Pangu president refutes claims of party collusion with government

PANGU Pati national president Patrick Pundao says claims that the party has joined the government “is big news to me and the party”.
“We don’t know. The party doesn’t know,” he said.
He was responding to claims that party leader Sam Basil and other MPs were leaving to join Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s government.
Basil could not be reached for comment yesterday.  But he told a local radio station that there was no truth in it.
Pundao said Pangu MPs, especially the Morobe group, were elected by the people of Morobe under the Pangu Pati banner because people like Pangu. They don’t like the current government.
“This is seen in Pangu unseating the former Speaker of Parliament (Theo Zurenuoc), the deputy leader of the People’s National Congress (Mao Zeming), the Governor of Morobe (Kelly Naru) and MPs in most seats in Morobe.
“That is because Pangu Pati originated from Morobe,” he said. “There is a saying in Morobe: Anutu (God), Lutheran Church and Pangu.
“This saying was fulfilled in the election.”
Basil and O’Neill did not respond to messages sent to them last weekend.
Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel said: “I don’t know what they (Basil and O’Neill) are doing.”