Kramer found guilty of breaching privilege

THE Parliamentary Privileges Committee has found Madang MP Bryan Kramer guilty of breaching parliamentary privilege.
The committee recommended Kramer apologise to the House for reflections on a member, tending to bring hatred and contempt.
The committee said if Kramer failed to apologise within two days from the time the report was adopted, then the chairman or Speaker would suspend him from the House for two sittings days.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Privileges Committee Charlie Benjamin said Tewaii-Siassi MP Kobby Bomareo on May 31, 2018, raised concern that the conduct of the Madang MP had abused privileges when he referred to Bulolo MP Sam Basil as “dumb” on Facebook.
Benjamin said the committee operated pursuant to and in accordance with the Constitution (Part IV, Division 2), the Standing Orders of the National Parliament 20, and the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act 1964, inquiries into complaints of breaches of privileges referred to the committee by the Speaker by resolution.
He said as such, Kramer was referred to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee and the committee had found him to be guilty, that he was found to be in breach of privileges as his post contained a photograph of the minister with a superimposed caption at the bottom that implied that the minster was “dumb”, was considered highly disorderly.
He said his Facebook post directly contributed to adverse comments by his followers that brought Parliament into hatred and contempt, also considered highly disorderly.
The committee warned all MPs that they would not hesitate to refer any Member of the House for prosecution for breaches of Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act 1964 where it found constant and continued abuse and breaches of privileges as a result of personal reflection on other members or on the House.