Michael Somare

Conrad and Somare still pushing for $1 billion for REDD

On 03 Dec, 2010 By rait man With 1 Comments

Kevin Conrad, Papua New Guinea's shadowy international climate change ambassador, in Cancun, Mexico, for the latest round of United Nations Climate Change negotiations, is still pushing the international community to give the PNG government US$1 billion for, well, for not very much really.

Manipulation of Parliament an attack on democracy that undermines investor confidence

On 29 Nov, 2010 By rait man

Papua New Guinea's Parliament has now twice refused to entertain a vote of no-confidence against the Prime Minister, Michael Somare, and this underrmining investor confidence according to the world's leading economic and financial analysis firm.

IHS Global Insights, says Parliament's rejection of the no-confidence motion in the Prime Minister raises "real questions about the long-term stability of the country's political system" and "adds weight to claims that the government is manipulating the system to maintain its hold on power"

Namah asks some serious questions about Somares corruption cases

On 08 Nov, 2010 By rait man With 1 Comments

Opposition MP and former Somare Minister, Belden Namah, has urged the Supreme Court, Public Prosecutor and the Ombudsman Commission to speed up the referral of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his son, Public Enterprises Minister, Arthur Somare, who are both facing misconduct charges.

Namah says the referral of the father and son by the Ombudsman Commission involves two high profile state officials and is of national interest and the constitutional office holders are duty bound to ensure the cases were dealt with in a timely manner.

Somare mum on political future

On 13 Sep, 2010 By rait man

By Oseah Philemon, Islands Business

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare has not made any announcement yet as to his political future and who is likely to succeed him if and when he decides to retire officially from politics.

This is despite the much anticipated announcement coming from the highlands where he was visiting recently.

Government has done it again: Constitution breached for short-term gain

On 16 Aug, 2010 By rait man With 1 Comments

Professor John Nonggorr explains how the Prime Minister and Speaker have broken the law and shown their contempt for the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea

Sir Michael Somare’s Government has again broken PNG’s Constitution for temporary gain - to retain political power. The events that unfolded on the floor of the Parliament on July 21 were not only contrary to the Constitution but also a disgrace to parliamentary democracy.

PM and his government have no interest in accountability for public money

On 06 Aug, 2010 By rait man With 3 Comments

By Sam Basil MP

The Leadership Tribunal decision in the Hagoria case upheld the legal position that all electoral funds (in that case, the District Support Grant) should be paid into the District Treasuries and NOT to any individual MPs. DSG and the District Support Improvement Program (DSIP) funds are required under Section 95A of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-Level Governments to be paid directly to the District Treasuries.

A norm worth dying for: Life after Somare

On 29 Jul, 2010 By rait man With 5 Comments

By Countryside

Democracy - does it exist in Papua New Guinea?

On 28 Jul, 2010 By rait man With 2 Comments

By Paul Oates

Having just returned from the original birth place of democracy, in the light of a fellow commentator’s postulations, it seemed appropriate to reflect on whether true democracy does or did ever exit in PNG. So firstly, what is democracy?

'Kitchen Cabinet is destroying democracy in PNG': Morauta

On 22 Jul, 2010 By rait man With 4 Comments

Opposition Leader, Mekere Morauta, says the Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament and the Leader of Government Business have yet again breached the Constitution by failing to ensure Parliament sits the required 63 days this year.

I will immediately seek legal advice about the options open to the Opposition for fighting the adjournment in the courts,” he said.

“The adjournment motion moved by Mr Tiensten and accepted by Mr Nape, is not only a most serious and deliberate breach of the Constitution. It goes against all the principles of democracy".

Dear Prime Minster Michael Somare

On 14 Jul, 2010 By tok stret

Dear Prime Minister Michael Somare

I implore you to RESTORE the Environment Act and REVOKE these newly-legislated measures that deprive all Landowners in Papua New Guinea of their most basic rights: Their right to land, their right to live in a clean and safe environment, their right to justice.

When you first became Prime Minister in 1975, PNG was one of the most constitutionally advanced new nations in the world. It was one of the few in the Pacific where, unlike Indonesia and other nations, the local lands belonged to the indigenous owners.

Search form

Pages