VONC in Parliament ended today with the Government defeating the Opposition by 89 votes to 16

 

By Theodro Psalmson | PNG SUN |

The Vote of No Confidence (VONC) in Parliament ended today with the Government defeating the Opposition by 89 votes to 16.

Despite the result, Opposition leaders remained firm and spoke with pride and determination.

At a press conference held by the Opposition in Parliament, the alternate PM candidate, Sir Peter Ipatas expressed gratitude to the Opposition for welcoming him.

“I thank the Opposition Leaders who stood beside me and accepted me to be part of this side,” he said.

Sir Peter acknowledged the loss, saying, “We accept the decision of Parliament. We were defeated.”

However, he pointed out that the country is not in a good condition and some leaders are ignoring the reality. “I did what I did for the best interest of the people of this country, and so did the members of the Opposition,” he added.

He shared his experience of joining the Opposition for the first time in his political career.

“Being in the Opposition gave me a new meaning of leadership, it is about standing for the pain, cry, and sorrow of our people.” Sir Peter also said he was proud to stand with strong, young, and educated leaders on the Opposition side who he believes will continue to fight for the people in the future.

The Opposition Leader Douglas Tomuriesa thanked those who stood firm until the end of the VONC.

“This is not the end. The fight continues. We heard the cry of the people, and we will respond,” he said. He confirmed that the Opposition remains committed to the nation and will continue to work for the people’s good.

“We have appointed shadow ministers who will watch and monitor every action of the Government,” he said. He also thanked Sir Peter Ipatas for his brave leadership and for standing as the Alternative Prime Minister during this time.

Sir Puka Temu, another senior Opposition member, said, “We did not stand for ourselves. We stood and voted on behalf of the people. We did what the people wanted us to do.” He thanked Sir Peter for standing up for the people of the nation.

Meanwhile, Hon. Dr. Lino Tom, Member for Wabag, also praised Sir Peter Ipatas for joining the Opposition and fighting for the nation’s best interest.

“The Opposition members have shown they truly represent the struggles of our people,” he said. He described the Opposition’s stand as a right step in showing real leadership.

Dr. Lino added that from now on, the people can clearly see which leaders truly care about them and which ones do not.

Though the VONC was lost, the spirit of the Opposition remains unshaken.

The message from the Opposition was clear: This is just the beginning of a bigger fight for the people of Papua New Guinea.

Parliamentary Opposition is urging the government to listen to the voices of Papua New Guineans who are calling for a change

 By Malon Ere | PNG SUN|

As the Vote-of-No-onfidence (VoNC) against Prime Minister James Marape is looming, the Parliamentary Opposition is urging the government to listen to the voices of Papua New Guineans who are calling for a change.

Former Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, in a press conference today in Port Moresby, bluntly called on PM Marape to resign from office.

This called was labelled by Pangu Party as 'rubbish and baseless.'

It, he said, is clear that the country has changed over the past six years.

O’Neill pointed out that during Marape’s leadership, global prices for key commodities like coffee, cocoa, gold, copper, oil, and gas have been high. “As a result, government revenue has increased,” he said.

However, O’Neill criticized the government, saying the increase in revenue does not reflect the reality of the country’s situation. “We still run a deficit budget of 4% to 5% every year.

The government continues to spend more than it plans,” he said.

He also claimed that the current government has taken loans totaling up to K17 billion, which he says will be a burden on future generations.

According to O’Neill, no new foreign investment has entered the country in the last six years.

He added that both social and economic indicators show poor performance. “Education standards are falling, health services are nearly non-existent, and basic services are not reaching many communities, towns, and cities,” he said.

“There is also a total breakdown in law and order,” O’Neill added, referring to the growing number of crimes reported daily in the media.

He warned that the country’s population is growing fast, with some estimates suggesting a 4% annual increase, which contributes to high unemployment.

O’Neill reflected on his own time as Prime Minister, saying he stepped down after listening to the people. “It was not an easy decision, but I felt I was doing the right thing,” he said.

He also spoke about the importance of Pangu Pati in the nation’s history. He urged government MPs to act with integrity. “The people gave you the power. Now it’s time to listen to them and act,” he said.

He stated that Prime Minister Marape has much more to contribute to the country but for now the people have lost confidence in him. “Let someone else lead until the 2027 election,” he suggested.

“There is no shame in resigning. It takes strength and courage to know when to step down,” O’Neill said.

In closing, he called on Marape to take responsibility during the VoNC process. “We are happy for change to happen from within. There are good leaders on the government side, and they must stand up for the country,” he said.

EXPOSED: The Opposition team through their Lawyers have filed a Special Supreme Court Application

As of yesterday, ( 10-06-2024) the Opposition team through their Lawyers have filed a Special Supreme Court Application at the Waigani Court House to have the Parliament recall to deal with the Vote of No confidence Motion which is still active..

During the Parliament sitting last week , The Speaker of Parliament and the Clerk of Parliament conspire with Prime Minister James Marape to deliberately reject the VONC motion due to technical errors as they claimed..

James Marape forcefully adjourned the Parliament to September (03-10-2024)..

As required by the constitution, The VONC is a democracy process and must be administered by the PBC & the Speaker of Parliament every 18 months time..

PM Marape and the speaker of Parliament have undermine our constitution by Hijacking the VONC and adjoun the Parliament.

After James Marape undermine the Constitution of our country and conspire with the speaker and Clerk of Parliament to reject the VONC motion on the floor of Parliament , The Opposite team have decided to take this VONC Matter to the highest Court..

Now that the VONC matter is before the Supreme Court , The Prime Minister and his Attorney General are looking for loopholes to once again delay / Prolong or have that matter thrown out of the Court also..

PNG Democracy is under attack from Warlords who doesn't have respect for our Constitution..

After Hijacking the Parliamentary Process , Now the Prime Minister is trying to hijack the court system also..

James Marape must know that not everyone is for sale.. Money can't buy everything that you need..

Politicans are for sale but not some Judges..

PNG is watching your moves

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PNG opposition leader calls for "honest" take on Papua

Papua New Guinea's opposition leader says his country and Australia need to play a greater role in responding to human rights abuses in neighbouring West Papua.

Don Polye said basic human rights of West Papuans continue to be repressed by Indonesian authorities and security forces, requiring a more "honest" approach from neighbouring countries.

He said the problem had a set of direct consequences for PNG, yet its government continued to turn a blind eye to what was going on.

Mr Polye said recent remarks by Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop playing down reports of rights abuses in Papua were unfortunate.

"She said that there is not enough justification or evidence to show if there is any human rights abuse along the border between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. I believe that Australia should assess the situation more closely, in partnership with Indonesia as well as with Papua New Guinea, to be honest about it and to look at the issues more carefully," he said.

Mr Polye said as party to international conventions on human rights, PNG and Indonesia needed to engage more to address the situation in Papua.

He said that West Papuan calls for a legitimate self-determination process could no longer be ignored.

A need for meaningful dialogue at both international and bilateral level, he said, also required leadership from the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

However the MSG's full members - PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia's Kanaks - are divided over advancing the Papua issue.

Governments of PNG and Fiji in particular appear opposed to granting the United Liberation Movement for West Papua full membership in the group.

They also firmly support Indonesian territorial control over Papua.

Yet Mr Polye says the example of France in granting a self-determination referendum to its Melanesian territory of New Caledonia shows that the Papua question could be solved peacefully.