Leader of the Opposition Belden Namah has criticised the Prime Minister for breaching COVID-19 restrictions regarding large group gatherings where the number of people exceeded 100.
“He has put the lives of thousands at risk. He must be held to account under the law.
“The PM must be charged under the provisions of the COVID-19 Pandemic Act,” said Mr Namah.
Namah reacted after Prime Minister James Marape visited Mendi and addressed hundreds of people at the one time at Momei Oval.
On Thursday January 20, the Office of the Controller issued a media statement with a headline that read ‘Public gathering of 100-plus people banned till March 1, 2022’ following the detection of the first Omicron variant case in PNG.
The Opposition leader said if Prime Minister James Marape is not charged, he will call on the Ombudsman Commission to investigate both Prime Minister and Controller Manning for breaching the Leadership Code and for placing the lives of thousands at risk.
“We cannot continue to develop and enforce rules and laws for the common person which is flouted with wild abandon by the Prime Minister and his Police Commissioner as is the current case in point,” he said.