O'neill : Kua has conflict of interest

Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill said yesterday that former attorney general Kerenga Kua has serious conflicts of interest and was initially asked to resign as attorney general and take up another ministry within government but he refused.

Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill said Mr Kua’s position on constitutional amendments regarding section 45 was against Cabinet solidarity and discipline and he had to be sacked.

"We allow everybody to speak freely in cabinet, there is no control by anyone particular person either by myself or any one else, everything is put on the table and allow free discussions and as a result of that when we arrive at a cabinet decision," the Prime Minister said. "I want to assure you that we are collectively arriving at a decision, some of us may disagree with one or two aspects of the decision but the main thing we respect is that the majority have agreed to a position and when we walk out that door, that discipline must remain."

Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill said Cabinet receives a lot of advise, for example the proposed amendments to section 45, which was done by the Registrar of Political Parties. "Cabinet accepted the recommendations, the former attorney general should have allowed that Cabinet processes have taken place, if he did not want to vote on in Parliament he could have abstained with the strong personal views that he has," the Prime Minister said. "I have sat down with him and pointed out that Cabinet solidarity and discipline is more important than our own individual feelings so we had to part ways."