Marat sworn in as Rabaul MP

By REBECCA KUKU
DR ALLAN Marat was sworn into Parliament yesterday morning as the Rabaul MP and will be joining the Government when Parliament resumes on June 6.
Clerk of Parliament Kala Aufa confirmed Marat’s swearing in and that he had officially taken his position as Rabaul representative.
Marat told The National that when he was campaigning in 2022, he told his voters that when he was voted back into Parliament, he would join the Government.
“And so, I will join the Government when Parliament resumes on June 6, and after all compliance requirements have been met, I will team up with the like-spirited, like-hearted leaders in the PNG Party,” he said. Marat said that his first task as Rabaul MP was to have data for planning development in each of the wards in the electorate.
“A policy submission on this will be given to the district development authority board.
“My other tasks will be to establish early childhood learning centres, and health centres for each ward in Rabaul.
“The other project which I have already started but is incomplete is having a civic centre for each ward in Rabaul.
“So this will be one of the programmes that I will continue.”
The former Justice Minister credited his faith which had allowed a peaceful and smooth election and patience to follow the petition process to yesterday’s swearing-in.
Marat is Rabaul MP by virtue of a judgment by the Court of Disputed Returns on March 31 which declared that the second respondent, Graham Rumet, was not duly elected in General Election 2022, and the petitioner, Marat, was duly elected. The March 31 judgment stated that Rumet’s declaration was “void ab initio” (from the very beginning).