Case attracts new parties

The National Main Stories

By KARO JESSE
A NEW Supreme Court application filed by Opposition Leader Belden Namah questioning the constitutionality of Prime Minister James Marape’s election in May last year has attracted two interested parties.
Amongst the former interveners Prime Minister James Marape, Justice Minister and Attorney-General Davis Steven and Speaker of Parliament Job Pomat, the two new parties that have shown interest in the matter are the Registrar of Political Parties and Pangu Party.
Presiding Judge Justice David Cannings instructed the former and new interested parties to the matter to file their applications to intervene on April 9, with the applicant to make a service of the special application to the Registrar of Political Parties and Pangu Party on April 6.
Justice Cannings further adjourned the hearing on applications to April 14, before the matter is listed for directions hearing to set a date for hearing on substantive application.
Namah’s special application pursuant to section 18 (1) of the Constitution is seeking the court’s interpretation on sections 11, 50, 108, 114, 134, 142, and 158(2) of the Constitution and s.63 of the Organic Law on the Integrity of the Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC).
Namah in his application is claiming that the acceptance of Peter O’Neill’s withdrawal for the nomination of prime minister’s position by the Speaker after the close of nomination was a breach of the Constitution.
Namah is contending that the Speaker accepted O’Neill’s withdrawal without the leave of the court and claims under s.158 of the Standing Orders that once a motion nominating a member of Parliament for prime minister is accepted by the Speaker, it becomes the “Possession of the House” and may only be withdrawn by a motion of the Parliament which receives a majority in accordance with s.114 of the Constitution.
Namah further contends that the motion may not be properly unilaterally withdrawn by the nominee or anybody else in any other manner.
The former application by Namah on the same issue was dismissed by the court on March 27 on technical grounds.
This prompted Namah to re-file a new application to pursue the matter, rendering that it was the responsibility of Opposition to ensure that proceedings of Parliament were correctly carried out and the Speaker followed the provisions in the Constitution.

4 comments

  • Namah should be more concerned with what the country is going through now rather than running to courts and lodging applications regarding constitutional issues. This is not life and death issue. Prime Minister James Marape is working out his brain with his coalition partners on how to face the danger that is moving globally which is life threatening. What Namah is doing is a total distraction to the whole plan and preparation for COVID-19. Why can’t he sleep on it till the Coronavirus pendermic ends.

  • This are very desperate times for all the politicians, now the domestic flights are back, they all should leave Waigani and head home to their people and educate them of the COVID-19 by themselves.

  • Mr Belden Namah should concentrate on his electorate helping Sepiks who are crossing boarder selling Vanilla in Jayapura can easily be infected as 22 confirmed COVID 19 in West Papua which is a threat to PNG. He is NOT a PM material. James Marape is a blessing from God to PNG in this time of economic crisis and the global Pandemic.

  • The opposition is established for the grooming of the government operations, but unfortunately our opposition leader is checking the government at the wrong time. All of us should be praying for this deadly disease, forget about power, wealth and fame for a while. Remember We do all things only when we are ALIVE! Belden is doing the right thing but he should do it later.

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