Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has survived a motion of no confidence against him in Parliament.

During the proceedings, livestreamed on EMTV, Speaker Job Pomat announced the results of the vote as 16 votes in favour and 89 against.

In moving the motion, the member for Abau, Sir Puka Temu, nominated Sir Peter Ipatas as an alternative prime minister to Marape, and said the motion was moved on principle.

• READ MORE: Other PNG politics reports

“This is not a vote of ambition, it is a vote of accountability, it is a vote of conscience. Mr Speaker what is the role of government if not to uplift its people,” Sir Puka said.

The seconder of the motion, Wabag Open MP Lino Tom acknowledged the government’s superior numbers, but said the opposition were acting in the interest of the people and challenged Marape to address them on the floor.

“He needs to tell the people because he is the chief accountable officer of this country,” Tom said.

“He can no longer blame his incompetent ministers. He can no longer blame any other person here on this floor.”

Speaker put question
The Speaker then went to immediately put the question, provoking the ire of the opposition bench with Madang MP Bryan Kramer accusing him of acting contrary to the Supreme Court order that had the House resume to hear the motion, which had initially been denied by the Parliament’s private business committee.

“Mr Speaker must be consistent with the privileges and the spirit and intent of the constitution that provide every member the opportunity to debate,” he said.

“This is a court order if you entertain this motion of ‘question be put’ then there will be contempt proceedings.”

Despite multiple points of order from the opposition calling for the motion to be debated, Pomat proceeded to put the question and the results were overwhelmingly Marape’s favour.

“Those in favour of this motion are 16 and those who are not in favour of this motion and who want the Honourable Member for Tari Pori, Honourable James Marape, to remain as prime minister are 89.”

After the vote, Marape moved a motion to address the movers of the motion, and spoke at length about the achievements of his government, while throwing jabs at the opposition MPs, many of who had served as ministers in his government at different times.

He finished by thanking all who supported him in today’s leadership challenge.

Thanks to members
“I want to say thank you for members on both sides of the House for your participation today.

“A sincere thank you to the 89 on their feet, who stood up to vote and I want to say thank you as your chief servant.

“I will try my absolute best to continue on leaving no place and no one behind as the ultimate aim of this government and should be for any government going forward into the future.”

The nominated challenger, Sir Peter, also rose to thank the opposition for nominating him, and to all the people of Papua New Guinea who reached out to him with messages of support.

He said he only accepted the nomination because so many MPs had complained about the prime minister’s performance.

Sir Ipatas challenged government MPs to stop bickering and gossiping about James Marape behind his back.

“As he rightly said, he is putting his time and effort into trying to make this country great,” he said.

Call to ‘not gossip’
“It is about our ministers and leaders and leaders of coalition partners not gossiping, but be open with the prime minister and talk about issues that we have for the country and for the people.

“This country belongs to all of us. Our people.”

Parliament is now adjourned until May 27.

Under new laws passed last month, Marape now has an 18-month reprieve from votes of no confidence.

With only two years left until the next election, RNZ Pacific understands this effectively gives him a clear run to the 2027 National General Election.

Several opposition MPs in Parliament on Tuesday urged Marape to make the most of the upcoming period of stability, and deliver some real results for Papua New Guineans.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape has successfully thwarted a vote of no confidence after 75 MPs backed him and 32 voted for the opposition.

But the session was not without drama.

Just after 10am, after the opposition leader moved a motion for a vote of no confidence announcing Renbo Paita as the alternate prime minister, Parliament Haus descended into momentary chaos as members questioned why Speaker Job Pomat refused to allow debate after the motion.

• READ MORE: Other PNG politics reports

The opposition had intended to use the opportunity to highlight pressing concerns that caused MPs to move to the opposition.

The Member for Madang, Bryan Kramer, a former minister of justice and police, challenged the Speaker to follow standing orders to the letter as stipulated in the constitution while Wabag MP Lino Tom accused the Speaker of “stifling the people’s voices” by not entertaining debate.

“The people of this country paid our salaries to debate this. The people need to know why we put in a vote of no confidence,” Tom said.

“This is the right forum where our voices need to be heard”

Speaker admits error
After intense exchanges between the chair and the opposition, the Speaker admitted to making an error in parliamentary process.

But he still proceeded to call for a vote.

PNG’s constitution allows a government a grace period of 18 months before a vote of no confidence can be brought to Parliament. Since 1977, every sitting prime minister has had to fend off threats of votes of no confidence.

James Marape himself, came to power in 2018, through a vote of no confidence.

While Prime Minister Marape may have been successful this time, he still faces the possibility of another vote of no confidence if the opposition musters enough numbers to do so.

Speaking after the vote, Marape said that while votes of no confidence were an essential part of democracy, Section 145 of the constitution, which provides for the process, had been abused in many instances.

“Provincial governors have five years to work. Provincial legislators have five years to work. The most important chair of the land has 18 months . . . and managing 18 months of politics and doing work, comes with great cost.”

The pressure is now on him to prove that that he has the ability and the political will to stem instances of corruption, fix the ailing economy, stem inflation and address crime — the biggest concerns for Papua New Guineans.

Over the next few days, the Prime Minister will announce a cabinet reshuffle to fill vacancies left by MPs who have left.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Papua New Guinea’s opposition leader James Nomane says Parliament needs to be recalled immediately as the gravity of Wednesday’s actions to adjourn Parliament to dodge no-confidence vote “is something that cannot be taken lightly and can’t be dismissed”.

“This is not a dictatorship but a democratic country,” he said.

“If you say you have the numbers, why didn’t you allow the Vote of No Confidence to go ahead and you test your numbers, because the minute that happens, the PM will be disposed and we will have a new PM,” Nomane said, addressing Prime Minister James Marape.

• READ MORE: Other PNG politics reports

He said Papua New Guineans lived in a country governed by the rule of law — the most important law governing the country was the constitution.

After the constitution, there were Organic Laws, Acts of Parliament, and the rules and regulations.

“The constitution is supreme, the Vote of No Confidence comes from Section 145 of the Constitution and it comes from the supreme law. Members of Parliament and dealing with the [no-confidence vote] need to take it very seriously on both sides of the house.”

‘Completely rejected’
“You have already heard from the last couple of motions we have submitted and it has been completely rejected by this Private Business Committee comprising of members of Parliament,” Nomane said.

He said the PBC is checking if the ‘tees’ and the ‘ayes’ have been crossed

“They have been nitpicking,” Nomane said,

“We brought our numbers, the office of the Prime Minister belongs to the people of Papua New Guinea.

“It is not the private business of one province, one district.

“There is no accountability.”

The government, using its numerical strength, voted 69-0 to adjourn Parliament until September.

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Prime Minister James Marape has declared that he will not resign in spite of the defection of many Pangu Pati and government MPs to Papua New Guinea’s opposition.

In a statement, he emphasised that any change in leadership must occur through a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

Prime Minister Marape urged the people of Papua New Guinea and the business community to continue their daily activities without disruption as the political process unfolds.

• READ MORE: Other PNG politics reports
• PNG landslide: Couple pulled alive from rubble as 690 feared dead

“Pangu has 41 MPs as of today, and with our coalition partners, we have more than the required 56 MPs to remain in government,” Marape said, confident he will win tomorrow’s vote.

The political crisis comes as Papua New Guinea comes to terms with the devasting Kaolokam landslide disaster in Enga province with reports of 2000 people missing.

“As I speak, our coalition partners, including United Resources Party, Social Democratic Party, People’s Party, People’s First Party, People’s Movement for Change, Melanesian Liberal Front, and Melanesian Alliance, are intact.”

“The number of MPs, with the combination of Coalition partners and
Pangu, exceeds the magic number of 56.

“We are confident with our numbers and are putting together our team as we prepare for Parliament on Tuesday, May 28.”

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier journalist. Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s rising voice as opposition candidate for prime minister, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, has pushed back after addressing recent death threats.

Bird told RNZ Pacific he has declined police protection and is opting to use his own security after his nomination as opposition candidate for prime minister resulted in alleged threats to his personal safety.

“I was informed about 10 days ago of the threats against my life. I’ve heard a few more threats are in fact active,” he said.

• READ MORE: Opposition MP Allan Bird claims his ‘life under threat’ after PM nomination
• Other PNG politics reports

“So I thought, probably the best way to declare it would be to put it out in the public domain.”

He said three senior government ministers informed him about the death threats and were no longer contacting him, due to concerns his phone was “being monitored”.

Bird was confident in his security to keep him safe and said whoever was behind the threats had picked on the wrong person.

“My people served with the allied forces in the Second World War. So my grandfather did that. He was uneducated. So picking on me is not a smart thing to do.”

RNZ Pacific has contacted the PNG police for comment after Bird accused authorities of illegally monitoring his phone and looking for dirt to charge and arrest him.

“I have nothing to hide. So, apparently, they haven’t found any dirt.”

PNG riots aftermath
“I do understand that they’re trying to connect me as one of the masterminds behind the Black Wednesday day events in Port Moresby.”

He said it would be “almost impossible because I was out of the country prior to that happening. And then I understand they’re looking now at all my travel allowances, so they’re looking at that to see what they can find.”

Regarding the threats, he said: “I’m not too stressed. These are some of the things you expect in PNG, otherwise you wouldn’t be in PNG.”

Bird said he did not trust the country’s police and declined their offer for protection, opting to use his own personal security instead.

“If things get pretty bad in the capital, I will just go back home. But for now, I’m just keeping a low profile, not really moving around, just restricting movements.”

He addressed sceptics who criticised him for attempting to boost his profile to become PNG’s next prime minister.

Bird said he had accepted the nomination as candidate out of “respect to his colleagues.”

‘Asked by my caucus’
“I didn’t put my hand up. I was asked by my caucus.”

He said, the country needed change, even if it was at the expense of his safety.

“Who wants to run around with security guards all the time?

“Whoever gets into the hot seat, whether it’s me or someone else, in all seriousness and honesty will soon to have to deal with these problems, the problems that are begging for solutions, and these are personal criticisms of Prime Minister Marape.”

He said supporters of the nation’s current leader James Marape lacked proper education and said it was “like a cult following”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

A Papua New Guinea MP who is being touted by the opposition as the next prime minister of the country says “my life is under threat”.

East Sepik governor Allan Bird said that since his nomination, he had been advised of this by a deputy police commissioner, who said they were monitoring the situation.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Bird claimed “senior government ministers” told him his phones had been illegally tapped.

• READ MORE: East Sepik governor Allan Bird on how to ‘change the trajectory’ of PNG
• Other PNG no confidence reports

“All the apparatus of state have been put on full alert to hunt down the most dangerous criminal in PNG: his name is Allan Bird,” he wrote on Facebook.

“This is not the country I was born into, this is not the country the founding fathers envisioned.”

He said “reliable sources” had told him various state institutions had been instructed to try and find anything illegal on him, and charge and arrest him.

Last week, Bird told RNZ Pacific the country needed to decentralise power to deal with its challenges.

He said PNG had “very serious challenges”.

“Anyone who fixes these problems will be hated just like Sir Mekere [Morauta] did 25 years ago. Doing what needs to be done is not pretty, but it has to be done. Someone has to be willing to do the hard things.

“Many countries have problems, but not many countries have all those challenges all at the same time. PNG does so right now.

“If the problems aren’t fixed quickly then they will continue to get worse. Most of our people experience these problems every day now. It’s a struggle for survival.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The man being touted by the opposition as the next leader of Papua New Guinea says the first thing his administration would do is put more focus on law and order.

East Sepik governor Allan Bird is being put forward as the opposition’s candidate for prime minister with a vote on a motion of no confidence likely in the last week of May.

Bird is realistic about his chances but he said it is important to have such a vote.

• LISTEN TO RNZ PACIFIC WAVES: Governor Bird on PNG’s future
• Other PNG law and order reports

“I think the first thing we would do is just restructure the Budget and put more focus on things like law and order, bring that right to the top and deal with it quickly,” he said.

