on Sunday afternoon.
Blaming the people of Tari in
Two bystanders also had their limbs chopped off. The woman victim, said to be from one of the highlands provinces, had her left arm chopped off while a man lost his foot during the confrontation.
Although police could not confirm how the fight initially started, it was believed that a group of youths from Tari, residing at the Vanagi settlement, had allegedly consumed alcohol and assaulted a family from Goilala at the Koki market.
A fight broke out resulting in the death of the man from Goilala.
NCD police superintendent operations Jim Namora yesterday confirmed that properties and houses were also destroyed in the fight.
Among the homes destroyed was that of former politician and Kiriwina MP William Ebenosi.
Namora said Ela Motors also had one of its cars’ windscreens smashed by a flying missile.
Tondop said police yesterday took control of the situation.
“I appeal to community leaders from Badili, Vanagi and the 2-Mile Hill settlements, including Koki, to come to the police station and have the matter sorted out.
“Please, respect the rule of law and do not take the law into your own hands,” Tondop said in his appeal to the warring factions.
Police had apprehended five suspects – two from Goilala and three from Tari.
Reports claimed that firearms, apart from knives, axes and other weapons, were also used in the clashes.
Meanwhile, acting Police Commissioner Anthony Wagambie yesterday denied reports of an alleged blockage mounted by members of the police special services division (SSD) at McGregor outside the city.
He said the incident only involved four drunken policemen.
Media reports alleged that SSD members had erected the barricade into the McGregor barracks last Saturday after refusing to hand over a number of weapons to a task force set up by police headquarters for a police contingent to fly over to Vanimo for a joint border patrol operation.
They claimed that the border operation was for the SSD and that the hand-picked men, by the acting commissioner and his acting deputy, were not fully trained men for such sensitive operations.
However, Wagambie yesterday assured the public and investors that the special services division was intact and orders had been served to deploy a contingent to Vanimo for border duties.
“Normal police investigations will be carried out into the matter and those responsible will be dealt with accordingly,” he said.
Parkop: Get vote on governor general out of house
THE nomination and election process of the governor-general should be removed from parliament and vested in a committee of eminent persons, NCD Governor Powes Parkop said yesterday, The National reports.
He said such a move would maintain the integrity and reputation of the office of the governor-general.
Parkop was commenting on what he termed as “increased politisation of the nomination and election process” of the governor-general.
The Supreme Court, on Dec 10 last year, annulled the reappointment of Sir Paulias Matane and ordered parliament to resume this year to elect a new governor-general.
Nominations for the vice-regal post would open today at 2pm.
“The committee should comprise the prime minister, leader of the opposition, chief ombudsman and the chief justice or their nominees,” Parkop said.
He said the practice of candidates lobbying for support among parliamentarians had also demeaned this high office “where, even MPs, are caught in political affiliations and do not seriously consider the integrity of the process and the office”.
He said by removing the election and appointment process from parliament, “we ensure the process of nomination and election is not compromised by political interest or influences and that the best candidate is appointed based on merit”.
“Alternatively, we should remove the office of the governor-general and have a head of state elected by the people under the presidential system of government,” Parkop suggested.
“Our experiences in the last 35 years, and the lessons to be learnt from the world, shows that the presidential system of government is most preferable and successful.
“It is time
Senior cop: I did not abuse powers
THE senior police officer in the NCD Central Command who was accused of unprofessional conduct and abuse of process by a businessman in
He explained that the person accusing him, Simeon Manihia, was purported to have a legal relationship with his adopted daughter but that, he claimed, was false because they were just living together in a de facto relationship.
Manihia told The National on Sunday that the officer had abused his position as a senior police officer by getting involved in a trivial family matter.
He claimed the officer had used his position to get armed policemen to front up at his Tokarara home last Friday evening over differences over a nine-month-old child.
However, according to the senior officer: “Manihia has maliciously released a one-sided story to The National, alleging that I had not followed proper procedures and that I had used my position to get my officers to go to his home and harass him and his relatives.
“It was my adopted daughter who had laid a complaint and sought police assistance to go and get her baby who was still breast-feeding.
“The mother had gone to get her baby earlier but Simeon refused her request outright, and swore and threatened her, which resulted in her seeking police assistance.
“That was when police responded and I, as a father and a grandfather, felt obliged to follow my daughter and get the nine-month-old baby who is still breast-feeding and needed her mother’s care more than the father’s.”
He said the claim by Manihia that armed policemen had entered his premises was not true.
“I was there and nobody was armed when we went into the area; the armed officers were outside the gate.
“A senior NCO and a member of the unit accompanied my daughter into the yard to get the child for fear of being attacked by her partner.
“I wish to categorically deny the allegations that I had used my position or rank to get policemen to do their duties.
“Like any other person or member of the public, my daughter was threatened by her husband so she had to seek police assistance.”
Cholera claims five in Abau outbreak
By ELIZABETH MIAE
FIVE people from
Central health authorities believed that the outbreak occurred during the Christmas and New Year period.
Abau district health coordinator Etene Boyama said yesterday that the first cases were reported last Tuesday at the island’s health centre.
She said 44 people (in severe condition) were admitted and treated including those with mild diarrhoea throughout last week.
Boyama told The National that a team was sent into the area with medical supplies as well as information material to conduct awareness.
She said they managed to contain the spread and the situation was now under control but closely monitored.
More medical supplies have been transported to the Kupiano health centre where they would be taken to Mailu by dinghies on a six- hour journey.
Boyama said Wanigela village was also hit by the outbreak during that same period.
She said there was a possibility that the Wanigelas from
the spread.
Quick response by health workers at Kupiano health centre helped to contain the spread of
the disease.
Boyama said they were now putting together logistics to continue awareness and provide medical assistance to those affected.
Wanigela and Waiori villages located in the Marshall Lagoon area of Abau were hard hit by the disease last June which claimed 11 lives.
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