Deputy Opposition Leader, Sam Basil, says a total of K60 million District Support Improvement Program (DSIP) funds has been taken back from members of the Opposition districts.
This follows an alleged instruction by the Prime Minister to divert the funds to pay the salaries of public servants.
Basil backed Opposition Leader Don Polye, calling the alleged directive a serious breach in the constitution, and a discriminatory and unfair instruction.
Basil queried why only the 21 members of the Opposition had K2.9 million from each DSIP funds remitted back to the consolidated revenue to pay for the salaries while the other 90 members in the Government did not have some of their funds remitted.
“Now if they would have shared that amongst the 111 sitting members, they would have forked out about K700-K800,000 from every district.”
He further says: “They are discriminating against the Opposition and the Opposition is footing the bill for payroll while the Government is getting full DSIP and PSIP money.”
Basil says the alleged instruction is setting a very bad precedent in the country and further erodes the trust the people have in this government.
Polye has threatened legal action against the Government, saying he has received credible information that the alleged directive was made by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.
“I also warn them that I will take them to court individually to criminally charge them for misappropriation, for breaching the Public Finance Management Act and other laws that govern the use of public funds,” said Polye.