He spoke about what he aspires to do if he gets the chance.

Don Wiseman: Mr Bird, you had been delegated to look at the violence following the 2022 election, and it is clear that resolving this will be a huge problem.

AB: Not necessarily. It’s currently confined to the upper Highlands part of the country, but it is filtering down to Port Moresby and other places. I guess the reluctance to deal with the violence is that I’d say 90 percent of that violence stems from the aftermath of the elections.

From our own findings, we know that many leaders in that part of the world that run for elections actually use these warlords to help them get elected. And obviously, they’ve got like four years of downtime between elections, and this is how they spend their spare time. So, it’s hardly surprising.

I think our military and our police have the capability to deal with these criminal warlords and put them down. How shall I say it – with extreme prejudice. But you get a lot of interference in the command of the police and the Defence Force. I suspect that changes the operational orders once they get too close to dealing with these terrorists.

DW: Police have been given the power to use lethal force, but a lot of commentators would say the problems have more to do with the the lack of money, the lack of opportunity, the lack of education.

AB: The lack of education, opportunity, and things like that will play a small part. But again, as I said, I come from a province where we don’t have warlords running around heavily armed to the teeth. I mean, you have got to remember an AR-15, or a 4M, or anything like that. These things on the black market cost around 60,000 to 70,000 kina (NZ$20,000-25,000).

The ordinary Papua New Guinean cannot afford one of those things and guns are banned in public use — they’ve been banned for like 30 years. So how do these weapons get in? Just buying a bullet to operate one of these things is hard enough. So you got to ask yourself the question: how are illiterate people with perhaps no opportunity, able to come into possession of such weapons.

DW: The esteemed military leader Jerry Singarok compiled, at the request of the government about 15 years ago, a substantial report on what to do about the gun problem. But next to nothing of that has ever been implemented. Would you go back to something like that?

AB: Absolutely. I have a lot of respect for Major-General Singarok. I know him personally as well. We have had these discussions on occasions. You’ve got smart, capable people who have done a lot of work in areas such as this, and we just simply put them on the backburner and let them collect dust.

DW: The opposition hopes to have its notice for a motion of no confidence in the Marape government in Parliament on 28 or 29 May, when Parliament resumes. It was adjourned two weeks ago when the opposition tried to present their motion, with the government claiming it was laden with fake names, something the opposition has strenuously denied. Do you have the numbers?

AB: Obviously we’re talking with people inside the government because that’s where the numbers are. Hence, we’ve been encouraged to go ahead with the vote of no confidence. The chance of maybe being Prime Minister per se, is probably like 5 percent. So it could be someone else.

I say that because in Papua New Guinea, it’s really difficult for someone with my background and my sort of discipline and level of honesty to become prime minister. It’s happened a couple of times in the past, but it’s very rare.

DW: You’re too honest?

AB: I’m too honest. Yes.

DW: We’ve looked at the law and audit issue. What else needs fixing fast?

Well, we’ve got a youth bulge. We’ve got a huge population problem. We’ve got to start looking at practical ways in terms of how we can quickly expand opportunities to use your word. Whatever we’ve been doing for the last 10 years has not worked. We’ve got to try something new.

My proposal is actually really keeping with international management best practice. You go to any organisation this is what they do. I think New Zealand does it as well, and Australia does, which is you’ve got to push more funds and responsibilities closer to the coalface and that’s the provinces.

If I could do one thing that would change the trajectory of this country, it’s actually to push more resources away from the centralised government. We actually have a centralised system of government right now.

The Prime Minister [Marape] has so much control to the point where it’s up to him to authorise the building of a road in a particular place worth, say, 5 million kina. The national government is the federal government, if you like, is looking after projects that are as low as say, 2 to 3 million New Zealand dollars in value all the way up to projects that are $500 million in value.

So the question is: there’s got to be better separation of powers, better separation of responsibilities and, of course, clearly demarcated roles and responsibilities. Right now, we’re all competing for the same space. It’s highly inefficient with duplicating a lot of things and there’s a lot of wastage of resources. The way to do that is to decentralise.

DW: What concerns do you have about MPs having direct control over significant amounts of these funds that are meant to go to their electorates? Should they?

AB: Well, I don’t think any of us should have access to direct funding in that regard. However, this is the prevailing political culture that we live in. So again, coming back to my idea about ensuring that we get better funding at the sub-national levels is to strengthen the operational capability of the public servants there, so that once they start to perform, then hopefully over time, there’ll be less of a need to directly give funds to members of parliament because the system itself will start functioning.

We’ve killed the system over the last 20 or 30 years and so now the system is overly dependent on one individual which is wrong.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Papua New Guinea’s opposition has vowed to remove Prime Minister James Marape and his government from power.

During a media conference held last Friday, alternative prime minister Allan Bird shed light on the multitude of unresolved issues accumulated over the past four years under Marape’s leadership, assuring the public that they would address these concerns once elected.

Bird expressed optimism, saying: “Definitely, we are obviously in discussions, we have friends.”

• READ MORE:  ‘Psychological powerplay’ – vote of confidence in PNG PM Marape
• Other PNG reports

This remark implied the formation of a substantial coalition aimed at challenging the current government’s authority.

Former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill further fuelled the opposition’s determination, proclaiming: “If we were not confident, we would not be handing in the motion.”

This sentiment was echoed by Sinasina-Yongomugl MP Kerenga Kua, who offered an unprecedented wave of positivity.

“I have never felt this optimistic in a situation like this. We are very confident,” Kua said.

Bird highlights challenges
Bird highlighted the pressing economic challenges faced by the country, drawing
attention to the recent rioting and looting on “Black Wednesday”, an expression symbolising a profound financial crisis.

He emphasised the immense pressure on the government to find solutions due to their governance and control over the nation’s finances.

“The current state of our economy, particularly as demonstrated on Black Wednesday, is unprecedented,” Bird said.

“This alone exerts immense pressure on the government,” Bird said.

“They must propose solutions because they hold the reins of power and are responsible for managing the country’s financial resources, among other obligations.”

Bird concluded his remarks by urging the Marape administration to relinquish power and allow another party to navigate the existing challenges.

‘Time to hand over control’
“It’s time to hand over control and let someone else guide us out of the quagmire we find ourselves in,” he said.

The opposition’s unwavering confidence and determination signify a significant shift in the political landscape.

“With numerous outstanding issues at the forefront and an expanding support base within Parliament, the battle for leadership in the country is poised to intensify in the weeks ahead,” he said.

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier journalist. Republished with permission.

East Sepik Governor Allan Bird says Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape must take responsibility for the Port Moresby riots two weeks ago.

The National reports Governor Bird saying the police cannot be punished for the looting and burning, the government is totally responsible for what happened.

“You can’t just pass the buck, we’ve got to take responsibility for that,” said Bird, a government MP.

• READ MORE: Marape reshuffles PNG cabinet – Treasurer demoted, Tkatchenko back
• Other PNG politics reports

He said the rioting — dubbed Black Wednesday — was a stain on PNG’s history, a stain on all members of Parliament, and a stain on all of decisionmakers, who for many years had failed to deal with the underlying issues in the country.

Governor Bird said the lack of employment and increases in living costs had contributed to the buildup of frustrations that led to the riots in which lives were lost, women raped, and businesses destroyed.

Last week, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge said a change in leadership would restore confidence in government, and called for Marape to put his leadership of the Pangu Party on the table.

Wenge said he was not going anywhere, that he was a Pangu Pati member, but a change in leadership was necessary.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

If there is a glimmer of hope in Papua New Guinea’s violence marred national general elections, then it has to be the elevation of a lone woman to the National Parliament.

It took the People’s National Congress (PNC) Governor-elect of Central Province, Rufina Peter, three attempts to wrest power away from Pangu’s Robert Agarobe at the close of counting last week.

The contest went down to the wire and Peter won on the weight of second and third preferential votes from eliminated candidates to unseat Agarobe.

• READ MORE: Shouldering the weight of four million women: PNG elects its first female MP in a decade
• Other PNG elections reports

She becomes the second woman to win the Central regional seat –– the first being vocal Papua Besena MP Dame Josephine Abaijah. And she is the eighth woman to be elected to Parliament, the first in a decade.

In another major development, the people of Madang are on the cusp of sending a second woman to join Peter in Parliament.

Rai Coast hopes up
In the remote district of Rai Coast –– famous for hosting a Russian anthropologist a century ago – jittery voters are keeping their fingers crossed as distribution of preferences was taking place over the weekend.

These are the same preferences that elevated Peter and given Sawang’s strong lead in the first half of the count, the preferences are hoped to push her to  victory.

Last Friday, she was in second place on 5086 votes after the first preferences were completed from defending MP Peter Sapia’s LLG area, pushing Sapia to 7127 votes.

Counting of preferential votes is continuing at a snail’s pace in Rai Coast as the coasties hold their breath.

More than 62,361 people of Central Province cast their vote for Peter, who polled 3444 more votes against incumbent Agarobe.

She surpassed the absolute majority of 60,640 after the 20th exclusion of Nelson Saroa who had 25,551 votes distributed, which pushed Rufina to collect 6779, making her reach the target with 62,361 votes against Agarobe who had 58,917 votes.

She said at her declaration on Friday night that she was aware of the magnitude of politics played out on the floor of Parliament, the tasks ahead of her, the wrestling she would need to do to give her Central Province people what they deserve.

First woman declared
An economist and Goilala’s first female politician, Rufina Peter is now the first woman to be declared in the 2022 national election.

Peter admitted that being elected as the political head of a province came with great responsibility and she was confident she could deliver to her people by working as a team.

PNC leader Peter O’Neill was first to congratulate the party’s “iron lady”, saying her declaration was a proud moment for the party.

“Rufina Peter’s declaration is a proud moment for our Party. She fought hard and stands strongly for those she represents. It is a pity that the ferocity and aggressive nature of this terrible national general election has sidelined a record number of female candidates,” O’Neill said.

In an interview over the weekend, Peter said Central Province had many educated elites who were instrumental in building the nation on the eve of independence.

“In my five years, I will make that happen again while in office, I will carry my people’s plight, I will fight for our women, our children and the underprivileged,” she said.

Dedicated to ‘female empowerment’
Peter assured the people of Central and PNG women that she stood ready to work with all members-elect in Central and the provincial administration to serve her people in five districts.

The new governor also thanked her predecessor, Robert Agarobe, for leading and governing Central Province over the past five years.

She dedicated her victory to God, the women of Central and male champions of women empowerment.

She acknowledged all security forces and electoral officials for delivering the elections in trying circumstances, and also praised the PNC party for believing in and endorsing her to run under its banner.

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier journalist. Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea politics — or for that matter, Parliament — will no longer be the same any more in this country.

The defeats of experienced and long serving MPs Patrick Pruaitch, Davis Steven, John Simon and Dr Allan Marat has completely changed the landscape of politics in PNG.

And similar upsets are expected in coming days as counting proceeds in more than 70 electorates around the country.

• READ MORE: Other PNG election reports

Continuity in leadership at the national level in any country is important, and in PNG, it is no different.

This country still requires the presence of a good number of capable individuals in Parliament at any given term of the House who have the necessary skills, knowledge, and abilities to lead Parliament, or better still, provide that guidance needed by those who govern to ensure proper checks and balance are maintained.

The defeats of the four long-serving MPs reflects the wishes of their people and must be respected. No one will unwind the clock of events that have taken place in this election.

However, the losses suffered so far and the likelihood of other leaders bowing out leaves huge holes in Parliament and in their political parties which will take time to fill.

20 years in Parliament
National Alliance Party leader and a former Treasurer Pruaitch, an economist by profession, lost the Aitape Lumi seat he has held since 2002 — the year another stable and highly respected politician and lawyer, Dr Allan Marat, entered Parliament.

