Alotau hosts lawmakers’ conference

By JULIA DAIA BORE in Alotau
A MILESTONE meeting of law-makers and legal experts is being conducted by the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) this week in Alotau, Milne Bay, relating to “underlying laws”.
It has brought together PNG’s legal think-tanks from around the country totalling more than 50 participants.
Many of them are lawyers and will make presentations relating to the theme of the two-day conference.
 It is themed “The conference in the status of development of the underlying law in PNG”. 
In an outline about the seminar, signed jointly by Dr Lawrence Kalinoe as secretary of the Department of Justice and Attorney-General and former CLRC chairman and Tau Kamuta, its current acting secretary, said: “In brief, this conference hopes to bring together esteemed members of the legal fraternity, judges and academics to discuss issues concerning the development of Papua New Guinea’s underlying law.”
They explained that “the underlying law is developed when there is no written law to be found to apply to any subject matter by invoking either principles of customary law relevant to the circumstances of the country, at the time”.
Organisers said the meeting was a “bold move” towards the initial stages of law formulations that would eventually bridge PNG’s good and retainable unwritten customs, its norms and practices with the age-old English laws adopted and based as PNG’s legal and justice system and practices.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the five CLRC commissioners, led by chairman and Kundiawa-Gembogl MP Joe Mek Teine, arrived to conduct their commissioners’ meeting in Alotau, prior to the conference.
The other CLRC members are academics Dr John Luluaki (head of the UPNG’s law school) and Dr Betty Lovai, and MPs Malakai Tabar (Gazelle) and Puri Ruing (Dei).     
Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, Kalinoe and deputy Justice secretary Jack Kariko also attended.
Justice Minister Ano Pala, who was scheduled as a guest speaker,  was unable to attend.
The conference ended yesterday.