Opposition

This follows the request by Tewai-Siassi MP, Dr Kobby Bomareo, in Parliament yesterday after a Facebook post by Kramer which Bomareo said demeaned Energy Minister Sam Basil as a leader.

Kramer's Facebook post was in response to an article quoting Minister Basil’s intention to ban Facebook for a month.

Speaker Job Pomat said there was a prima facie case for Kramer to answer to and referred him.

Opposition Leader, Patrick Pruaitch, in a statement claimed that Kumul Petroleum owes Internal Revenue Commission K451 million for corporate taxes they should have paid in 2014 and 2015.

Kumul Petroleum Limited MD, Wapu Sonk, when responding to claims by the Opposition told this newsroom that these are mere allegations politically motivated.

He said Kumul Petroleum always paid its taxes and couldn’t be in debt to such a big magnitude as claimed.

Opposition leader Patrick Pruaitch make this special appeal to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in Parliament during the special sitting yesterday.

The Opposition leader Mr Pruaitch said the Government cannot continue plodding along at snail pace when days can mean the difference between life and death to those affected by the disaster.

He is calling on the Government to hear the cries of the people and act now to improve aid delivery and transparent funds management for this very exercise.

In a joint statement, the Opposition reaffirmed that the 2018 Budget was ‘fake’ and was not passed unanimously; no votes were taken.

The Opposition maintains that revenue figures quoted by Treasurer Abel for 2017 were based purely on estimates in the Supplementary Budget and Budget Strategy paper, which were up to K408 million lower in the final tally. 

Shadow Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey said the final figures, to be released by the end of March, will most likely show an even larger drop in revenue. 

Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare was given the honour to launch the website last night at the Sanctuary Hotel in Port Moresby.

During the event, Opposition Leader Patrick Pruaitch said the 27 alternate Government MPs are solid and will never be moved by any sweet talks from the Government.

He added that they are ready to change the government in 18 months’ time.

“We may not have the numbers but the numbers we have right now will increase in the next coming months.”

When debating the 2018 Budget on Tuesday in Parliament, Pruaitch said the Budget was fueled by huge budget deficits and soaring public debt, which the Government refuses to put on any safeguards or breaks to lessen the coming shocks.

“This budget is the most fiscally irresponsible budget presented in this House in all my years in Parliament.

“The fake revenue numbers in the budget allow the Government to lift expenditure beyond prudent fiscal levels which is a total disregard for fiscal discipline.

Shadow Minister for Treasury and Finance, Ian Ling-Stuckey, in a statement said last year the O'Neill government, lacking the usual transparency, did not allow proper debate on the 2017 budget.

"We stand ready to judge the success of the 2018 budget and urge government to give the Opposition opportunity to measure its merits.

"Government should not trivialise the most important of this annual policy statement by rushing it through because a budget translates policies into concrete actions by providing resources.

The government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is facing a vote of no confidence in parliament next week, after a series of defections from the government.

Mr Sogavare on Thursday announced moves to consolidate his coalition government, announcing eight new ministers.

But in a statement, the opposition group said that consolidation had included attempts at bribery.

It accuses the forestry minister Bradley Tovosia of trying to bribe MP Alfred Ghiro with cash and the fisheries portfolio, which he rejected.

Opposition Leader Patrick Pruaitch, when making the announcement today, said the revamped Shadow Cabinet represented a mix of experienced political leaders and talented Papua New Guineans who were successful in the 2017 general election.

"The Alliance will challenge the O'Neill Government in Parliament and the public arena on two fronts — poor economic mismanagement, policy formulation and implementation and secondly, massive levels of ongoing corruption and waste," Pruaitch said.

Pruaitch said he stood by his earlier statement that it is in the national interest for locally produced resources such as crude oil, copper, gold, fishery and forest products to be sold to local purchasers in PNG’s national currency, the Kina.

The leader of the opposition said in a media statement today that it is an infringement of our sovereignty for lenders or any other entity to insist that domestic resources be paid for in US dollars or other foreign currencies, when selling to PNG buyers.