Joining them a decade later were John Simon who took the Maprik Open seat in East Sepik province and Davis Steven who took the Esa-ala seat in Milne Bay province.

Deputy National Alliance party leader Walter Schnaubelt and East Sepik Governor-elect Allan Bird thanked the people of Aitape-Lumi for their support for Pruaitch over the last 20 years.

They advised over the weekend that the party would convene their meeting to address this issue among others and make an announcement later.

The casualty list so far includes Rabaul MP Dr Allan Marat, Maprik MP John Simon, Huon-Gulf MP Ross Seymour, ENB Governor Nakikus Konga, Koroba-Kopiago MP Petrus Thomas, Nawaeb MP Kennedy Wenge, and Menyama MP Benjamin Philip.

All lost their seats to first time MPs.

Gorethy Kenneth is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

For weeks, we have seen the election violence as it spread in horrific proportions around the Highlands region, mainly in Enga and other provinces there.

Men, women, and even children caught up in the fray costing lives and properties into the millions.

Yesterday, the capital city also came under similar election related violence for the first time.

• READ MORE: 18 people hacked to death in Porgera in under an hour amid PNG elections
• Other PNG election reports

Video footage captured by pedestrians commuting between two of the city’s most busiest shopping centres, in the heart of the capital city at Waigani, adjacent to the municipal authority, the country’s major sporting infrastructure hub where counting is done, and less than a kilometre from the nation’s seat of power Parliament House, human beings were hacked in front of children along a main arterial road.

It seemed the worst fears of the violence in the Highlands had just reared its ugly head yesterday around 3pm near the counting vicinity of the Sir John Guise stadium.

Supporters of candidates contesting the Moresby Northeast clashed following disputes that originated within the venue and escalated outside into a fully fledged machete-wielding hunt that saw three individuals slashed.

We wonder why this is taking place in the capital. Is it enough we have parts of the country facing turmoil and the weak and innocent already threatened with death, the capital then grinds to a halt at the hands of thugs?

Thugs with nothing better to do
Yes, thugs, who have nothing better to do then fighting to kill for just one individual and outcome.

We commend the work of the security forces, who while they were not able to prevent the initial hacking that took place, were able to react swiftly and evict all those camping out in makeshift tents along the road reserves beside the stadium, the main gathering points sheltering such thugs.

The Post-Courier joins the call by prominent Papua New Guinea business leader and advocate for change Anthony Smaré who reacted with a call on all leaders looking to consolidate their political future in the 11th Parliament to form government, while the capital seems set to ignite in violence if not addressed very soon.

“So now we have people chopping up other people with machetes outside counting venues in the nation’s capital!

“Law breakers want to become law makers!

“This insanity is happening in Port Moresby, outside the national stadium, the largest shopping centre and opposite city hall, within 1km of Parliament House, Supreme Court, Government offices, and PM’s official residence! 500 meters from embassies of Australia, NZ, Britain, and China.

‘In the seat of power!’
“It’s one thing when this violence happens in distant places like Porgera and people can cover their ears with their hands and say police should deal with it, but now it’s in the seat of power itself!

“Potential Prime Ministers, you need to abandon your camps and come back to Port Moresby and show some national leadership calling for restoration of rule of law and calm.

“Seize the opportunity this provides to you to act prime ministerial — come out in public and call for calm. If you want to be national leaders, show some traits of NATIONAL LEADERSHIP!” Smaré stated bluntly.

We support this call and call on the very leaders who are supposed to lead, to lead, whether re-elected, new, or incumbent, heads of security forces, you all have a form of influence that goes beyond any win.

Port Moresby is the capital city.

If it falls into violence because proactive leadership was not taken, then God help us all.

This editorial was published by the PNG Post-Courier today, 25 July 2022. Republished with permission.

She is brave — no other word can describe this Papua New Guinean woman.

Ruth Undi Siwinu isn’t only challenging the norms and a huge field of male candidates in Southern Highlands, but knows the task ahead and she is prepared to take them head on.

In a province where leadership is regarded as “men’s business”, Siwinu takes on everyone –– including the sitting MP and Pangu strongman William Powi.

• READ MORE: Other PNG elections reports

“Let’s make history and vote a woman candidate into Parliament,” Siwini told hundreds of supporters at her rally in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province.

An independent candidate, Siwinu told the huge group that poverty was real in this province  and a country that were blessed with vast resources that were bringing in billions of kina every year.

“I have travelled to the length and breadth of this province. I have been to all the five districts in the province and I saw that my people are still struggling to live,” she said.

“Why are my people struggling when Southern Highlands is blessed with all resources and the country is sitting on the resources Southern Highlands produce.

‘A mistake somewhere’
“There is a mistake somewhere and we have to find out. We want a women leader to lead the province, we have given enough time to the men to lead the province but they have failed us big time,” she said.

Siwinu said male leaders in the province were not providing services that the people deserved.

“They are playing too much politics and did not serve the people for many years. We have to stop this,” she added.

She said that the national election has provided the opportunity for the people to change the leadership and vote in a women leader to drive Southern Highlands forward into the future.

She urged all mothers, girls, aunties and youths to vote in a women candidate in this election to effect change in the province. She called on all women to rally behind her for a better Southern Highlands.

‘Representing the marginalised’
“I am standing here representing you women, the marginalised. Women are the people who suffer most in this province and I want you all women to make a strong stand and make your vote count in Ruth Undi,” she said.

She said she had spent K1 million (NZ$446,000) investing in Southern Highlands, helping women through her Mama Helpim Mama Charity organisation.

“I have Mama Helpim Mama charity organisation, though this organisation I spent K1 million helping Southern Highlands mothers.

“I have seen the real struggle in the villages, I serve the people already, I am only need the political power to continue what I am doing,” she said.

Eighty six of the 2351 candidates registered for next month’s general election are women.

Kolopu Waima is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Prime Minister James Marape has called on Papua New Guineans not to vote for “money, relatives or cargo” in the country’s 2022 general election that kicks off later this month.

He made the call yesterday on the third anniversary of his resignation from the O’Neill-led government on 11 April 2019 due to “sheer frustration” at the way the country was being run.

Marape on that day in 2019 had resigned in protest at the way he said at the time Peter O’Neill was running down the country.

• READ MORE: PNG heads to the polls in June this year — will it be a chance for women to finally shine?
• Other reports on PNG elections

Reflecting on that occasion, Marape urged the people “to exercise your right to vote wisely in the 2022 elections”.

“Don’t vote for money, don’t vote for relatives, and don’t vote for people or parties who have sold your birthright,” he said.

“If I have not done well for this country, if I am not the leader of your choice, then vote in someone else who can do better.

“Pangu Pati, and the coalition that I have worked with over the last three years –– including National Alliance, United Resources Party, United Labour Party, People’s Party, Liberal Party, National Party, People’s Movement for Change, Allegiance Party, Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party, One Nation Party, People’s Labour Party, Social Democratic Party and others –– have tried our best to stabilise our economy and restore credibility for this country.”

‘Steadied the ship’
He said so much had happened since that fateful day on 11 April 2019.

“I never knew I was going to be Prime Minister. I resigned [as] one man because I was fed up with the way Peter O’Neill was running down our country.

“Yes, he was doing some good, but the greater part of him was for personal gratification and gain and I could not knowingly remain in his government.”

Marape said the country had been through a lot of political turbulence since he took office, the most-infamous being the failed no-confidence vote of November 2020, spearheaded by O’Neill.

“There were political challenges right up until the 18-month grace period of my election as prime minister was up in November 2020,” he said.

“There were economic challenges, there were covid-19 challenges, but we have prevailed through the Grace of God.

“We have steadied the ship.”

The writs are issued on April 28, and voting is due June 11-24.

Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape has rejected opposition leader Belden Namah’s call for him to resign.

Namah’s call came after the Supreme Court yesterday ordered Parliament to sit next Monday, quashing the government’s recent adjournment of Parliament until April.

The court ruled that the Speaker’s move to overrule an earlier adjournment allowed by his deputy and recall Parliament last month, when the opposition was not present, was unconstitutional.

• LISTEN TO RNZ DATELINE PACIFIC: The PNG political crisis (Duration 5′ :32″)

“If you want to get me out of office, then the proper place is contest through a vote of no-confidence process on the floor of Parliament.”

Parliament appears evenly split, with Marape saying he had the support of 55 of the 111 MPs.

Marape said the MPs with him could “not be bought or sold”, characterising the opposition’s move to remove him as driven by some MPs’ personal interest to be prime minister.

But his government is under significant parliamentary pressure, as the Supreme Court ruling rendered all Parliamentary business on November 17 invalid.

That included the government’s passing of the 2021 budget, which will have to be tabled again – although this time the opposition MPs will be present.

The opposition has not revealed who its nomination for alternative prime minister would be.

O’Neill key player
The former prime minister Peter O’Neill, who filed the successful Supreme Court challenge, remains a key player in efforts to remove Marape.

Last year, Marape led moves to oust O’Neill, who resigned before a Parliamentary vote elevated his former close ally to the leadership.

O’Neill said that Marape should do what he did when he had lost a clear majority and resign.

Marape has meanwhile appealed for the public to remain calm, despite the political turbulence.

Three government members of Papua New Guinea’s Parliament have tested positive for covid-19.

The MPs, whose names haven’t been publicised, have been in Prime Minister James Marape’s camp during the ongoing political standoff.

PNG’s Pandemic Response Controller David Manning said that an MP was initially tested at the weekend and returned a positive result.

• READ MORE: Wallis and Futuna records third covid-19 case
• Three covid-19 cases found at Fiji’s border
• Officials to decide on final match for covid-stricken Fiji rugby team

According to Manning, the MP was isolated away from the rest of the government camp at Loloata Island, but that contact tracing unearthed more cases.

“As a result of further tests we did pick up another two positive cases, and of course they have now been isolated as well,” Manning told a media conference in Port Moresby.

“I have written in my capacity as controller to the Speaker of the national Parliament, advising him of the three positive cases, and as such I have recommended to him, consistent with our procedures as to what we expect in how to respond to this in so far as the Parliament is concerned.”

Health officials said any recall of parliament would need to follow safety guidelines. In the meantime any other MPs or parliamentary staff who have been in contact with the MP at the Loloata resort are to be isolated and tested.

All three cases are described by health officials as having “mild symptoms”. The new cases in the National Capital District take PNG’s total number of confirmed infections to date to 633.

Local media is also reporting that another MP who had been at the Loloata camp had since also left for Vanimo in PNG’s northwest, where opposition MPs are camped.

Health officers in Vanimo have been directed to test the MP and close contacts.

Supreme Court seeks consensus on date for Parliament
Meanwhile, the PNG Supreme Court case on the legality of last week’s sitting of Parliament has been adjourned until today.

The application filed by former prime minister Peter O’Neill challenges the constitutionality of reconvening Parliament just over a week ago.

Speaker Job Pomat hastily called the sitting despite an earlier adjournment to next week allowed by his deputy.

The recall resulted in Parliament being adjourned to April.

This would enable Prime Minister James Marape to avoid a likely vote of no-confidence after dozens of MPs defected from his coalition this month.

According to the NBC, Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika urged parties in the proceedings to reach a consensus before the matter goes back for directional hearing tomorrow.

He suggests that if the opposition’s desired date for Parliament sitting on December 1 can be moved to another date, it can give time for the Supreme Court application to be heard.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has urged the public to not get caught up in the country’s political crisis which has ended up in the courts.

James Marape’s government appears to have staved off a vote of no confidence by quickly passing the budget on Tuesday and adjourning parliament to April.

But the move is being challenged in court by the opposition which gained a majority last week following a mass defection of government MPs.

• READ MORE: Opposition claims PNG budget vote a ‘mockery’

The opposition leader, Belden Namah, with a majority of MPs behind him, moved a motion to adjourn Parliament to December 1 when a grace period on motions of no-confidence lapses.

