PM Marape called upon to Explain K10.2 million COVID-19 Research & Cure in PNG

The Papua New Guinea  Opposition is calling on the National Government to explain to the people Cabinet's approval of 10-point-2-million Kina funding to Niugini Biomed Limited - a company intending to carry out research on finding the cure for coronavirus in the country.

The Opposition Leader Belden Namah was curious over the manner in which the newly registered company without any experience of involving in the research and procurement of medical vaccines was awarded the contract.

Mr. Namah believes that while the world's largest research medical organisations are yet to find a cure for coronavirus, he believes that this research will in the end bring nothing positive or will be a total waste of funds.

In a press conference yesterday, Mr. Namah described this as irresponsible by Cabinet saying the private company has no previous records of drug research and production to carry out research on cures of coronavirus.

Late yesterday Prime Minister James Marape was disappointed after allegations of impropriety and corruption on the part of his Government in relation to awarding the K10.2 million contract to Niugini BioMed Ltd.

In a media statement released yesterday, Mr. Marape further expressed his disappointment that confidential State information was leaked to the media in what he said was a deliberate attempt to discredit his Government and suspected an agent of Opposition running loose within Government systems, siphoning off confidential documents and leaking them to media to make inferences of impropriety and corruption.

This allegation on an agent of Opposition running loose within government to discredit the government was also denied by the Opposition Leader.

Prime Minister James Marape stressed that there was nothing illegal or improper about engaging PNG chemists, biologists, and doctors to research into possible vaccines for COVID-19, something the opposition thinks otherwise.

Mr. Namah on the other hand asked the government to explain how a newly formed company should award this contract whilst the P-N-G Research Medical Institute and Health Department are being underestimated.

According to I-P-A and I-R-C records, the company was registered in August this year.

NBC News / PNG Today

Next : PNG PM Marape blames agents of Opposition within his govt of leaking Confidential State Information