(It seems there were some truly spirited discussions in Parliament, sign of a vibrant democracy in PNG. But where is the Sevua Report about the UNITECH investigation? AS)
Papua New Guinea Blogs: Bold Belden gains momentum on corruption fight.
Friday, November 22, 2013
By JASON GIMA WURI
Opposition Leader and Member for Vanimo Green Hon. Belden Namah has taken a bold stand to fight corruption and he will not sleep until corruption is ridded from the corridors of Waigani.
Mr Namah has publicly accused the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea of giving directives for payments to be made to Paul Paraka Lawyers.
The most honourable thing for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to do now is to step aside and allow for investigations to take place.
Peter O’Neill is also the Police Minister which in this case makes the investigations virtually impossible to carry out as the Police Commissioner will be investigating his boss the Prime Minister who was the man who put him into office.
Why is Peter O’Neill holding on to the Prime Minister’s office as if it his birth right?
Regarding the taunting remarks the Prime Minister said about the Opposition Leader on the floor of Parliament recently about how the Opposition Leader is still being in the sense of a soldier.
Mr Namah says, “For me, once a Soldier will always be a Soldier but for you (refers to O’Neill) once a Thief will always be a Thief. You can’t take the Soldier out of me; similarly we can’t get the stealing and lying out of you”.
Among the issues that will now form a backlog to be carried into 2014 are:
(1) Paul Paraka’s alleged fraud of K71.8m
(2) Expropriation of OTML assets without compensation
(3) Harboring international fugitives while law abiding foreigners in PNG can be kidnapped and deported without following due processes
(4) Outstanding Sevua Report for the UNITECH saga
(5) Awarding contracts to cronies outside the Financial Management Act
(6) Excessive Budget Deficits that are dishing out negative trickle down effects
(7) and you can name the rest of the corruption and mismanagement related issues created under the O’Neill Government
Following the parliament sitting last week, the Opposition called a Press Conference highlighting the issue that the Opposition Leader brought to the Parliament Sitting regarding the reinstatement of Col. Stanley Benny who was charged and dishonourably discharged for giving the order for rampage and attack on students and facilities at the Medical Faculty at Taurama Campus beginning of this year.
This is following complaints made by students after they were denied their rights of laying a formal complaint and report at the Boroko Police Station regarding the Colonel’s reinstatement, which they allege is the first cousin of the Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill and could amount to serious breach in protocol in the defence line of order.
“Papua New Guineans, I want to simply say this I am very sorry that the issues of national importance that I have been running and the opposition has been running have not been made public so our people in the country can have privilege of previewing them too,” Mr Namah said.
Papua New Guinea Blogs: Bold Belden gains momentum on corruption fight.
Friday, November 22, 2013
By JASON GIMA WURI
Opposition Leader and Member for Vanimo Green Hon. Belden Namah has taken a bold stand to fight corruption and he will not sleep until corruption is ridded from the corridors of Waigani.
Mr Namah has publicly accused the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea of giving directives for payments to be made to Paul Paraka Lawyers.
The most honourable thing for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to do now is to step aside and allow for investigations to take place.
Peter O’Neill is also the Police Minister which in this case makes the investigations virtually impossible to carry out as the Police Commissioner will be investigating his boss the Prime Minister who was the man who put him into office.
Why is Peter O’Neill holding on to the Prime Minister’s office as if it his birth right?
Regarding the taunting remarks the Prime Minister said about the Opposition Leader on the floor of Parliament recently about how the Opposition Leader is still being in the sense of a soldier.
Mr Namah says, “For me, once a Soldier will always be a Soldier but for you (refers to O’Neill) once a Thief will always be a Thief. You can’t take the Soldier out of me; similarly we can’t get the stealing and lying out of you”.
Among the issues that will now form a backlog to be carried into 2014 are:
(1) Paul Paraka’s alleged fraud of K71.8m
(2) Expropriation of OTML assets without compensation
(3) Harboring international fugitives while law abiding foreigners in PNG can be kidnapped and deported without following due processes
(4) Outstanding Sevua Report for the UNITECH saga
(5) Awarding contracts to cronies outside the Financial Management Act
(6) Excessive Budget Deficits that are dishing out negative trickle down effects
(7) and you can name the rest of the corruption and mismanagement related issues created under the O’Neill Government
Following the parliament sitting last week, the Opposition called a Press Conference highlighting the issue that the Opposition Leader brought to the Parliament Sitting regarding the reinstatement of Col. Stanley Benny who was charged and dishonourably discharged for giving the order for rampage and attack on students and facilities at the Medical Faculty at Taurama Campus beginning of this year.
This is following complaints made by students after they were denied their rights of laying a formal complaint and report at the Boroko Police Station regarding the Colonel’s reinstatement, which they allege is the first cousin of the Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill and could amount to serious breach in protocol in the defence line of order.
The Prime Minister is also alleged to have ordered a call out for an operation code named ‘Never’ whereby he is secretly guarded with military escorts, which he denied blatantly in the parliament sitting.
The Opposition Leader expressed disappointment in how the Police denied the students their basic right in laying a simple formal complaint. Mr Namah appealed to the police to perform their constitutional duty without fear or favour and also reissued his call for the Police Commissioner to resign. “The Ingredients of dictatorship is when you start controlling media, police and the army you are now becoming a dictator,” said Hon. Belden Namah.
