Can we trust the O’Neill-led govt?

THE nation awaits the decision of the Supreme Court tomorrow which will determine the legality of the O’Neill-Namah government.
What happened on the floor of parliament on Aug 2 and the subsequent unprecedented events that threw the country into a constitutional crisis were very serious and the people must not treat them lightly.
Many Papua New Guineans welcomed the change of government because it happened at a time when the people’s frustrations with the Somare regime reached its peak.
The government knew its election to power was controversial.
Therefore, its most urgent task was to ensure that both the law and the people were on its side.
To win over the people, it appeared to be addressing issues that touched the public most like corruption, free education, women equity bill, etc.
From day one, it said all the right things that even pastors openly confessed this government was an answer to their prayers.
On the other hand, even though it had the people on its side, the thing that haunts the government was its legality.
Uncertainty surrounding its legality led it to:
l    Threaten the East Sepik provincial government to remove its financial powers;
l    Threaten to suspend East Sepik provincial government;
l    Accuse chief justice of conflict of interest and tried to remove him from the five-man Supreme Court bench;
l    Dismiss the East Sepik regional member Sir Michael Somare from office; and
l    Seek court order to quash the Supreme Court reference taken against it by the East Sepik provincial government.
The government left no stone unturned to legitimise what appeared to be an illegal government but when all its attempts failed, in an unprecedented move, it did the most unthinkable by suspending the chief justice on allegations of misconduct in office.
But the timing left a lot to be desired.
The suspension of the chief justice was intended to create instability within the judiciary and disciplinary forces.
If it had not been for the quick and courageous action of Justice Bernard Sakora in issuing the bench warrant for Deputy Prime Minister Belden Na­mah and Attorney-General Dr Allan Marat to be arrested on contempt charges, only the good Lord knows where PNG would have ended up.
They tried to set aside the bench warrant but the five-man Supreme Court bench rejected it.
Credit must go to the other judges and the disciplinary forces for remaining united and calm when all hell broke loose and their action will go down in the history books of PNG.
When the constitutionally un­thinkable happened, most MPs and prominent leaders kept quiet except for Anderson Agiru, Sam Basil, Prof John Nonggorr, John Paska and few others who stood up in defence of their country and Constitution.
If this government is serious about fighting corruption, what about the millions of kina processed by Treasurer Don Polye in the name of priority areas and national interest in recent weeks?
Why is this government keeping Jeffery Nape in the speaker’s chair?
It looks as though Nape is immune to all laws in this country.
Who or which office is supposed to monitor the office of the speaker?
Is it the Ombudsman Commission, the judiciary or the NEC?
Who is Nape answerable to?
Our governor-general appears to be a rubber stamp who signs anything before him.
Likewise, who monitors the conduct of the governor-general, Om­budsman Commission and judges?
I hope this episode has opened the eyes of the lawmakers to revisit our Constitution and patch up all loopholes.
The government made too many unconstitutional decisions in the name of the people or national interest.
Any government that gambles with our Constitution should never be trusted no matter how promising it appears.
Hijacking a legitimate government should not be condoned but those involved charged with treason as they had no regard for our Constitution and democracy.
I would rather feel secure with a weak yet honest government than one that appears promising and raises false hope but in reality is deceptive.
Again, only the good Lord knows why the national budget was delayed twice to be handed down two days before the decision of Supreme Court.
Prof Nonggorr was absolutely right when he said the legal fraternity, workers and the public should be up in arms to defend the Constitution and democracy.
There were and are corrupt leaders in both the previous and current go­vernment.
But within their ranks are a handful of good quality leaders who have their heart for PNG and it is our wish that they team up and form the next government after tomorrow’s ruling.

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