THE East Sepik provincial government has been urged to withdraw its Supreme Court reference challenging the legality of the election of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill on Aug 2, The National reports.
The call was made by O'Neill and senior ministers of his government when he made his first trip to Mendi last Thursday and again in his native Pangia when he visited on Saturday.
Capacity crowds at both locations were told that no law was broken in the election of the prime minister but specific reasons given could not be reported as the matter was pending in the Supreme Court and would be heard on Wednesday.
While former prime minister Sir Michael Somare was praised and wished speedy recovery, son and former public enterprises minister Arthur Somare was singled out for the alleged wrongs of the former government.
O'Neill said in Mendi: "I appeal to those who are bringing this matter to court. I know Arthur Somare wants to be prime minister but he must get the people's mandate first.
"In 2012, the people will let us know if they want Arthur Somare to be prime minister.
"Many of us gave his father respect. He must return that respect.
"I appeal to Wararu (East Sepik governor). I appeal to Arthur Somare. Withdraw this case."
Similar calls were made by Treasurer Don Polye, Works and Transport Minister Francis Awesa and National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop.
Parkop said eminent lawyers in the current government had given the issue and the law much scrutiny before the meeting on Aug 2 where parliament voted convincingly to remove the former government.
He said: "We used the procedure of parliament. The position of the prime minister is not the property of a family or district or province.
"We have the people's power to change the government. Why go to court?
"If they win in court, they do not have the mandate. We will paralyse them."
All speakers spoke generally of the concentration of power in the hands of a few, namely Sir Michael, his son Arthur and a few ministers who were also accused of failing to stay the advance of corruption in high places.
These were offered as the main reason for the huge move against the former government.
Polye said: "Corruption was growing. They were not listening to sound advice.
"They sacked good leaders and held on to corrupt leaders. Business of parliament stagnated. Debate on issues was gagged. That is not democracy."
Health Minister Jamie Maxtone-Graham said: "Decisions were dictated and bulldozed down our throats. Arthur Somare used the position of his father to dictate to us.
"There was too much concentration of power in one family."
THOUSANDS of people at the Memoi oval in Mendi town, Southern Highlands, shouted at Governor Anderson Agiru to sit down when he stood to give his speech, The National reports.
The people did that in front of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, Minister for Finance and Treasury Don Polye, Transport and Works Minister Francis Awesa, Minister for Public Services Bart Philemon, Minister for Inter-Government Relations and District Development Mark Maipakai, Health Minister Jamie Maxtone-Graham, NCD Governor Powes Parkop, Governor John Luke (Milne Bay) and local MPs.
But despite the commotion, Agiru continued.
The noise was so loud that people had a hard time trying to understand what he was saying.
It is not known why the people shouted down Agiru.
Some people later claimed Agiru had not delivered services to his people.
They said Agiru and other MPs from the province had not supported O'Neill when he formed the new government.
Agiru told O'Neill and his delegation to look at where they were coming from. That brought further jeers from the crowd.
The crowd calmed down when the member Tari-Pori, James Marape, was called to the podium.
Marape accused one or two leaders of corruption, saying it led to the downfall of the Somare government.
He said it was not good to make general statements about the former regime.
He urged the new government to fix roads from Mt Hagen to Lake Kopiago in Southern Highlands.
Marape said the people from Kopiago must feel safe to travel to Mendi and back.
PRIME Minister Peter O'Neill told a crowd in Pangia station, Southern Highlands, on Saturday that leaders hungry for power were going to court, The National reports.
During his first visit as prime minister to his electorate accompanied by Works and Transport Minister Francis Awesa and Member for Karimui-Nomane Posi Menai, O'Neill told the people he was not hungry for power.
O'Neill said the government was changed because his team wanted to provide services to the people.
He said when former prime minister Sir Michael Somare was sick, the country was destroyed by a few greedy leaders.
He said the interest of the people was never put first despite the strong economic growth over the past nine years.
O'Neill said goods and services never reached people in the rural areas.
He said his government would always put the interests of people first.
He said the mandated leaders changed the government following due process because they had to change it for the better.
O'Neill said there was no coup or weapons used to change the government.
He claimed that when he was a former finance and treasury minister, he gave K1 billion for
medical supplies but some of the money went missing and some medical drugs were never bought.
He said such practices deprived people of better health care.
He told his people that the district service improvement programme would continue.
PRIME Minister Peter O'Neill was given a red carpet welcome in Mendi town, the provincial headquarters of Southern Highlands, last Thursday, The National reports.
The streets in the main commercial centre were packed with people and police had to divert
traffic onto the main road.
This was the first time O'Neill visited his province as a Prime Minister, accompanied by Finance and Treasury Minister Don Polye, Works and Transport Minister Francis Awesa, Police Minister John Boito, Public Service Minister Bart Philemon, Health Minister Jamie Maxtone-Graham, NCD Governor Powes Parkop, Milne Bay Governor John Luke, Minister for Inter-Government Relations and District Development Mark Maipakai, Police Commissioner Tony Wagambie, chief secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc and a media contingent from Port Moresby. They arrived in a chartered Air Niugini aircraft.