He appealed to the commander to adhere to senior disciplinary officers decisions that the person, Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Benny, was dishonorably discharged from the first battalion otherwise Prime Minister will politicize the first battalion of the Defence Force, the first battalion being the important and strategic institution in the whole of Defence Force.
By now Papua New Guineans and Members of Parliament should know who our Prime Minister is, he has built walls around him by amending sections 145 and 124 of the Constitution. Now he is in full view of the public putting his hands in all institutions controlling them.
In the Media industry there has already been the demoting of three senior Journalists because they are said to be politically swayed by the Opposition, what kind of excuse is this to suppress the press in doing their job also denying these journalists their right of excelling in their career as journalists.
“Question now is Where are we heading, where is this country heading?”
He appealed to the Members of Parliament to view who the Prime Minister really is and work out for themselves who is co-conspirator to corruption.
“Who is co-conspirator in paying that large amount of K71.8 million, who is now also the co-conspirator with Sports Minister in awarding inflated contract to the construction of Games Village,”
Mr Namah exclaimed.
“Defence Force is an institution that must not be politicized!” Regarding the taunting remarks the Prime Minister said about the Opposition Leader on the floor of Parliament last week on how the Opposition Leader is still being in the sense of a soldier. Hon. Belden Namah said, “For me, Once a Soldier always a Soldier but for you Once a Thief always a Thief.”
The Opposition Leader went on to say that the Prime Minister cannot continue lying like how he denied the letter of directive he gave to Finance and Treasury ministers to pay Paul Paraka because on his return from China he said in his press conference that if there was a letter he signed, it was not criminal.
Therefore following the above remark, the Opposition Leader then responded accordingly to the Prime Minister, “You can’t take the Soldier out of me; similarly we can’t get the stealing and lying out of you”.
“So that is my message to the people of this country and I want to make it very clear these tactics by Peter O’Neill are simply deflecting from the issues that I have been raising which you guys haven’t been reporting and running in the television, you haven’t been reporting in your newspapers, these very serious issues.
“Issue of K71.8 million that was fraudulently paid against a court order, there’s two differences now, one is Belden Namah enforcing the court order to settle an outstanding issue on the other hand Peter O’Neill is against the court order when Paul Paraka is not supposed to be paid any money he goes ahead and gives directive and they pay K71.8 million,” Mr Namah said.
“So who is telling the truth here, number one Peter O’Neill denied his directive, he said it was forged. Belden Namah never denied his directive, I said, “Yes I did”. An honest leader and a lying leader, two different people,” Mr Namah said.
The Opposition Leader expressed disappointment in how the Police denied the students their basic right in laying a simple formal complaint. Mr Namah appealed to the police to perform their constitutional duty without fear or favour and also reissued his call for the Police Commissioner to resign. “The Ingredients of dictatorship is when you start controlling media, police and the army you are now becoming a dictator,” said Hon. Belden Namah.
He appealed to the commander to adhere to senior disciplinary officers decisions that the person, Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Benny, was dishonorably discharged from the first battalion otherwise Prime Minister will politicize the first battalion of the Defence Force, the first battalion being the important and strategic institution in the whole of Defence Force.
By now Papua New Guineans and Members of Parliament should know who our Prime Minister is, he has built walls around him by amending sections 145 and 124 of the Constitution. Now he is in full view of the public putting his hands in all institutions controlling them.
In the Media industry there has already been the demoting of three senior Journalists because they are said to be politically swayed by the Opposition, what kind of excuse is this to suppress the press in doing their job also denying these journalists their right of excelling in their career as journalists.
“Question now is Where are we heading, where is this country heading?”
He appealed to the Members of Parliament to view who the Prime Minister really is and work out for themselves who is co-conspirator to corruption.
“Who is co-conspirator in paying that large amount of K71.8 million, who is now also the co-conspirator with Sports Minister in awarding inflated contract to the construction of Games Village,”
Mr Namah exclaimed.
“Defence Force is an institution that must not be politicized!” Regarding the taunting remarks the Prime Minister said about the Opposition Leader on the floor of Parliament last week on how the Opposition Leader is still being in the sense of a soldier. Hon. Belden Namah said, “For me, Once a Soldier always a Soldier but for you Once a Thief always a Thief.”
The Opposition Leader went on to say that the Prime Minister cannot continue lying like how he denied the letter of directive he gave to Finance and Treasury ministers to pay Paul Paraka because on his return from China he said in his press conference that if there was a letter he signed, it was not criminal.
Therefore following the above remark, the Opposition Leader then responded accordingly to the Prime Minister, “You can’t take the Soldier out of me; similarly we can’t get the stealing and lying out of you”.
“So that is my message to the people of this country and I want to make it very clear these tactics by Peter O’Neill are simply deflecting from the issues that I have been raising which you guys haven’t been reporting and running in the television, you haven’t been reporting in your newspapers, these very serious issues.
“Issue of K71.8 million that was fraudulently paid against a court order, there’s two differences now, one is Belden Namah enforcing the court order to settle an outstanding issue on the other hand Peter O’Neill is against the court order when Paul Paraka is not supposed to be paid any money he goes ahead and gives directive and they pay K71.8 million,” Mr Namah said.
“So who is telling the truth here, number one Peter O’Neill denied his directive, he said it was forged. Belden Namah never denied his directive, I said, “Yes I did”. An honest leader and a lying leader, two different people,” Mr Namah said.
“Papua New Guineans, I want to simply say this I am very sorry that the issues of national importance that I have been running and the opposition has been running have not been made public so our people in the country can have privilege of previewing them too,” Mr Namah said.
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