But Parliament Speaker Job Pomat subsequently ruled that the motion had been “wrongly entertained” by his deputy and recalled the House.

Former prime minister Peter O’Neill, one of the opposition MPs leading the charge to remove Marape, said the Speaker’s ruling was flawed.

“Flawed in the sense that in every occasion over the past 45 years only the members of Parliament can adjourn Parliament by a resolution and a motion on the floor, when in fact Belden Namah on Friday moved the motion to suspend standing orders.

57 members ‘gave authority’
“When you suspend standing orders that means the standing orders do not apply. Fifty-seven members gave him the authority. That is why he moved the motion,” he said.

In Tuesday’s sitting, Parliament achieved a quorum with less than half of all MPs present, when the government passed its budget, without the usual required debate.

O’Neill’s legal team has now filed a court application challenging the legality of the sitting, which the opposition was largely unable to attend.

“So Marape and the Speaker are making a mockery of the parliamentary system, the mandate of our people, the democracy that we have enjoyed for the last 45 years.”

While this was happening, the embattled prime minister summoned public service departmental heads, including Police Commissioner and Defence Commander, for a special briefing.

The message he gave them was repeated to the public at large, blaming the current crisis on MPs who he said were prepared to indulge in “cut-throat politics” at a time when PNG is faced by steep challenges caused by covid-19.

“So let me at this time encourage our citizens, don’t you worry about politics that is taking place. Remain focussed at your job, leave politics to politicians, get on your life. Public servants and members of our disciplinary services are asaked to remain above politics, focus on your job.”

Marape dismisses O’Neill’s claims
Marape dismissed O’Neill’s claim that Tuesday’s adjournment was illegal. He said just because the opposition decided to leave the capital and form a camp in remote Vanimo, it did not mean government services must come to a standstill.

“Mr O’Neill and his friends in the opposite side of the house are reminded that we will play by the rule, play fair and square. And if they’re not satisfied, well the court is the place where we can meet. In the meantime, government business runs, we run a government.”

Marape had the option of adjourning Parliament to June, within the last 12 months of parliament’s five-year term, when it’s not possible to lodge a no-confidence motion. But by instead opting for April, the prime minister has given the opposition a late chance at tabling such a motion.

“I would have played nasty and asked the leader of government business to push Parliament into a safer time when there was no vote-of-no-confidence opportunity, for instance after July 30th, 2021,” Marape explained.

“But we are not stupid running government. We are mindful that Parliament is a place of forum. The reason why we pushed Parliament to April was to ensure the programmes of early 2021 take place – 2021 is an important preparation year for the 2022 national elections.”

With last week’s political gambit frustrated, O’Neill has kept up the attack on his former close ally’s government.

“We are hearing today that they are printing cheques in the Treasury, printing cheques in the Finance Department to use to politically bribe members of Parliament. This has never happened before in the history of our country.”

Similar accusations flying
Similar accusations are flying in the other direction. The Finance Minister Rainbo Paita revealed that on the eve of his exit from government, Bulolo MP Sam Basil – who was deputy prime minister and National Planning Minister until he led the defection last week – oversaw a large payout from the Supplementary Budget prepared to meet the towering challenges of an economy rocked by the pandemic.

According to Paita, the funds allegedly went to MPs in Basil’s United Labour Party.

Meanwhile, one of the defectors, William Duma, the incumbent Minister of Commerce and Industry, is now back showing support for Marape again.

Last Friday, after leaving government, the MP cited concerns about government handling of the economy, yet the bulk of his United Resources Party remained with the government. Now he is back claiming last week was a mistake made while confused over the opposition’s move.

Duma has form, having switched sides more than once during the lobbying that preceded the ousting of Peter O’Neill as prime minister last year.

The Mt Hagen MP’s inveterate flip-flopping means there’s no guarantee he would not change sides again, another sign that the political situation in Port Moresby remains fluid.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

The Papua New Guinea Parliament has passed the 2021 national budget with more than half of MPs – including the opposition – absent from the chamber, assuming it had been adjourned to December 1.

The opposition says it is challenging the sitting in the Supreme Court.

Opposition lawyers could not obtain a stay order from the court in time to stop the Parliament sitting on Tuesday morning, reports The National.

• READ MORE: Clever footwork saves the day for Marape
• PNG government passes budget while rebel MPs caught out of town

Speaker Job Pomat, after reviewing the laws governing the calling of meetings of the House on Monday, ruled that a motion passed last Friday to adjourn to next month, was “wrongly entertained”.

He therefore recalled Parliament on Tuesday, catching the Opposition MPs who left last weekend for a camp in Vanimo, West Sepik, by surprise. They were still in Vanimo.

Prime Minister James Marape, backed by 50 MPs including himself, welcomed the passing of the 2021 national budget saying the work of governing the nation must continue.

“It is time to finish the year and pass the budget for a new year. I am still PM leading this government and have been leading for 18 months. It hasn’t been easy,” he said.

Debts ‘we are trying to clean’
“There are debts we are trying to clean and get loans that have less interest like the Australians have given.

“The IMF, ADB, World Bank, Japan are assisting this country. We are trying to clean the debts we have incurred over the last couple of years.”

Lawyer Phillip Tabuchi of Young and Williams lawyers representing the opposition said an application for a stay order had to be withdrawn around midday as Parliament was already sitting by then.

Justice Derek Hartshorn in the Supreme Court agreed to withdraw the application and had the substantive matter adjourned to the registry.

Tabuchi said: “The application for injunction to restrain this morning’s (yesterday) sitting had to be withdrawn because the events had overtaken the application. We will reconsider legal avenues and take it from there.”

Former PM Peter O’Neill described the Parliament sitting as “illegal”.

“Last Friday, 57 members voted to adjourn Parliament to Dec 1. If the government has the numbers they can pass the budget on December 1,” he said.

“Unfortunately, they knew that more than half of MPs are out of Port Moresby and not able to attend Parliament.”

‘Why the rush?’
He accused Marape and Pomat of “making a mockery of our parliamentary system, the mandates of our people, the democracy that they have enjoyed for the last 45 years.”

He said any MP could move a motion for parliament to be adjourned.

“In fact (last Friday), Belden Namah moved a motion to suspend Standing Orders. When you do that, it means Standing Orders do not apply,” he said.

“The 57 members gave him (Namah) that authority to suspend standing orders.”

O’Neill said they were redrafting the application to the court to declare the sitting illegal.

“Today they (government) were trying to pass a budget which is not printed. It is illegal. Why the rush?”

The Pacific Media Centre republishes The National articles with permission.

Politics in Papua New Guinea has been plunged into more turmoil today, with government MPs continuing to meet while the opposition was out of town, thinking they had adjourned Parliament.

The government MPs passed the Budget, and then made their own adjournment, until next April.

Last Friday, the opposition, bolstered by government MPs crossing the floor, called for an adjournment vote, which they won.

• READ MORE: Marape confident he is in control in PNG and will not bow to ‘greedy few’
• PM Marape brands plotter as ‘political scumbag’ in PNG upheaval
• Scott Waide, Our country, Papua New Guinea, is being taken away from us
• Bryan Kramer: PM says PNG revolt ‘isn’t over’ – I say watch the play
• Aust PM postpones visit as PNG PM faces challenge
• PNG prime minister James Marape’s future in doubt as MPs cross floor
• PNG passes anti-corruption legislation

Those MPs, or an estimated 43 of them then travelled to Vanimo, to prepare for a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister James Marape, with that to happen on December 1.

The date is significant because Marape’s 18-month grace period from no confidence votes would expire then.

But yesterday the Speaker, Job Pomat, announced that opposition leader Belden Namah had no right to call for an adjournment and that Parliament was still in session.

Parliament was to resume at 2pm today but Michael Kabuni, a political scientist at the University of PNG, said this was brought forward to 10am, presumably prompted by legal action the opposition’s lawyers were preparing to take.

‘They had a quorum’
“They had a quorum. You need one third of the 111 MPs present, and they had more than 37. They presented a Budget to themselves, the government MPs and they voted on it, so the Budget is passed and they also voted to adjourn the parliament to 20th of April, 2021,” Kabuni said.

A vote of no confidence seems unlikely in April next year because it would be just a year or so out from the election.

Kabuni said such a move would prompt the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament and call an early poll.

Earlier today the former Commerce Minister, William Duma, who had stood shoulder to shoulder with the rebel MPs last Friday, rejoined the government, according to Kabuni.

This brought to three the number of MPs who have rejoined the government since the split.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Prime Minister James Marape says his executive is still in control for the next three weeks for doing state business, passing the budget and to serve the people of Papua New Guinea.

In spite of the defection by rebel members of his majority last Friday and a vote to suspend Parliament until next month, Speaker Job Pomat says the motion by opposition leader Belden Namah is “not right”, reports FM100 News.

Under the organic law and parliamentary standing orders, only a minister can adjourn Parliament.

• READ MORE: PM Marape brands plotter as ‘political scumbag’ in PNG upheaval
• Scott Waide, Our country, Papua New Guinea, is being taken away from us
• Bryan Kramer: PM says PNG revolt ‘isn’t over’ – I say watch the play
• Aust PM postpones visit as PNG PM faces challenge
• PNG prime minister James Marape’s future in doubt as MPs cross floor
• PNG passes anti-corruption legislation

Speaker Job Pomat said this meant Parliament was still in session and would continue this afternoon.

In a media conference, the Speaker said that after careful consideration and research he had found the motion moved by opposition leader Belden Namah on Friday to adjourn Parliament to December, to be in breach of the Organic Law and parliament standing orders.

Pomat said that under section 2 of the Organic Law on the “calling of meetings of parliament”, only a minister could move a motion to have a Parliament sitting adjourned.

He said this week’s sitting would commence at 2pm today PNG time.

Mining minister ‘rejoins’ government
Mining Minister Johnson Tuke has left his People’s Progress Party led by Sir Julius Chan and rejoined the government, bringing the number of government MPs to 53, reports the Post-Courier’s Jeffrey Elapa.

The other member who rejoined the government is the Member for Sohe Henry Amule.

Prime Minister Marape said Tuke had never left his government and was not part of the Friday “stupidity”.

“He is a leader that subscribes to my ideology about take back PNG’S resources. He is a pure hardcore Melanesian chief and a resource owner himself. He is here to stay,” the Prime Minister said.

Contrary to what the #PNG Opposition thought when it rushed to Vanimo to plot the downfall of prime minister Marape & his government, parliament will resume today. It seems Namah & Co did not fully understand parliament’s standing orders when they suspended proceedings on Friday

— Keith Jackson AM (@PNGAttitude) November 16, 2020

He said the executive government would still be in control for the next three weeks for doing government business, passing the budget and getting the government work moving to “serve our people”.

He said the events that unfolded on Friday in Parliament separated the good from the bad in his government, as he put the interest of the nation ahead with the passage of the anti-corruption (ICAC) bill on Thursday and the passage of several resource laws.

He said the government team had 37 MPs when the vote was taken on the motion, but the numbers had increased to 52 in a House of 111 members, minus the Bougainville Regional MP and Sir Mekere Morauta, who was sick but ready to fly back to Port Moresby.

Marape said the motion to adjourn Parliament to December 1 was normal Parliament business when the number swung their way and so the opposition leader did what he felt he had to do to take control of Parliament proceedings.

‘We’re not constitutional hooligans’
“And we accepted that as we are not constitutional hooligans, we are not constitutional plunderers and we are not constitutional rapists,” Marape said.

“I’m happy that I’m surrounded by a very solid first term and second term and a few senior members among us. A group of leaders who want to do the right thing for the country.

“The reason why we changed government in 2019 was to move away from a status quo that was rife with corruption, a status quo that was subscribing to corporate interest, multinational interest and for the interest of a greedy few, and we made a change,” he said.

