Opposition to take Vote of No Confidence to court for intervention

The Opposition will seek a Supreme Court reference, following the rejection of its motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill today (Thursday) by the acting Speaker Aide Ganasi, says the Opposition Leader Don Polye.

In a media conference today (Thursday) Mr Polye said they would raise three issues in the court in regards to the motion;

1. We will seek the court’s intervention to declare that the motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister is valid;

2. That the Committee be dismissed not to deliberate on the motion because they have abused their functions and powers;

3. and VONC must be addressed on the floor of Parliament to test the numbers which the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill always boasts about.

He said the reasons which the acting Speaker Aide Ganasi justified for the motion’s rejection were ‘hogwash.’

The Speaker ruled out the motion, saying;

1. The some signatories withdrew their signature so it was found invalid;

2. The Speaker claimed that Vanimo Green MP Belden Namah was suspended and that his signature is invalid;

3. and the ruling Party People’s National Congress has sought a Supreme Court Reference on this so it is prejudice to entertain the motion on the floor of Parliament. The reference was filed the next day (March 23) when the notice on the motion was served with the acting Speaker on March 22.

“I will dismiss all those reasons as hogwash and should be rejected outright by Parliament and the people of PNG.

“I was very upset that even through the Speaker’s chair that lies can be told.

“Even the committee cannot look at the values of rule of law and democracy but only look within themselves for political expediency- what benefits and interests them, and the goodness they get out of it.
“We will not waiver but stand on the principles which are true. The rejection does not mean it is the end of democracy. We will ensure democracy is restored. We will fight to establish a better government,” Mr Polye told reporters.

Polye explained that they had three contingent motions, saying if one wished to withdraw his or her signature, he or she had to do so in writing to the Speaker.

“When the Morobe Governor Kelly Naru withdrew his signature, we still met the requirement with more than one tenth of MPs (12 MPs). We still have the numbers. Therefore, the Speaker’s statement presented as saying invalid signatures is untrue.

“On the issue of Namah’s suspension is also not true as he has stayed his suspension. I have got a court order here issued by the Supreme Court dated 5th of February 2016.

“PNC party running to the Court raises a lot of eyebrows. We dismiss all these reasons to reject the motion as we have the hard evidences to prove them wrong.

"The decision is not accepted as it does not reflection the Constitution and the standing orders. It should not be accepted by the people and Parliament because it is a total abuse of the democratic process,” he said.

Mr Polye has cautioned all PNGeans that it is frightening to see all the values are being intimidated and supressed as experienced today, saying PNG has no bright future.

For instance, he said, the Deputy Opposition Leader Sam Basil was said to be referred to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for exercising his constitutional and mandated duty to move the motion.

“What is that for? The signatures and the court orders are here. Here we have an autocratic government which suppresses freedom and democracy. This is morally not right. I would like to warn the people of PNG that the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill destroying all the fabrics which hold the society intact.

“We will not give up. Our objective is not only to move a vote no-confidence against the Prime Minister or to change the government which we believe is absolutely corrupt or to form a government which is clean and corruption-free, respects rule of law and systems of governance but also to continue to fight for what is right.

“We will continue to fight for principles which are right. We will continue to promote and advocate on rule of law, justice, good governance, systems of governance and democracy.

“We will continue to fight for the right of the 8 million people of PNG and we will not give up until we change this government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Basil has welcomed his referral to the privilege committee.

He said he had given a week to the Finance Minister James Marape to apologise to him for slander, adding he will take the matter to the court if he fails to do so.

He thanked the Post Courier newspaper for retracting the defamatory content against him.