Former Prime Minister and MP for Ialibu Pangia, Peter O’Neill has urged the Government to be transparent when tabling important documents like the National Budget in Parliament in the future.
Despite this, he has commended the Government for allocating more funding to the health and education sector - priority areas that the previous government had embarked on previously.
“I am happy that the Government has now acknowledged Free Education to help our people in the rural areas.
“This is not something for us to play politics about. It should not have been discontinued in the first place but hopefully it will benefit our people,” O’Neill said.
The former Prime Minister also said many commitments made by Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey in the previous supplementary and budget proper were not fulfilled, and warned government not to put number to please people, but to improve their living standards in these challenging times.
“The reality on the ground is different. We lived with the people and we know the truth,” said O’Neill. “We have to be realistic with numbers we put to our people.”
O’Neill also said that the Dominant Player tax levy placed on BSP Financial Group and Digicel PNG Ltd, will affect investment in the country.
“While the economy is struggling, we are squeezing the businesses and people as well. I urge the Government to talk to Nasfund, Nambawan Super and the Defence Retirement Benefit Fund and find out the total funding withdrawn by the members,” he said. “Over a billion kina had been withdrawn.”
The Member of Ialibu-Pangia said this amount was withdrawn because people are unemployed and are struggling to survive.
Meantime, parliament will return mid-2022 to deliberate on the Dominant Player tax levy.