He said he knew “what was cooking”, but he did not want to send a bad signal to the Members of Parliament.

“For me, as a Prime Minister that [has] managed a huge number that was close to 90 members of Parliament was a big task, not knowing who was among us.

“I have 52 and more contacts being made with those that surprised us by leaving on the floor on Parliament, signaling that they want to return. I am surrounded by a body of leaders who are confident that we will stand together into 2022 and beyond,” he said.

The executive government was in place, Parliament conducted its business[yesterday] and that is Parliament business and now the executive government will run its course.

“I’m the Prime Minister sitting on the chair of the Prime Minister,” he said.

By Keith Jackson in Noosa

Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape has arisen with fire in his belly today.

A short time ago he issued a short and pugnacious Facebook message to members of Parliament who are plotting to overthrow his government.

The plotters are reportedly led by former prime minister Peter O’Neill and his former deputy Belden Namah.

• READ MORE: Scott Waide, Our country, Papua New Guinea, is being taken away from us
• Bryan Kramer: PM says PNG revolt ‘isn’t over’ – I say watch the play
• Aust PM postpones visit as PNG PM faces challenge
• PNG passes anti-corruption legislation

They claim to have a majority of members who have defected to them, but a parliamentary vote of no confidence cannot be held for another month.

“Produce your numbers on the floor, mate,” a belligerent Marape wrote to chief plotter Belden Namah.

“I am a Huli chief responsible for the small people’s dreams to be rich in their God-given rich land and waters throughout the length and breadth of my country.”

He went on to say that “a Huli doesn’t surrender in a fight, you have to kill me on the battlefield and I will die with dignity.

‘I would rather die in battle’
“I would rather die in battle for the values I stand for than succumbing to the call of a political scumbag.

“And if you do kill me, I can assure you and your cronies, I have kindled a fire in the gut of many of my innocent country-loving first and second term MPs who will carry the fight to take back our country’s resources from the hands of greedy few elites who play this game under the pretext of people’s interest,” Marape said.

“Don’t ask me to resign, come and get it off me in the battlegrounds of Waigani.”

Referring to Namah’s previous hijacking of Parliament, Marape concluded: “You, Belden Namah took it illegally off the father of our nation [Sir Michael Somare] in 2011.

“It will not be as easy this time around.”

Keith Jackson is editor and publisher of PNG Attitude. The Pacific Media Centre republishes his blog items with permission.

COMMENT: By Scott Waide

How much of the Papua New Guinean economy do we own?

All the prime shop spaces in your towns and cities are owned by foreigners. Can you easily get financing for a business? No. If you do get it, are the terms PNG customer friendly? No. Shop space rentals are unaffordable.

Governments past have had no will to reduce costs for PNG entrepreneurs and to create havens for PNG-owned business to grow.

• READ MORE: Bryan Kramer: PM says PNG revolt ‘isn’t over’ – I say watch the play
• Aust PM postpones visit as PNG PM faces challenge

There is a lot of rhetoric and it will intensify next year as people prepare for the silly season. Rental costs are among the highest in the region.

Cartels are paying off government workers, buying off properties and evicting our own people. Our justice system even favours the cartels and their lawyers.

We refuse to believe that organised crime and their masters have become bolder because our systems and its custodians have allowed themselves to be bought off.

The educated “elites” and “intellects” graduating from a a failed education system seek opportunities to profit from the the system and those less educated.

Praises for sweet-talking leaders
We sing praises to sweet-talking leaders and reporters repeat word for word without understanding the corrosive impact of that cheap narrative.

We criticise the media for not taking on the corruption, but when they do, nobody takes custody of the information and uses it for community action.

We are led to believe that unions, protests, and free speech are all illegal and should be discouraged.

Truth is founding father Sir Michael Somare and the independence generation wrote it into our laws. How did we come to forget our rights?

Because our education system made us more stupid that our grandparents’ generation. It taught us not to think for ourselves. A dumb generation raises dumb kids and dumb kids grow up to be dumb adults who vote dumb politicians.

That’s the truth.

They’re the ones who despise intelligence and free speech. They are offended by the expression of rights. Wake up Papua New Guinea!

Wake up! You need to get up and fight for what is yours.

Scott Waide is a leading Papua New Guinean journalist and a senior editor with a national television network. He writes a personal blog, My Land, My Country. The Pacific Media Centre republishes his articles with permission.

Pacific Media Watch reports: The 13 ministers who have defected are: Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil, Foreign Affairs Minister Patrick Pruaitch, Commerce and Industry Minister William Duma, Higher Education Minister Nick Kuman, Education Minister Joseph Yopyyopy, Public Enterprise Minister Sasindran Muthuvel, Mining Minister Johnson Tuke, Immigration and Border Security Minister Westly Nukundj, Health Minister Sir Puka Temu, Justin Tkatchenko, Labour Minister Lekwa Gure, CS Minister Chris Nangoi and Justice Minister and Attorney-General Steven Davis.

The opposition camp is also boasting four former prime ministers in Sir Julius Chan, Paias Wingti, Sir Mekere Morauta, Peter O’Neill and six former deputy prime ministers in Basil, Steven, Pundari, Chris Haiveta, Sir Puka and Allan Marat.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil and 12 other ministers in Papua New Guinea’s James Marape government crossed the floor to support former prime minister Peter O’Neill and opposition leader Belden Namah’s bid to move a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister James Marape.

A total of 41 members from the government side crossed to join Namah and O’Neill and provide them the 57 votes required (majority is 56) to take control of Parliament business and change the Permanent Parliament Committee members to ensure their planned notice of a no confidence vote makes its way to the floor of Parliament.

• READ MORE: Papua New Guinea stands by for new government after MPs abandon James Marape
• PNG’s deputy PM and other MPs cross the floor
• PM James Marape: ‘It’s not over’
• Fresh political turmoil in PNG

So was this expected?

Short answer is Yes.

Behind the scenes, I have been tracking the likes of Basil, William Duma, Charles Abel, Sir Puka Temu, Sir Julius Chan, Paias Wingti, and Chris Haiveta, expecting them to make a play for a change of Prime Minister.

I was very much aware that Basil was in secret talks with O’Neill and Namah, who were so desperate to change the government that they would mislead Basil into crossing the floor.

Basil believes he will be the next Prime Minister; so does Chan and O’Neill.

PM Marape informed
I brought this issue to the attention of Prime Minister Marape on numerous occasions so he would be informed on the what was going on behind the scenes.

However, he wanted to believe that both Basil and Duma would stay loyal to the government because he afforded their parties’ every request.

57 MPs voted with the Opposition today. Opposition has numbers to change PM.

39 MPs voted with PM. PM claims to have 52 supporting him.

57 + 52 = 109 MPs, Two MPs unaccounted for in #PNG‘s vote of No Confidence numbers game pic.twitter.com/rd74TV1XHe

— MARTYN AWAYANG NAMORONG (@MartynNamorong) November 13, 2020

While I note some will say this is a lie because I said there would be no vote of no confidence in the November session, I was factually correct. The November session is over, and Parliament is now adjourned to December 2020.

What is the play?

Right now, I still don’t believe there will be a vote of no confidence. More importantly, the motion for a vote can’t be moved for another four weeks.

Eighteen days from now – on Tuesday, 1 December 2020 – Parliament reconvenes. The Opposition will submit its notice of a no confidence vote against Prime Minister Marape to the Speaker.

The notice must be signed by no less than 12 members and name the next Prime Minister (which is not yet decided).

Naming ‘next PM’
On Wednesday, 2 December 2020, at 1pm, the Speaker and Permanent Parliament Committee will meet to table the notice and confirm it is in order, meeting the constitutional requirements of no less than 12 members signatories and naming the next PM.

Provided the notice is in order, the Speaker will direct the Clerk of Parliament to list the notice on the Parliament Notice Paper.

The next day, on Thursday, 3 December 2020, Parliament will reconvene. The Speaker will announce that he received the notice of the no confidence vote from the opposition and adjourn Parliament for seven days.

On Thursday, 10 December 2020, Parliament will reconvene to deal with the motion of no confidence.

So, folks, that’s almost one month away and right now Basil, O’Neill and Namah have only 59 Members, which they have to keep intact until the day of the vote.

In the meantime, the Marape government needs only to wait around for five members to realize they were badly misled, and that it wasn’t such a great idea to cross the floor. The public will also weigh in, ending their re-election bid in 2022.

Struggle to stay together
What is certain is that most, if not all, politicians will struggle to stay in camp for seven days, let alone one month.

It is also important to note that a sitting Prime Minister will always have the last say on whether a vote of confidence is moved on the day of the vote or not.

Right now, the government has the luxury of the full resources of the country and greater public support.

Support that will only build over time. Because the people of Papua New Guinea are sick of corruption, self-interest and greed.

Bryan Kramer is Papua New Guinea’s Police Minister. He is also one of the most transparent ministers on social media. In his rare spare time, he writes columns on issues for his Kramer Report web and Facebook pages. The Pacific Media Centre republishes his columns with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s new Prime Minister James Marape has overseen a shake-up of cabinet which he says will drive reform the country needs.

The new National Executive Council, announced by Marape this afternoon in Port Moresby, includes two leading members of the opposition in recent years.

The Madang MP Bryan Kramer, an outspoken government critic with a massive following on Facebook, has been appointed Police Minister.

READ MORE: Marape apppoints 3 opposition MPs to new PNG ministry

Sinasina-Yongamugl MP Kerenga Kua, another trenchant critic of the former Peter O’Neill-led government, has been appointed Minister for Petroleum and Energy.

In both cases, an MP who has pushed for reform in a key sector now has the opportunity to implement changes in that area.

Marape’s announcement of Kramer’s appointment was met with cheers at Government House.

“He’s the first to admit that police operate in the rule of evidence and the rule of law,” Marape said.

Police heirarchy
“So we will be asking of him, in the first instance, to restore credibility in the entire police hierarchy. It’s not only about the commissioner or a few sections of the police. The entire police structure is dysfunctional at the moment.”

Marape, who has underlined that his government will review laws governing resource sectors, said he looked forward to working with Kua in the vital petroleum sector to ensure the country has an adequate share of the benefits.

“Of course, he comes from the other side of the house. And he did not cast a vote for me [as prime minister],” Marape explained.

“But this is not about me, this is about the right thing for the country, taking the best men we have around.”

Marape and Kua have both opposed the O’Neill government’s move in April to sign an agreement with French petroleum company Total for the US$13 billion Papua LNG gas project in Gulf province.

They cited concerns that landowner interests were being undermined in the deal, and that the O’Neill government had rushed the deal through without meeting mandatory requirements.

Triggered defections
Meanwhile, the Esa’ala MP Davis Steven has been appointed PNG’s Deputy Prime Minister. He and Marape were the first senior ministers to resign from the O’Neill government in April, triggering a series of defections which ultimately forced the former prime minister to resign.

Other notable cabinet appointments were Bulolo MP Sam Basil as the Treasurer, and O’Neill’s former deputy Charles Abel, the Alotau MP, as the Finance Minister.

Abau MP Sir Puka Temu has been given the portfolio of Bougainville Affairs, which is of critical importance given the Bougainville independence referendum is to be held in October.

Kikori Open MP Soroi Eoe is the new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, replacing Rimbink Pato who had been in the role since 2012.

Marape paid tribute to Pato’s work during his long stint in the role, but explained that there was no room for the Wapenamanda MP given the need to balance regional interests in the cabinet.

“I can’t afford to have more Engans in cabinet with me,” Marape said.

Cabinet split
The prime minister has also made a major change to the shape of cabinet by dividing it in two, which is an attempt at bringing reform with more inter-ministry cohesion than has been seen in the past.

One division will be in charge of the social sector, Marape explained. This will be led by the deputy prime minister and will cover sectors such as Health, Education, Police and Justice

The other area, which the prime minister himself will lead, is concerned with the economic sector, and will include Treasury, Finance and National Planning.

