Bougainville wants new NA deputy

webmaster National, Normal
Source:

The National , Wednesday, June 1, 2011

By JEFFREY ELAPA
BOUGAINVILLE  Na­tional Alliance regional coordinator Andrew Pekuaka has called on all New Guinea Island National Alliance (NA) parliamentary members to reconcile and elect a new regional deputy party leader.
The six party MPs from the region are Paul Tiensten, Pomio; Leo Dion,  East New Britain provincial; Fidelis Semoso, Bougainville provincial; Peter Humphreys, West New Britain provincial; Michael Sapau, Manus; and Patrick Tammur, Kokopo.  
Pekuaka said the NA was strong when Tiensten was the deputy party leader but that had changed.
He said now the provincial branches in the region were all working in isolation.
He said it started after Semoso was elected deputy party leader by the parliamentary members from the region.
He said that party execu­tives in provincial branches were confused and not working with regional executives and Semoso.
He said New Guinea Islands (NGI) deputy president John Tuka and his executives had worked well with Tiensten’s leadership but since the appointment of Se­moso “they are all lost and working in isolation”.
“The branches do not know where Tuka is operating and the provincial branches are all confused as there is no coordination and consultation since the changes,” he said.
He said this was a bad trend and with the time catching up for the 2012 general election, the NGI parliamentary members needed to reconcile and come together and work towards a common goal of retaining their seats as well as wining new seats in the region so that the party continued to govern the nation.
“The time for petty politics and difference should be of the past.
“Let’s all revitalise the party and work towards our aim for the coming elections,” he said.
Pekuaka said Semoso had never worked and consulted the Bougain­ville branch.
He said the Bougain­ville branch had endorsed Lauta Atoi as the NA candidate for the North Bougainville by-election, which he was leading.
“I prefer Tiensten to lead the NGI NA party because the region trusts his leadership,” Pekuaka said.