All MPs get a fair share of the money, says Marape

THE Government has been fair in the distribution of the country’s wealth to every province and district and the people of East Sepik is no different, Finance Minister James Marape says.
Marape said in response to East Sepik Governor Allan Bird’s statement in Parliament claiming unequal distribution of the country’s wealth through normal Government appropriation to provinces, in which the province had received only 30 per cent of the overall operation grants the province was entitled to.
Bird said it was surprising to know that all the provinces have received 80 per cent of the functional grants as alluded to by the Governor of Gulf Chris Haiveta on Wednesday.
Members of the Opposition like his province received only 30 per cent this year, 75 per cent cut last year and 77 per cent cut in the 2016 allocation. Bird wanted to know if there was a problem they had with the people of East Sepik as indicated by the disparities in the manner in which functional grants were remitted, which indicated that Government MPs had received 80 per cent each while the Opposition MPs received less than 30 per cent.
He asked if the Government was going to remit the remainder of the functional grants to be on par with Government MPs.
Finance Minister James Marape said the Government had been fair all through and had disbursed all funds equally despite which side of the House the MPs sat.