Notably, the National Alliance, which has led PNG’s opposition in the past two years, has not been given any portfolios, despite voting for Marape as prime minister. This seems to confirm that they will be the core of the opposition in the foreseeable future.

While there has been an injection of fresh talent into the National Executive Council, around half of the ministers who were also part of O’Neill’s cabinet, leaving a question mark over the prospects of true reform.

Marape’s cabinet:
1. James Marape – Prime Minister
2. Davis Steven – Deputy Prime Minister and Justice and Attorney-General
3. Joseph Yopyyopy – Education
4. Lekwa Gure – Civil Aviation
5. Wera Mori – Commerce and Industry
6. Renbo Paita – Communication and Energy
7. Wake Goi – Community Development, Youth and Religion
8. Chris Nangoi – Correctional Services
9. Saki Soloma – Defence
10. Soroi Eoe – Foreign Affairs and Trade
11. Jeffery Kama – Environment, Conservation and Climate Change
12. Dr Lino Tom – Fisheries and Marine Resources
13. Sir Puka Temu – Bougainville Affairs
14. Elias Kapavore – Health and HIV/AIDS
15. Nick Kuman – Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology
16. Justin Tkatchenko – Housing and Urban Development
17. Petrus Thomas – Immigration and Border Security
18. Pila Niningi – Inter-Government Relations
19. Alfred Manase – Labour and Industrial Relations
20. John Simon – Agriculture and Livestock
21. John Rosso – Lands and Physical Planning
22. Kerenga Kua – Petroleum
23. Bryan Kramer – Police
24. Sasindran Muthuvel – State Enterprises
25. Westly Nukundj – Public Service
26. Emil Tammur – Tourism, Arts and Culture
27. William Samb – Transport and Infrastructure
28. Michael Nali – Works and Implementation
29. Solan Mirisim – Forest
30. Sam Basil – Treasury
31. Richard Maru – National Planning and Monitoring
32. Charles Abel – Finance and Rural Development
33. Johnson Tuke – Mining

James Marape, Papua New Guinea’s former Finance Minister and the man who led the defections that brought down the Peter O’Neill government, was today elected the country’s eighth prime minister.

Another Highlands leader as member for Tari-Pori, Marape was the power-broker in the moves to shake up the government.

The 48-year-old politician, first elected to Parliament in 2007 beginning his portfolio as Secretary for Works under Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, eventually moving to become Education Minister and then Finance Minister under Peter O’Neill – until last month when he led the breakaway.

READ MORE: Bryan Kramer – Watch for ‘The deceit, the backstabbing and the clowns’

Continual disagreement’s with O’Neill saw Marape leave his position, resigning as Finance Minister, the first crack in the once solid government dam.

The month that followed, was an arena of intense politicking, punctuated by widespread public dissatisfaction on the leadership of now ex-Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Verbal sparring on the one hand, and divisive beliefs on the other, all played out for the country to see.

O’Neill had been a major influence on the state of affairs in a nation teeming with natural resources, and who had been accused on multiple occasions of corruption amid a failing economy.

Camly sidestepping
Earlier this month, O’Neill had appeared unperturbed, calmly sidestepping his opponents in suave fashion before speaker Job Pomat adjourned Parliament.

That three-week hiatus, however, creating a snowball effect that would see Marape build up his own coalition of alliances, with some of the country’s most influential leaders, all answering the calls to his banner.

He adopted Oro Governor Gary Juffa’s slogan “Take back PNG” to maximum effect, using multiple media platforms to get that message across.

It worked.

Marape was the darling of the media, captivating audiences.

With statistical evidence yet to be presented, public reactions so far show Marape as being the most popular leader in the nation.

For observers, Marape comes as a breath of fresh air, bringing with him the vibrancy of youth, against the backdrop of a maturing democracy in Papua New Guinea.

Leadership confidence
The confidence in his leadership was evident, with an overwhelming 101 – 8 votes in Parliament today, ahead of other prime ministerial nominee, another former PM, Sir Mekere Morauta.

Morauta had been Prime Minister under similar circumstances after a political crisis that saw 1999 Prime Minister late Sir William (Bill) Skate deposed.

Moving forward for Marape, the feeling of euphoria will undoubtedly be shortlived.

Papua New Guinea’s current failing economy, a loss of investor confidence and on-going public service issues, will be a major hurdle to be overcome.

Hurdles that have both been inherited from the previous administration in power, and that he had had a contributing hand in, something that he himself admitted to when queried three weeks ago about the controversial Swiss bank UBS dealings regarding Oil Search share acquisitions which were subsequently released by the PNG Ombudsman Commission.

And with these issues only a fraction of what needs to be addressed, a looming 2022 election gives Marape little time to make any serious changes.

And while there is the aura of euphoria, scepticism still remains, with Morauta declaring “we have a new prime minister but the same government”.

Barrage of criticism
Prime Minister Marape knows the level of accountability that he will be held to, with Papua New Guinea’s 8 million citizens, and outspoken parliamentarians all watching – one of whom is the firebrand Bryan Kramer whose constant barrage of criticism over the past two years has seen the public now more politics-savvy than ever before.

Marape is quite attuned to what the nation is saying.

In his inaugural speech, Prime Minister Marape paid heed to the collective influences that will shape his time in office.

“I am encouraged and strengthened and comforted by the fact that I have energy, youth and strength and stamina in many first-timers and second-timers who are in this house on both sides of the floor.”

This formed the crux of one of his arguments in the lead up to today, that it was time for a new generation of leaders to hold the reins of government.

It is no revelation that the old guard of PNG politics is fading into folklore: Sir Mekere, Sir Julius and Paius Wingti, are among the only elder statesmen – Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare and Sir Rabbie Namaliu the only absentees – from PNG’s post-independence era.

More decisions and discussions will follow over the course of Parliament, Papua New Guinea and the international community are watching intensely, Marape’s opportunity has come, and with it, the burden of an office that saw his predecessor relegated.

RNZ Pacific’s Johnny Blades reports that Marape, voted in by fellow MPs on Thursday and sworn in at Government House following the resignation of Peter O’Neill on Wednesday, called for unity in Papua New Guinea.

During his maiden speech in Parliament, Marape likened himself to a choir master bringing different singers together to deliver a harmonious performance.

Members from both sides of the house were implored to follow “his music”.

“I will conduct and try my absolute best and every one of you can sing your parts,” he said.

• The Pacific Media Centre republishes EMTV News items with permission.
• RNZ Pacific’s Johnny Blades reports from Port Moresby
• Scott Waide’s blog on PNG affairs
• More PNG stories

Papua New Guinea is about to host some of the world’s most powerful leaders at the APEC summit. But as PNG’s moment in the spotlight approaches, RNZ Pacific journalist Johnny Blades asks in a special Insight report today how the poorest of APEC’s members is looking after its citizens at a time of social turmoil in the country.

Driving through the countryside on our way to Port Moresby, the surrounding hills were so parched it seemed that only the hardiest of trees could ever grow here.

But as my Papua New Guinean friend Junior said from behind the wheel of the Land Cruiser, the city was growing so fast it would probably soon spread well beyond the trees anyway.

Half an hour out of PNG’s capital we stopped to get a drink at a roadside stall, where the desolation of not only the landscape but the local people came into sharp focus.

LISTEN: Johnny Blades previews APEC on RNZ Insight

A middle aged man approached our Land Cruiser and asked whether we could give him, his wife, and their two small children a lift into PNG’s capital.

His brow was pursed in troubled lines, the gauntness of his wife was striking. They climbed in, out of the searing dry heat of the Central Province seaboard, and the man introduced himself as Ken Auda.

He explained that he and family were heading from their village to Port Moresby General Hospital.

Despite chronic drug shortages at the hospital, they were desperate to get hold of painkillers for his wife who had cervical cancer, a leading killer of PNG women.

Struggling for a cure
“According to doctors’ examination, they found that ‘your wife will not live (for much longer)’,” Auda explained.

“It gives me financial problems, but I know that I’m struggling my best for my wife to be cured.”

His wife next to him stared out the Land Cruiser’s front window, neither engaging in the conversation nor meeting eye. Their two kids were pre-schoolers. It was hard to tell the age of Auda and his wife. They looked around 60 but they could have been 40 – Papua New Guineans do not generally enjoy longevity.

Cervical cancer is just one of numerous health crises in PNG. Amid chronic shortages of medicines and complacencies around vaccination programmes, meant diseases like polio, malaria and TB have re-emerged, HIV AIDS is resurgent.

Shortages of basic drugs and supplies, echo shortages of health workers, rather like the situation in schools, where there are often not enough teachers for overcrowded classrooms, where up to 70 students can be taught at once, or funding shortfalls force closure.

Grassroots communities around this country of eight million people are resilient, but there’s no escaping the lapsing state of basic services around the country.

Yet according to the current government, led by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, a unique opportunity for prosperity looms on PNG’s near horizon.

Biggest event
For the past four years, it has increasingly been preoccupied with preparing to host a meeting of leaders from major world powers, the biggest event to take place in this country.

Now, just a couple weeks out from the APEC Leaders Summit, big road and venue constructions are nearing completion and APEC Haus, a grand new national identity building shaped as a traditional sea vessel, has been unveiled on Port Moresby’s waterfront.

“In school I found out that APEC stands for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation,” Auda said, “but actually… what is APEC?”

APEC, according to PNG’s Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel, was “part of selling the country”.

“We need investment, we need partnerships, we need capital to develop our country. So APEC is going to present a wonderful marketing opportunity,” he explained.

“Because there’s so many opportunities with the natural wealth that we have and the beautiful people that we have and the wonderful culture that we have. This Asia Pacific region is going to be the major growth driver in the coming years. PNG is well placed here.”

Here at the junction of Asia and the Pacific, 2018 is turning out to be a landmark year, but perhaps for reasons other than what the government projected

Tribal violence
Tribal violence surged again in the Highlands, adding to the death toll from lingering fighting between supporters of rival candidates in last year’s elections. It’s worsened the suffering of a region reeling from February’s magnitude 7.5 earthquake disaster which caused almost 200 deaths and widespread devastation of homes and buildings.

As if that wasn’t enough, a state of emergency was declared in Southern Highlands after major political unrest erupted again in June. The sight of one of the national carrier’s planes destroyed at Mendi airport during the unrest was shocking for Papua New Guineans. Then last month they saw images of a second Air Niugini plane written off, sinking in the sea off an airstrip in Micronesia

Symbolism means a lot in APEC year, and the government’s many critics see signs the country is on the verge of social breakdown.

But the government has trucked on relentlessly with its infrastructure drive for APEC, depending heavily on assistance from the likes of China, with Australia, New Zealand and others chipping in significantly to help PNG pull off the summit.

While Port Moresby may have newly sealed roads in time for the summit, the highway leading into the capital was frequently pot-holed, and even a skilled driver like Junior was having troubled navigating them.

Gripping at the seat, Auda said, in Port Moresby this year, it has been impossible to escape the APEC hoo-ha. But prepared to give it a chance, he suggested APEC could be a potential band-aid for his country.

“APEC should be supplying us some kind of services like education, road infrastructure and health,” he explained.

Election plan
Auda revealed that he intended to stand for a seat in the next local level government election.

“If I win a seat, then I will start putting my submission to (the government), a strategy plan for pushing through government services.”

As Auda outlined his practical plans for the future, his wife, who would probably not live to see him don his campaign rosette, continued to stare out the window.

Only when her little kids started arguing over a fidget spinner did she snap out of it, tending to them affectionately, before taking up a thousand-yard stare again

Promises of “development” have long been a feature of the country’s politics, but rarely come to fruition. Some big resource projects have got off the ground, but the benefit flows have been uneven.

It’s hard for people to swallow the government’s claims that hosting APEC, all its hundreds of meetings this year and the big upcoming summit, will benefit PNG’s general population.

