Marape: Govt’s Alotau camp has 80 MPs

FINANCE Minister and Leader of Government Business James Marape has indicated that the Government team’s retreat in Alotau has 80 MPs.
Marape said the Government was confident it would outright defeat the court-ordered vote of no confidence.
In a statement from Alotau yesterday, Marape said:
“Today these leaders sat through when National Planning led the heads of key government sectors like treasury, education, health and works to ascertain what has been done by the Government in compliance with the Alotau Accord commitments.
“The leaders here appreciate the magnitude of development challenges over politics, hence commit to maintain political stability by supporting the current prime minister.
“I have been in Government for nine years now and have never seen MPs more committed to political stability then the current crop of leaders and I directed prime ministerial aspirants to redirect their efforts to national elections in June 2017 instead of stirring discord, strife and disunity among different sectors of our community.
“For those non-politicians who are calling on the prime minister to resign, please respect that the correct avenue for change of government is on the floor of parliament or at the polls. (Tomorrow) we 108 MPs will decide, but for the unions and the rest out there, if you have a political voice, then please have your say in the 2017 election.
“Many issues raised by concerned Papua New Guineans are now within the confines of courts and police. Let’s allow all these constitutional processes of law and judiciary to run and conclude.
“Using threat and intimidation to force change must not be the way into the future.”