O’Neill to name three Cabinet replacements

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill says Cabinet ministers who have crossed the floor to the Opposition camp will be replaced in the next few days.
The three who will be replaced are Abau MP Sir Puka Temu (Health and HIVAIDs), Telefomin MP Solan Mirisim (Defence) and Goilala MP William Samb (Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Bougainville Affairs).
He said it was why Parliament had to be adjourned to May 28.
“I want to inform our country that we have adjourned for a few weeks so that we can replace the ministers that have resigned and moved to the opposition. We can appoint (replacements) properly over the next few days,” he said.
“When they are fully briefed, we can prepare the government programme for Parliament before May 28.
“It gives the new ministers an opportunity to be briefed properly so they can be fully versed with what is going to happen within their departments and ministries.”
O’Neill said the Government side performed well yesterday.
“Many of you will remember that we formed the government in 2017 with 65 members of parliament. So we are back to where we began,” he said.
“The cross-over numbers that we received are people who had defected to us from the Opposition. They are going back to the Opposition.
“So it is the same crowd moving back and forth. The real numbers that we formed the Government in 2017 is still there. And we will work with the leaders in making sure that we provide a transparent and accountable government.
“We have listened to you as a government and leader of this coalition and we have listened to the concerns raised by many of the leaders the issues that they have raised including public service bureaucracy and all the others. We will take them fully on board and start addressing them.”