“People say that because of this APEC, all the funds are being misused on APEC,” said Ken, shaking his head

Maserati outcry
This month there was a public outcry over the government’s purchase of 40 Maserati cars and other luxury vehicles to use for transporting leaders at the summit.

The cars were “being committed to be paid for by the private sector…at no overall cost to the State”, PNG’s APEC Minister Justin Tkatchenko said.

We came into the city by the seaside village of Hanuabada, with its houses on stilts above the inshore waters of the harbour.

Here we dropped off the family where they’d be able to catch a bus onwards.

“I have a hope which is Jesus Christ, that my wife will stay until whatever God wants,” said Auda before getting out of the vehicle.

His wife was still staring far away as we drove on. I followed her gaze, which led across the bay to the growing skyline of Port Moresby’s CBD.

The afternoon light bounced off the big buildings.

Just around the corner, on the reclaimed foreshore, APEC Haus stood glistening. Ready or not, PNG’s moment in the sun is coming.

The APEC summit begins on the November 17.

This article is republished under the Pacific Media Centre’s content partnership with Radio New Zealand.

• While PNG promotes APEC big money, PNG youth are building grassroots resilience

OPINION: By Gary Juffa, Governor of Oro and a candidate in the PNG general election

Papua New Guinea’s incoming government must put a list of urgent 100 days agendas to attend to immediately upon taking office and put the necessary resources to address them and an effective management system of monitoring, review and redirection.

Right up there on that list  must be a diagnostic review of the 2017 national elections.

Basically this review will highlight what happened, what went wrong, why, who was responsible and what needs to happen to improve and ensure a democratic transparent effective election in 2022 so that the people’s constitutional rights to elect their parliamentary

Here was my experience this week:

On Wednesday, I voted at Iora, Kokoda. But only after some time.

Yes, my name was not on the Electoral Roll 2017. Even though I had made sure my details were updated. Even though I checked the website and it had my name listed and at the location and yet on Wednesday I was not on the 2017 Roll.

I was finally allowed to vote because I was a candidate as per provisions of the law that allowed for this. In other words, if I could not vote because I was not on the 2017 Electoral Roll that would be a blatant and very explicit fact showing that the 2017 rolls were not effectively updated.

Others should vote too
I asked if others can vote too since that was only fair. Since the Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, who was also not on the 2017 roll was allowed to vote and I was allowed to vote, why couldn’t every other person who had voted in 2012 and before be allowed to vote.

I was informed by polling officials that they were instructed that only the 2017 Electoral Roll was to be used and not the 2012 electoral roll or the preliminary roll.

I spoke to many frustrated and angry people who declared that they had made sure their names were updated and yet they were not on the 2017 roll and thus unable to vote.

From my discussions it could be concluded that in some instances more then 40 percent of the people were turned away in some areas and in some areas even higher numbers with percentages as high as 70 percent quoted by observers and scrutineers.

Some of the stories they told were simply infuriating and one can only be bitterly aware that this People’s National Congress (PNC) government led by Peter O’Neill does not care for the people of Papua New Guinea.

Many who found their names were not in one area had to travel a fair distance to other stations to search for their names to vote. In the case of the aged and elderly, mothers who had young children to tend to or those with disabilities and those with no financial means, this was too much. How sad.

Many found the polling officials unhelpful and barely aware of their duties and functions. I noted several young high school students who had no prior work experience.

Wide open to electoral fraud
Meanwhile, the process was so wide open for electoral fraud that it would be so easy for those with some intent and planning to be able to commit electoral fraud with much ease and little chance of detection or deterrence.

Many claimed that the process of updating the roll was hindered simply because papers for recording this process “ran out”.

Not a few expressed anger that people who had no experience and qualifications and some of dubious character had been engaged to do this and some had not even bothered to go out to do their work. The work itself was so poorly coordinated that it could not be described in anyway as being “effective”.

One such person was chased and stoned today in Kokoda when sighted as he had been responsible for a significant percentage of voters being turned away.

Several of my aged aunts and uncles were visibly sad and angry as they were unable to exercise their democratic right to vote. One told me that they felt that this may be their last time to be able to vote and yet they could not vote even though they had voted ever since PNG attained independence on 16 September 1975.

In fact, many of the people in Papua New Guinea who had voted since Independence were unable to vote for the first time in their life. Many were frustrated and sad. This was a huge negative psychological experience for them

It is apparent to many that the ruling PNC and O’Neill are arrogant and totally inconsiderate of the people of Papua New Guinea to exercise their democratic right to elect their representatives into Parliament.

If they were not, they would have done everything possible to ensure that this election was not such a failure.

• Other PNG election stories
• School orders Electoral Commission out for classes – holiday extended
• Papua New Guinea elections end
• From ‘anticipation, excitement’ to dictatorship fears in PNG election

A three-member polling team has told of how they had to walk for hours carrying two ballot boxes, crossing 11 rivers and sleeping at a village to accomplish their task in Papua New Guinea’s general election.

Polling Team 52 was led by presiding officer Eric Inamuga and included polling official Joe Bais and police officer Fred Rimbao.

They were in charge of the 572 marked ballot papers for the Goroka Open electorate in the Highlands.

They were sent to remote Wessan in the Goroka electorate on the border of Eastern Highlands and Madang.

Inamuga said they travelled on Monday by helicopter to Wessan but could not land because the pilot was unable to identify the site.

“We returned to Goroka and made the second trip to Wessan the next day. We were dropped off at the Simili polling station to conduct polling there,” Inamuga told The National daily newspaper.

“We finished around 3 pm and waited for pick-up. The helicopter did not return so we spent the night with the locals at Wessan.”

They waited for pick-up until 1.30pm on Wednesday and decided to walk to Madang to catch transport to Goroka.

“We crossed 11 fast-flowing rivers, including the Ramu River. The water came up to our chest and neck.

“We braved through and managed to get to Kesevai along the Madang Highway about 6.30pm. A police team and an official election vehicle picked us up at 7pm on Wednesday.”

Police officer Rimbao said they had to spend around K120 (about $52) for accommodation, meals and other incidentals to do their election job.

Loop PNG reports today nearly three-quarters of Papua New Guineans have started voted, according to the PNG Electoral Commission. The rest will vote within the 14-day ballot period.

Port Moresby voters in the National Capital District (NCD) began their one-day polling today after the postponement from Tuesday.

• More PNG election stories

Polling in Papua New Guinea’s 2017 national election begins this weekend.

On Saturday, voters will take to the polling booths after a six-week campaign which began on April 24.

“Anticipation” and “excitement” is the current general feeling, Papua New Guinean citizen and AUT doctoral candidate Stephanie Sageo-Tapungu told 95bFM’s weekly Southern Cross radio programme on Monday.

“Everyone is now thinking about who they’re going to vote for, how they’re going to go about it.”

But as voting looms, however, the effectiveness of candidates’ campaigns remains unclear due to an apparent lack of funding.

As ABC’s PNG correspondent Eric Tlozek reported, the 2017 election campaign has been “relatively quiet” due to an “economic slump”.

Tlozek said this economic downturn meant candidates did not have the money to “splash out” on advertising.

“There is simply no money and sometimes no economic justification,” Tlozek said.

Ben Micah of the People’s Progress Party – part of an opposition coalition with Kerenga Kua of the PNG National Party, Patrick Pruaitch of the National Alliance and former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta – told Pacific Beat: “The major problem confronting our country is the fact the government is broke.”

Current government ‘plague’
Micah likened the shortage of funds, issues of maladministration and corruption to a “plague”.

Sageo-Tapungu told Asia Pacific Report “these are some common issues that the candidates are campaigning on.”

Candidates in the 2017 national election are also promising to improve infrastructure – roads, bridges – in bringing services to remote communities, solve land grabbing issues and ease current violence surrounding settlements and ethnicity, she said.

This comes in the wake of Election Commissioner Patilias Gamato calling for “free and fair” elections:

“Our theme for 2017 — “Your Choice Protect our Democracy” — speaks volumes and I urge every citizen of this country to uphold the rule of law. The decision we make today affects our future and the future of our children’s children. I urge every citizen to refrain from illegal conduct and allow for a free and fair election.”

However, gender equality has also been a focus this election and a source of hope for many in PNG surrounding equal rights.

Loop PNG reported the number of female candidates standing in the current election comprised 165 of the total 3332 candidates.

Female representation question
The only province that did not register a female candidate was West New Britain, Loop PNG said.

Papua New Guinea’s 2017 national elections have seen a rise in female candidates compared to the 135 in 2012, which saw only three female candidates succeed – Eastern Highlands governor Julie Soso, Sohe MP Delilah Gore and Lae MP Loujaya Kouja.

Stephanie’s husband, Kenneth Sageo-Tapungu, told Southern Cross:

“There’s been a rise in women’s numbers, candidates, and this has in a way really changed the dynamic of the game itself and this has really challenged the existing status quo of elections and campaigns.”

However, Stephanie Sageo-Tapungu questioned whether equal participation would become a reality.

“For female representation in politics in PNG for this year, it’s encouraging to see about 165 contesting this election — that’s quite a number compared to the past years and they have a support base.

“We hope to see them be successful, but the thing is, it’s a male game in PNG … Male politicians support women’s participation in theory. In practice, that is to be seen as a reality.”

Voting in PNG’s 2017 national election on Saturday and closes July 8.

Social media is a new phenomenon which enables easy and instant access to voters. Papua New Guinea’s freedom of information is #51 on the Paris-based Reporters Without Border’s World Freedom Index and this study investigates traditional sources, social media and independent blogging websites to determine where a voter can locate quality information.

The Papua New Guinea general election which begins next week has been impacted on by social media and provides a community platform for voters to express their opinions, and share news not found in traditional media.

This has aided voters because they are able learn more about the candidates. It has also disadvantaged voters because PNG journalism does use any recognised fact-checking mediums to confirm information and this leads to an ill-informed public.

There is no one completely trustworthy source of information which voters can depend on. This essay will firstly determine how this research was conducted.

Secondly, there is an abundance of candidates campaigning for this election and social media helps people learn about their policies and promises. Next, this upcoming election needs to be conducted fairly and freely so that people’s votes are counted. However, PNG does acknowledge corruption in government.

Finally, we include information gathered from interviews with local identities to determine that social media positively and negatively impacts the election.

Papua New Guinea’s elections are not regarded widely as democratically fair and free. Currently, PNG has many democratic features. It has a unicameral parliament, a Prime Minister who is the head of the elected party, a preferential voting system and conducts regular elections.

Encouraging free and fair process
The government is attempting to encourage a free and fair election process. For example, during the voting period electoral officer’s wages must be paid directly into their bank accounts rather than carrying bags of money around.

This aims to make it more difficult for officers to take bribes and for candidates to enter extra ballots and corrupt the results. This means that each individual vote gets to be counted, making the election free and fair. Former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta said: “It is also important to ensure that the conduction of the election itself is free and fair and that electoral systems and processes are transparent.”

If an election is not democratic, it can breed corruption and mismanagement into the nation because votes are not counted properly and an individual can exploit the election. Currently, candidates visit voters’ homes and hand out goods such as money, food or a carton of beer to win votes.

The voters will not see the candidates again until the next election. Citizens are voting according to the free goods they are receiving instead of the policies which candidates support.

The culture of PNG elections is not focused on the future but rather immediate benefits that candidates give. PNG is aiming to improve the free and fairness within the upcoming elections however candidates are still trading goods for votes instead of good policies.

This report researches a multitude of sources of information to conclude where voters can find quality information for the upcoming election. We interviewed local Papua New Guineans to provide insight of how social media has affected the election and compares with traditional media sources.

Facebook pages are used “to educate our people about the difference between politicians and the consequences of not voting wisely”, said Northern Governor Gary Juffa, himself a major user of social media (May 25).

