Polye calls on Pala to step down as Attorney General

Don Polye

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has been urged to either sack his Attorney General Ano Pala or to ask him to step down from office.

Opposition Leader Don Pomb Polye said the actions of Ano Pala have brought the country’s justice system to a state where ordinary citizens are fast losing confidence in the system. 

His call comes on learning that two government ministers in Australia have voluntarily stepped down to show respect of the respective offices they occupy.

“We have to learn from them to develop a new culture in occupying public office,” he said. 

Mr Polye said he had set the record straight when he asked his MPs within the Triumph Heritage Empowerment party to step down.

He cited both Kikori MP Mark Maipakai and Ijivitari MP David Arore(when he was in THE party) who stepped down when they had cases to answer in the courts. 

“I also surrendered voluntarily to the fraud police for the record of interview when I was alleged to have been involved in the Paraka case,” he said. 

Pala should not be performing as an Attorney General as he has been a subject to court proceedings in which he was arrested and charged for.

He said Pala continued to perform the roles as the Attorney General despite being charged and out on bail.

“You have a senior government minister who has been arrested and charged yet performing the role of an Attorney General, what kind of a justice system is this?” questioned Mr Polye.

The Prime Minister, he said, should be more concerned about this as actions of Pala were undermining the justice system of this country.

“I call on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to put his foot down and sack Pala immediately.

“We have a government which preaches about good governance and transparency yet its actions are contrary to what it preaches,” said Mr Polye.

“I urge every citizen to gauge the actions of this Prime Minister, his government and ministers in totality as their actions are unorthodox withinthe principles of good governance and transparency,” said Mr Polye.