Source: PNG Exposed Blog

AAP

Papua New Guinea has become an executive dictatorship after the government granted itself the power to suspend judges, the country’s opposition says.

The government’s move is being interpreted as a broadside against the nation’s Chief Justice, Sir Salamo Injia, following the leaking of court documents and the quashing of an investigation into his financial dealings.

By Andrew Pascoe*

The cards seem firmly stacked against optimism on the streets of Papua New Guinea at the moment. It’s a bad sign in an election year, with little confidence evident that the outcome will correct our Pacific neighbour’s course from the particularly rocky path it’s taken in recent months.

But here — like elsewhere in the developing world where obscene power disparity is mobilising the masses — a wellspring of resistance is brewing.

Ahead of this years National election in Vanuatu, MP Ralph Regenvanu has published the full details of how he has spent almost 10m vatu in public funds allocated to him over the past four years.

The details of how he has used the public funds allocated to him as an MP are being published both on his party website and in large posters.

By Simon Merton

Whilst the political squabbling continues,............ the poor continue to suffer without complaint day by day. 

Children in the city carry water up mountains to their settlement homes every afternoon, children in the village gather around their bubu's transistor radio and wonder and dream about going to the big city one day, no doubt they will surly be dissapointed when that day comes. 

Mothers pray that their children wont get sick because the aid post is 3 days walk away and doesnt have any medicine anyway.