Alotau Accord II signed

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By MALUM NALU
PEOPLE’S National Congress Party leader Peter O’Neill and the eight coalition partners yesterday signed the Alotau Accord II in the Milne Bay capital before returning to Port Moresby.
The PNC’s eight coalition partners are: Christian Democratic Party represented by Patrick Basa, Our Development Party by Francis Manake, PNG Country Party by Chris Haiveta, United Resources Party by William Duma, People’s Progress Party by Sir Julius Chan, Social Democratic Party by Powes Parkop, United Party by Rimbink Pato, People’s Party by Dr William Tongamp.
O’Neill is confident that the accord would enable the new government to improve its performance in the next five years.
“We implemented over 90 per cent by a single government over a five-year period (2012-2017),” he said.
“That is unheard of. I am certain that we will achieve all the things that we have given priority to over the next five years.
“That is why it is important that we have stability in the way we structure our government for the future.
“If we continue to change and swap, you will lose the momentum.
“It will mean that new ideas will come into play, new visions will come into play, new policies will come into play – many of them untested. Untested policies are costly exercises.
It means that funding will go into these programmes, where it may not result in delivery of goods and services to our people.
That is why it is important to stick with the policies that we have continued to deliver over the last five years, and continue to do it better.”
O’Neill said the coalition partners’ views on how government would run for the next five years were very important.
“This is why I’m glad to see that you’ve spent some time over the last few days in developing this document that is going to be our guide over the next few years,” he said.