Melanesian Alliance Party opens new office

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE Melanesian Alliance Party has opened a new office in Port Moresby as it looks forward to the next general election in 2022.
Bulolo MP Sam Basil, who was elected party leader by MPs he had led across from Pangu, said they were looking forward to the day they would be called to form the government after the general election. “And if we can’t achieve that, I want to assure Papua New Guineans that we will respect the political party that gets the mandate,” he said.
“The governor-general will call the party that wins the majority of the seats and we hope it’s us. But we will respect whatever party he calls and we will lend our support to that party for five years to govern the nation.
“We are laying the foundation and we will be a force to be reckoned with in 2022 with our coalition partners the People’s National Congress, United Resource Party, People’s Progress Party and United Party.”
Basil said he had done a lot for Pangu when he became leader in 2014. The party won 10 per cent of the seats in the 2017 general election.
“However, the party executives didn’t like to work with me and removed me,” he said.
The nine Melanesian Alliance Party MPs are Basil, Lufa MP Moriape Kavori, Sumkar MP Chris Nangoi, Markham MP Koni Iguan, Nawaeb MP Kennedy Wenge, Raikos MP Peter Sapia, Menyamya MP Thomas Pelika, Sohe MP Henry Amuli and Rigo MP Lekwa Gure.