The Government of Nauru has rejected accusations in foreign media by Sprent Dabwido MP, that Opposition MPs are being prevented from advertising on local media, labelling the claims as “childish and desperate political point scoring”.
Communications Minister Shadlog Bernicke said the opposition knows that Nauru TV and radio has a long standing policy of not airing political advertising from either side, and that no Government MP has done any election promotion on local media.
“Not now and not when opposition MPs were in government has local media aired political advertising for any MP, so it is laughable that they are attempting to use foreign media to make untrue claims against this Government.
“It simply shows how desperate they are to regain power, how willing they are to trash our country internationally and how unfit they are to govern,” he said.
Mr Bernicke said the Opposition was trying to influence international observers who have arrived in Nauru to monitor the election at the Government’s invitation.
“Nauru’s elections have always been run fairly and democratically, proven by the fact that the government has changed so much over recent years until the Waqa administration brought stability to the nation.
The Waqa Government, elected in June 2013, has run a full term, a fact the minster explained “has brought tremendous economic and social benefits to the Nauruan people”.
“Government MPs have worked hard for the people of Nauru and we have put an end to the cronyism and corruption that was the hallmark of the previous administration which was made up of the same opposition MPs that are now trying to get back into power.”
The minister said he was quietly confident the Nauruan people will re-elect Government MPs because “our people are more prosperous now than under previous governments and they don’t want to return to the old ways”.