Prime Minister Peter O’Neill

Polye says he was concerned with the manner in which Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his government were engaged in a witch-hunt to suppress those who stood up to protect the country’s rule of law, institutions, democracy and to fight corruption.

“These pilots among the students and citizens have expressed their rights to dissent as provided for in our Constitution.

“The termination, by the CEO of Air Niugini, is not in the best interest of the country and that is an assault on democracy and our Constitution,” says the Opposition Leader.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill made this statement in Parliament on Thursday after the 2016 Supplementary Budget was tabled by Treasury Minister Patrick Pruaitch.

O’Neill said cuts in government expenditures to meet the shortfall in projected revenues, to implement the 2016 National Budget, will not affect its key policy areas of free education, free health care, support to churches and partners, infrastructure development and DSIP and PSIP funding.   

He said the Government failed in the austerity measures, and now the country is in recession and may slide further if no reliable policy measures are applied.

“The Prime Minister solely should be blamed for mismanaging the economy into unsustainable debts. He is economically illiterate. The Ministers for Finance and Treasury should also take responsibility, it shows they are not fit to manage the economy and the country is in the wrong hands,” said Polye.

“I assure all our investors, business community and citizens that our Government numbers stand with People’s National Congress Party at 59, National Alliance at 14, United Resource Party at 8 and a number from People’s Progress Party, New Generation Party, SDP, People’s Democratic Movement and other independents,” Minister Marape said.

“We have 91 Members of Parliament in the Government as we speak.

“Contrast that with the 17 Members who were with the Opposition in Parliament on Friday.

However, before the matter could go into whether the opposition had standing in the case, preliminary issues were brought before the court by lawyers representing Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, Leader of Government Business James Marape and a member of the Parliamentary Committee on private business, William Powi.

The three leaders, through their lawyers, moved an application seeking to be added as additional parties in the case, saying they are directly affected in the motion filed by the opposition.

“Let the governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia go about getting on with the process of adhering to court orders.

“Closure of the centre will require coordinate effort and our officials from both countries are working on this at the moment,” PM O’Neill said.

“Just standing on a soapbox and beating your chest does nothing to change the processes involved in adhering to this decision.

“The centre will not close overnight as it is a significant scale of operation and this process has to be done properly.

He said this after the MSG group granted Indonesia application to be an Associate member and gave the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Observer Status.

“As a Melanesian Group, it is important that we hear what our communities are demanding,” O’Neill told leaders at the closing of the MSG meeting.

He says the decision to include Indonesia and ULMWP is one that is very historic.

“As everyone else in the region, we want the same things. We want peace, we want security and we want better standards of living for our families.” Says O’Neill