Somare Government

Pruaitch blames Polye for Somare’s fall

“I was the only one in the Government to vote against putting Peter O’Neill as Prime Minister,” Pruaitch told Loop PNG.

He said the Supreme Court had upheld the decision that the removal of former NA party leader as prime minister when he was overseas for medical treatment was illegal.         

Pruaitch told Loop PNG that Opposition Leader Don Poyle was the power broker back then.

 “He left the (NA) party, and got the majority of National Alliance MPs from the Highlands and New Guinea Islands Region to form the current government, “Pruaitch said.

PM predicts surplus budget by 2020

He made this statement on Thursday after Treasury Minister Patrick Pruaitch tabled the 2016 Supplementary Budget.  

“Coming to Parliament in 2002 under Somare Government, we inherited an economy which was projected to be in surplus by the previous government, (but) we inherited an K800 million deficit and the strategy at that time is to return to surplus as possible,” O’Neill said.