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PNP leader removed
By ZACHERY PER
THE PNG National Party executives have added salt to Correctional
Services Minister Melchior Pep’s wounds, currently facing the Leadership
Tribunal, when they dropped him as party leader this month.
Party executives in an annual general meeting (AGM) in Goroka on Jan 5
removed Mr Pep as leader of the PNG National Party.
The decision was reached as the Dei MP was facing referrals to the
Leadership Tribunal for alleged misappropriation charges.
Mr Pep was referred by Public Prosecutor Chronox Manek to the Leadership
Tribunal after finding sufficient evidence of misappropriations stemmed
from files supplied by the Ombudsman Commission.
PNG National Party executives agreed to reserve the party leadership to
one of the two current PNG National Party MPs.
The two MPs currently in Parliament tipped to lead the party into this
year’s general election are North Waghi MP Michael Mas Kal and Jimi MP
Francis Kunai.
The AGM also unanimously agreed to reschedule the party’s national
convention, earlier scheduled for Kundiawa, Simbu province, to Mount
Hagen, Western Highlands province, to next month.
The party’s national coordinator Joe Mek Teine told The National from
Kundiawa yesterday that a new leader would be elected soon after the
conclusion of the general election.
He said major party policies the party would lay down at the convention
were law and order, health and education, primary industry,
infrastructure with several others to be derived from these main ones.
He said the convention would also identify candidates contesting seats
around the country under the party’s banner.
Mr Teine said they were a clean party based on strong principles with
practical policies to ensure PNG become a better, place in 10 to 20
years time.
 
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