Community of voters
Facebook offers a community of voters who are invested in a democratic election and provides information and connections with thousands of people. In measuring the growing impact of the use of social media, we interviewed PNG locals to understand the positives and negatives of social media.

The National newspaper and the Post-Courier are two of Papua New Guinea’s top selling news sources, with The National a major advantage over its opponent’s circulation. We regularly checked these sites to gather data.

Printing presses located in Port Moresby and Lae on the opposite side of the country, enable faster distribution by road instead of expensive air freight.

However, internet usage in PNG has been increasing since 2000 from 44,887, to a predicted 906,695 users in 2016. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter provide instant news to a growing number of users and therefore are serious contenders to local newspapers who are now uploading information online.

We also collaborated information from independent blogs such as Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG Attitude and PNG Blogs. Independent blogs were essential to our research as they highlighted articles which are noticeably absent on traditional new sites.

These are popular among voters as there are always hundreds of comments and they are often linked to the platform of Facebook. Gathering information from social media, traditional sources and independent blogs has provided a wealth of information on the upcoming election.

One of the primary difficulties faced by voters in the elections in PNG is the sheer volume of candidates vying for seat. Of the 44 political parties who will be contesting for the 111 seats in Parliament, there are “2614 candidates (preliminary figure) nominated nationwide.”

In some areas of PNG, such as the Eastern Highlands province, there are 396 candidates.

Impossible for understanding
With so many candidates running for seats, voters are not able to make fully informed decisions when casting their votes as it is near impossible to develop a comprehensive understanding of each candidate and the policies they are arguing for.

However, social media allows candidates instant, rapid and easy access to share policies, promises and their personalities with voters. Paul Barker (2017) confirmed that social media is being used this election.

“Candidates and parties are devoting a fair bit of attention to the social media, as well as media and on the ground publicity,” he said.

There are still too many candidates for voters to follow. With each candidate attempting to gain attention, promises made in the run up to the election have become increasingly esoteric.

“Plenty promise to end corruption, build sealed roads and bring services to remote communities, things for which there is simply no money and sometimes no economic justification”, says ABC correspondent Eric Tlozek.

The upcoming election has 2614 candidates rallying for votes and social media is providing a platform for candidates to stand out

Social media has impacted the 2017 election and this provides both positive and negative outcomes. Locals who were interviewed agreed that social media was gaining traction among voters.

Post-Courier journalist Gorethy Kenneth said: “It is the first election where almost every party is using social media. The opposition have been using it to promote themselves and kick up controversy and the current government uses it to promote their achievements”.

Northern Province Governor Gary Juffa also says: “Social media is going to have a huge impact. It’s helping people learn and communicate far more effectively than ever before”.

Influence ‘marginal’
Countering this, Dr Susan Merrell said: ‘’I believe social media will eventually have a profound impact on issues such as elections. Now, I think the influence is marginal”.

Various ways social media benefit voters in the election includes that it creates easy and quick access for individuals with internet and voters are able to join established communities on Facebook such as PNG News, Media Monitors and The Voice of PNG.

In these Facebook groups, people are regularly documenting the progress of the election, giving their opinions on the happenings of government and traditional media and informing voters on what the media has missed.

An example of this occurred on the Media Monitors Facebook Page.

“So no official protests about PNG journalists being banned from the Australian PM’s press conference? The silence is deafening,” Bob Howarth, a former Post-Courier chief executive and publisher, wrote on April 9.

A commentor extended this thought with, “If PNG media is banned that’s an insult to our sovereignty as a country”.

From this point community members work together to uncover why this happened.

Alexander Rheeney, president of the PNG Media Council, had messaged local media stations to learn why journalists were not present at the conference. Only one news organisation replied.

“The single response from the Post-Courier did not constitute a quorum that would have compelled the council to act on their behalf”, said Rheeney, a former editor-in-chief of the Post-Courier on April 24.

Neglected issues in traditional media
Throughout the networks that Facebook creates it uncovers issues that traditional media is neglecting. Independent blog sites also reported on the banning of local journalists during the Australian Prime Minister’s visit.

The benefits of social media is that it is an easily accessible network of people who provide information and can clarify information.

Despite the benefits there is criticism that social media can lead to an ill-informed public.
Information is being spread rapidly and is not always accurate.

Rheeney said: “Both traditional media and new media in PNG continue to experience quality control issues leading to media organisations broadcasting and publishing incorrect information.”

There are currently no media which news articles or opinions are processed through. This allows articles to enter the public which are not legitimate or do not investigate issues thoroughly.

There is no one reliable source of information for voters to gather information. The current solution is for a voter to read from difference sources for political information such as social media and traditional news sources.

Dr Susan Merrell says: “I find that relying on only one is no good – you need a variety.”

Ill-informed voters ‘dangerous’
An ill-informed voter is dangerous. They may not see the benefits of voting at all or may miss the chance of voting for a leader who supports their goals or they’ve voted according to bias media, says Dr Joseph McMurray.

This means that there are wrong votes or none at all entering the election. As social media becomes a source of information for the election, it cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and a voter must consume information from multiple sources.

The social media phenomenon has introduced a new facet of information for Papua New Guinean voters for the upcoming election. The PNG election is currently battling corruption to become more democratic, the former Prime Minister has acknowledged that the election process is corrupt.

PNG is implementing reforms to create free and fairness applicable to the upcoming election. This makes freedom of information to the public essential as they need to know what is happening to their vote.

This essay gathered information from an assembly of sources including traditional media, social media sites, independent bloggers and PNG locals.

It was discovered that social media provided a platform for voters to gain information about their candidates, however it is unlikely for any voter to make an informed decision because there just too many candidates for them to gain a good understanding of their policies.

There are many benefits to a functioning social media community. This includes a network of people prepared to learn about issues which the traditional media has missed. Most people have said that social media is a great place to gather information and that it is gaining popularity.

No completely trusted
However, it is not to be completely trusted. Any article can be posted to traditional and social media websites without having to pass through any fact-checking mediums.

This is dangerous as individuals can be ill-informed and repercussions include people not voting or voting for the wrong person.

Therefore, until there are media for articles to be processed through there is no one accurate source to locate information. It is essential for voters to read a range of information to be well-informed.

The Papua New Guinea 2017 general election runs from June 24 until July 8.

Jess Hopkinson and Holly Driscoll are Community Volunteer Interns in Law/Communication at Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus.

The source list is abridged and embedded in the article. Interviews:
Barker, P 2017, PNG Interview, May 1.
Juffa, G 2017, PNG Interview, May 25.
Kenneth, G 2017, PNG Interview, May 2.
Merrel, S 2017, PNG Interview, May 28.
Rheeney, A 2017, PNG Interview, April 24.

Pacific Media Centre News Desk

Papua New Guinea’s Greens Party president and founder of PNG Women in Politics Dorothy Tekwie has called on voters in next month’s general election to support leaders who support women representation in Parliament.

She said the Equality and Participation Act had already been passed in 2011 but not implemented in the 2012 — and now not even for the 2017 national general election.

“We are calling on the women of Papua New Guinea to ask their candidates are you going to push and support this initiative for women to be elected, nominated or appointed to Parliament for this election,” Tekwie said.

Papua New Guinea is the largest Pacific country with a population of more than 7 million.

Its national Parliament has 111 members with just three women currently MPs.

Since Independence in 1975, only seven women have ever been elected to Parliament.

In December 2011, the Equality and Participation Act was passed to introduce 22 reserved seats for women in the National Parliament – one seat per province, plus one for the National Capital District.

But for the Act to be implemented, a constitutional amendment was also necessary. The Bill to amend the Constitution failed to attract the necessary number of votes in early 2012.

Pacific Media Centre News Desk

Papua New Guinea’s police have opened the first national communications centre for the 2017 General Elections and it is now in operation.

The centre was launched after the opening of the Highlands security elections operations in Mt Hagen on Friday, Loop PNG’s Annette Kora reports.

A demonstration of direct communication between the communications centre in Port Moresby and the Chief Secretary, Isaac Lupari, and Police Commissioner Gari Baki — both present at the Mt Hagen launch — was a feature of the event.

Lupari announced over the police radio network that as well as the launching of the Highlands region security operations, operations were under way for the entire country.

Commissioner Baki said the police hierarchy was confident that the launching of the communications command centre would have police connect to the rest of the country.

This would boost the successful progress of this year’s election.

The communications centre is in the Konedobu police headquarters.

Joint security forces parade
Vasinatta Yama of EMTV News reports that the Highlands joint security forces parade was the largest in the country.

Police Commissioner Baki hosted the parade and Chief Secretary Lupari was the reviewing officer.

Heads of the three disciplinary forces were joined by other heads of department, election managers of the seven Highlands regions and also provincial police commanders.

Baki told the parade forces to take pride in their uniforms and ensure the 2017 National Election did not fail.

Brigadier-General Gilbert Toropo told EMTV News that the PNG Defence Force had committed 500 personnel to support the Electoral Commission.

Torop said thorough preparation, training and planning has already been done by PNGDF and deployments of soldiers had already started this week to the Highlands, Yama reported.

The soldiers will provide transportation, including aircraft and ships for air and sea patrols.

Before and after the counting, the PNGDF will transport the ballot boxes to and from the polling and counting areas.

Correctional Services Commissioner Michael Waipo said that the main focus would be on the prisoners, but they would assist the mobile squad with manpower.

At least 500 CS staff would be deployed to help provide security.

Prisoners eligible for voting were those of voting age and who had been living in prison for more than nine months.

“I’m leaving with good memories of the country,” says Papua New Guinea’s Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.

“Who would have thought — in 1968 — that my journey into the world of politics would take this long and this far?

“I have been blessed with a long life and over the years, seen this country progress from a colony.

“I will go, but if need arises, I will still speak on important issues for the betterment of PNG,” he said today when being farewelled after almost five decades in politics.

The country faces a general election in June and the Grand Chief is stepping down as Governor of East Sepik and after four periods as PNG’s prime minister.

Sir Michael, 81, thanked the country for the support and farewell in particular.

He also thanked the Motu-Koitabu people for giving their land — years ago — to make Port Moresby the national capital district.

His parting wish is for Papua New Guinea to continue to develop and prosper, using our wealth and resources to achieve this.

“Government must, increasingly, empower the population so that they have dignity, confidence and clarity on our future. Have open discussions on where we want our country to be.

“Importantly, provinces should have the power to generate their own revenue,” he said.

‘Do the right thing’
“I want next Parliament and public service to ensure that they do the right thing to keep Papua New Guinea together as a great nation.”

Freddy Mou reports from Kavieng that the Governor of New Ireland, Sir Julius Chan, a former prime minister, and the people of the province would farewell Sir Michael the “New Ireland Way” on Tuesday.

Sir Julius said: “It is only fitting that we give Sir Michael this farewell after more than 40 years in politics, especially recognising and appreciating his contributions to the province and people of New Ireland.”

It will be an open this event starting at 10am with a motorcade from the airport to the Catholic Mission field.

There will be singsing, dance and passim custom for the Grand Chief and his wife Lady Veronica.

Somare hill and street
A street and a hill in Port Moresby will be named after Sir Michael.

National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop announced this when farewelling Sir Michael today.

According to Parkop, the hill at Four-Mile, where the Grand Chief’s Port Moresby residence is located, will be called the Michael Somare Hill.

Also, a street at Waigani, referred to as “Somare circuit” will be renamed Michael Somare Boulevard.

Parkop said following the elections, a four-lane road would be built there and a big statue of the Grand Chief would be erected.

Parkop thanked Sir Michael for his service and promised to honour his legacy.

“We might not have joined your party, joined your government and serves as minister in your cabinet, but we all have been inspired and guided by you directly or indirectly,” he said.

Gloria Bauai is a Loop PNG journalist.

• Chief Sir Michael Somare – a Radio NZ tribute in 2011
• Sir Michael’s parliamentary farewell