Prime Minister James Marape

 The meeting convened this morning with the second Joint Inter-Governmental Post Referendum Consultations to be followed by the Joint Supervisory Body JSB meeting on Tuesday.

Upon his arrival on Sunday, the Prime Minister opened a new four-in-one Sopas District Hospital Staff complex. The structure was built at a cost of over K3 million from the National Governments Public Investment Program (PIP).

Basil apologised for defecting to the Opposition in November last year.

PM Marape was in Morobe Province on Friday to launch some of Bulolo district’s projects.

Senior Cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister had a fully-booked schedule from 10am at the North Coast Aviation hangar at Nadzab to the launching of various projects in Wau.

As the sun’s rays started fading from the mountain tops of Buang Rural LLG, marked with a significant drop in temperature, the welcoming sound of a chopper’s blades could be heard in the distance.

This includes biometric voter registration.

“Next year’s election will be conducted in the presence of COVID in the community,” PM Marape said.

“Something that we might use to clean up the voting process is biometrics, and an Electoral Roll that registers electronically, with photographs attached for all our voting population.”

“This process will be looked into by the Electoral Commission.

“They have trialled an electronic-based voter update at a council ward in Kupiano (Central Province) and it worked very well.

To find a way forward through this current impasse, and restore the full solidarity of the Forum family.

“I was pleased to participate in the Opening Dialogue on 26 April 2021 and welcome the role entrusted on me as interlocutor for this process.”

“The Political Dialogue Mechanism is an opportunity for an honest political conversation with colleague Micronesian Leaders to discuss and work through the concerns that they have which has, consequently, led to the current fragmentation in our Forum family,” said Marape.

Important business including the passage of the National Energy Act 2020 and the Electricity Amendment Act was concluded.

Prime Minister James Marape in a press conference explained the reasons Parliament had adjourned to August 10, 2021.

He said all the required Parliament business was concluded before adjourning to August.

Marape also pointed out that Parliament also received an important statement from the Treasurer on the State of the economy.

The Treasurer noted in his statement that COVID-19 is both a fight for the economy, as well as a medical fight.

The ADB has been involved with PNG’s development for 50 years, and is PNG’s largest multilateral funding partner.

The comments were in the context of a meeting on Wednesday between Prime Minister James Marape, Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey, Finance Minister John Pundari, Works Minister Michael Nali, Health Minister Jelta Wong and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director, David Hill.

As the body of the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare lay in state, the three arms of government will assemble to pay their last parliamentary respects to the founding father of Papua New Guinea.

While announcing the State funeral and Haus Krai arrangement for Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare, the Prime Minister says the body will lay in state at the Parliament House on Thursday 11th of March.

The signing of the agreement was between Prime Minister Marape and Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Jonathan Philp after they farewelled the PNG Hunters team to Queensland.

The agreement will pave way for two technical officials, paid for by Australia to help Hunters in the areas of marketing and professional sports and career development.

Prime Minister James Marape said the level of relationship and cooperation between the two governments, at people to people level, and now in sports was getting stronger.

The decision was handed down this morning at the Supreme Court in Port Moresby.

The five men bench unanimously dismissed the application; Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, Justice David Cannings, Justice George Manuhu, Justice Derrick Hartshorn and Justice Ere Kariko.

In handing down the decision, Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika said, all five judges highly dismiss the case and have instructed the applicant to pay cost to the interveners on a party-party basis.

The decision was reached after all five Judges individually read out their verdicts.

He made this statement after Deputy Opposition leader and member for Rabaul Dr Allan Marat raised a series of questions regarding the recent drug bust, the biggest in the history of the country.

Dr. Marat questioned Marape in Parliament on Wednesday to give an update on the recent plane crash outside Port Moresby that was carrying large sum of drugs believed to be part of a drug trafficking operation.

He further asked where the confiscated drugs were.