Parliament is not the place to pursue personal interests.
East Sepik Governor, Allan Bird, made this comment after walking out of Friday’s Parliament sitting.
Madang Governor Peter Yama’s deplorable comments against Madang MP and Police Minister, Bryan Kramer, upset a good number of MPs.
His refusal to withdraw his racist statement saw the Prime Minister leave the chambers, followed by East Sepik Governor.
“His behaviour was unacceptable and disrespected the decorum of Parliament. It’s the second time he has done this and Speaker should have sent him out,” Bird told this newsroom.
“Parliament is not the place to pursue personal interests. It’s a place to pursue people’s interests. The matter Yama brought into Parliament was of a personal nature and only affected himself. He should never have used his Parliamentary privileges in this manner.”
The issue between Yama and Kramer stemmed from the 2017 election petition that eventually saw the imprisonment of two electoral assistant returning officers who were found guilty of receiving pay offs from Yama.
Police Minister Bryan Kramer, whilst distancing himself from the Royal PNG Constabulary’s activities, clarified that the reason police are pursuing Yama is to give him a letter from the police commissioner, inviting him to present himself at the Police Headquarters for interview.
On their second attempt, police personnel finally managed to get a hold of Yama after Thursday’s Parliament sitting, to deliver the letter. This did not go down well with him, hence the accusations and racial discrimination in Parliament on Friday.
(ESP Governor Allan Bird walking out of the chamber on Friday)