SHP Governor Anderson Agiru, Francis Potape, John Kekeno, Philemon Embel, and James Lagea were at the airport to receive O'Neill and his delegation. Mendi MP Isaac Joseph was absent.
Singsing groups from the highlands waited at the airport to welcome O'Neill and his party.
Police and Correctional Services officers provided a combined guard of honour at the airport before O'Neill was escorted to the Memoi oval where he addressed a large crowd.
By JULIA DAIA BORE
LAWYERS for the parties involved in the court case on the removal of the financial powers of the East Sepik provincial government by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury have verbally agreed to withdraw the proceeding this week, The National reports.
This followed an affidavit filed last Thursday by Solicitor-General Neville Devete that there was no legal instrument in place to effectively legalise the removal of financial powers of the East Sepik government.
Devete's affidavit said: "I am instructed that there are no National Executive Council or ministerial decisions to withdraw the financial powers of the East Sepik provincial government.
"I am instructed that the allegations that the financial powers of the ESPG have been removed are an outright lie.
"I am further instructed that the treasurer and MP Don Polye, on Aug 12, by an internal memo, requested the acting secretary for Finance to prepare necessary instruments that may become relevant to effecting the withdrawal of financial powers for two provincial governments."
The two included the East Sepik and Morobe provincial governments.
Following this, government lawyers wrote to the East Sepik government asking it to withdraw the proceedings on the basis that the proceeding was "mere speculation" and had no basis.
Lawyer for the East Sepik government, Rimbink Pato, of Steels Lawyer, said last Thursday he would advise his clients to withdraw the proceedings but that had yet to be done.
Last Thursday, the parties waited to be heard in court, however, presiding judge Justice Ambeng Kandakasi was not available.
Last Wednesday, Kandakasi told the East Sepik government he would not entertain further hearing on the matter until there were legal documents presented to him proving that the government's powers were indeed "withdrawn".
By JACOB POK
THE government's declaration of Aug 26 as National Repentance Day was fulfilled by Christians who gathered to pray for the country, The National reports.
Christians in the nation's capital gathered at the Rev Sioni Kami Memorial church in Gordon to take part in the National Repentance Day last Friday.
The programme included praise and worship, thanksgiving prayers by representatives of 20 provinces, national leaders' special prayer and repentance, church leaders and NGOs' special prayer and Bible readings.
Christians of all ages attended to take part in the prayer sessions, asking God to lead
the nation.
Other prayer programmes were held at Badili, Kaugere, Sabama, Manu, Hohola, Tokarara, Waigani, Gerehu High School, the Jack Pidik oval and churches at 8-Mile, 9-Mile and 17-Mile.
The day saw many Christians repent and pray for good governance and a prosperous future for the nation.
PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Sir Mekere Morauta is indulging in lies and half-truths in attacking the role of former Independent Public Business Corporation managing director Glenn Blake, Arthur Somare said, The National reports.
"It is totally unbecoming of a former prime minister to stoop to these levels," the Angoram MP said.
"Just over a week ago, he told the nation Blake had resigned but his story has now changed to a termination exercise by the National Executive Council.
"Blake's terms and conditions as the MD for IPBC were approved by the IPBC board and subsequently endorsed by the Salary and Conditions Monitoring Committee.
"It was then reviewed and approved by the office of the State Solicitor before being forwarded to the governor-general for signing. These are facts that can easily be checked.
"Sir Mekere lied before about the so-called resignation of Blake. He is now lying about Blake's contract as MD, knowing very well that all expected processes have been followed.
"IPBC, which manages the Government Business Trust, has been one of only 10 government departments and government enterprises that received endorsement of its 2010 accounts by the auditor-general and Parliament's Public Accounts Committee – public acknowledgment of the good governance shown by Blake.
"Sir Mekere is indulging in half-truths in blaming Blake for the reported loss of K31 million in Lehman Brothers.
"The investment involved a management decision to place funds, which previously only earned 2% annually, in PNG 30 Series 3 Notes that attracted an average interest rate of 8.5%."
Sir Mekere said in a televised interview that IPBC was staffed by "refugees" from the Department of National Planning even though none of its 25 staff were from National Planning.
Somare said the so-called "refugees" referred to by Sir Mekere "are young and highly qualified Papua New Guineans who have played an important role in assisting IPBC and the SOEs to engineer the turnaround that has occurred in recent years".
"When he left office in 2002 and passed on the biggest ever budget deficit in the nation's history, Sir Mekere left the SOEs in such a parlous condition that two of them – PNG Power and Post PNG – had become totally insolvent. PNG Power and Post PNG today, like other SOEs, are robust and well run organisations that we can all be proud of."
