PNG’s parliament could become a farce as the Morauta opposition decided to boycott an unexpected parliamentary session due to start yesterday afternoon.
The opposition is protesting against the Somare government’s decision to recall Parliament early – a move described as illegal and in wilful disregard of the nation's laws.
It was expected several provincial governors and government backbenchers will join Sir Mekere Morauta’s protest.
Parliament’s was abruptly adjourned in July when the government appeared to be facing defeat in a no confidence vote. This sparked widespread outrage as it was deemed a deliberate violation of the constitution.
“The provision to recall parliament relates to situations of real emergency in the nation where there is imminent danger of war or natural disaster,” Sir Mekere said.
“But none of these exists in the country, so what is the real motive for the recall?”
He suggested there may be controversial legislation the government had secretly prepared and it needed to get backbenchers together to induce them to support it.
Following the premature adjournment of
the last sitting and payments of
The commission has done nothing and Sir Mekere says parliament should not sit until a deliberation is made.
The recent early recall of parliament by the government may be deemed unconstitutional as was the last decision to adjourn the house until November this year. There is no urgent need for an early recall of parliament this month. It just seems a total waste of good taxpayer's money for just four hours of low quality discussion with only the government in attendance, as the opposition has boycotted parliament this week.
The media also reports that this action by the government could cost taxpayers some K125, 000. In adding further to this comedy of errors, the government has once again adjourned parliament to next month as earlier intended.
The whole exercise is a total farce. It just makes the PNG parliament and government a laughing stock within the pacific region, if not the world. Many educated Papua New Guineans now seriously believe their government has for a long time now completely lost the plot for good governance. The government seems to not care one way or another to prove to both opposition, and the public that they know what they are doing, and have the serious business of running PNG well under control.
Posted by: Reginald Renagi | 23 October 2009 at 02:48 PM