Member for Madang

Bryan Kramer and four others appeared before Justice David Cannings after a court order was issued last year by the same court.

Member for Madang, Bryan Kramer, said he recently discovered that his Madang District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) funds were being used to pay a certain female journalist, whose reporting was “extremely biased”.

“I put the question to her on whether she has ever received funds from the former Member from this district, to which she refused to respond,” said the MP.

“I have her on record previously saying she never did and now, since occupying office, I’ve gone through the accounts and confirmed payments were being made to journalists.”

He made the statement after the Opposition boycotted Friday’s session following the Madang MP’s referral to the Committee of Privileges.

It all started when Madang MP Bryan Kramer posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, musing: ‘Did dumb just get dumber?’

Following talks that the Government will ban Facebook, he has indicated that he will challenge the decision if it comes to reality.

He says he will do the same for any Government decision that breaches the constitution.  

“There’s some talk about the Government considering a policy to ban Facebook. Any decision the Government makes I intend to review. And if I find that it’s in breach of our constitution or the rights of the people or certain interests of the people then I intend to file proceedings to stop it.”

He says 80 percent of the populace who live in the rural areas are burdened with the cost to travel into the city for such exercise, something he will be challenging in court.

With 80,000 subscribers in his electorate who are yet to register their SIM cards, he also says it will be difficult to impose such a responsibility with him.  

“I’m happy to sit down with NICTA and suggest some solutions in relation to SIM registration. But we have to be practical, we are not a developed country,” Kramer says.

As of 3pm yesterday (April 13), water was restored to Madang residents, including the hospital.

The water supply was affected following the unrest over the death of a Ialibu teacher in Madang.

Acting Madang Provincial Administrator John Bivi told Loop PNG that opportunists vandalised the water supply station at Panin village during the unrest on Saturday (April 7).

This newsroom contacted the Member for Madang, Bryan Kramer, this morning whilst he was waiting for the next flight to Madang.

He said he has received reports that the situation is very tense at the moment.

Four mobile squad units have been deployed from Lae and are currently on ground to contain the situation. This was also confirmed by the Lae metropolitan superintendent, Commander Anthony Wagambie Jnr.

It had been established in earlier reports that the payment is legally acquitted for by Governor Powes Parkop.

In a press conference recently, Kramer stated that under the public management act, the said contract was supposed to go through some kind of procedure before being awarded to a candidate.

Kramer appeared before Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia for directions on Monday.

He was given another two weeks to engage a lawyer to assist him and conduct the case on his behalf.

The matter will return to court on April 3.

Kramer is seeking to reopen the case from 2015 that was decided on by a five-man Supreme Court bench.

He believes the Supreme Court’s ruling not to decrease the 18-month grace period was unconstitutional.

He wants the 18-month grace period to be reduced to 12 months.

“The ongoing commentary by the Member for Madang, publishing unsubstantiated conversations with other Members of Parliament is disrespectful, misleading and actionable in court,” the Prime Minister said in a statement today.

“Personal attacks and insults against leaders, with claimed one-sided private conversations, are bandied about on social media.

“These are just shallow social media outbursts that only serve personal politics, and lack any policy platform.”

The Prime Minister is further calling on relevant authorities to look into his behaviour.