Dept awaits advice on acting governor

National
Source:
The National, Tuesday July 12th, 2016

THE Department of Provincial and Local Level Government is awaiting legal advice from the State solicitor before it comments on the issue over the appointment of an acting Hela governor.
Department acting Secretary Dickson Guina was commenting on the events of last Tuesday in Tari where Koroba-Lake Kopiago MP Philip Undialu was elected to the position in the morning session of the provincial assembly, and Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape was elected in the afternoon session.
“We have to get some legal clearance before the (Inter-Government Relations) minister (Sir Leo Dion) can announce that,” Guina told The National.
“At this point in time, no information until we get clearance from the State solicitor,” he said.
Both the Undialu and Potape camps have been quiet since last Tuesday.
Undialu, who is supported by Tari-Pori MP James Marape, flew to Sydney last Wednesday reportedly to negotiate funding for the 4.27 per cent landowner and provincial government equity in the PNG LNG Project.
Details of that visit are yet to be announced. But Potape said on EMTV last week that Undialu had no mandate to represent the Hela people in Sydney.
Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato said last Thursday the case of the Hela assembly meeting and the election of two acting governors was “causing chaos in Hela”.

error: Content is protected !!