Namah calls MP in shooting ‘irresponsible’

OPPOSITION Leader Belden Namah has called irresponsible the alleged action of the Member of Parliament (MP) in Friday’s shooting to death of a man at a restaurant in Waigani, Port Moresby.
The incident resulted in the death of Robert Jerry, 38, who was dining with the MP from the ruling Pangu Pati at about 8pm.
“Accidental or intentional, the leader has been most irresponsible in producing a gun in a public place. Producing a gun and firing it in a public is illegal,” Namah said in a statement.
He urged the MP to resign immediately over the incident and face the law as a private citizen.
“The issue here is not that the discharge of the firearm was accidental,” Namah said.
“The more important issue which resulted in a fatal shooting was the production of the firearm in a public place.
“There can be no cover-up in this case. It is clearly irresponsible, it is wrong and it is illegal.
“He must do the decent thing and resign immediately.
“And police must do the right thing by bringing him to account.”
Namah said earlier this year that another Pangu Pati MP Rainbo Paita was involved in publicly displaying a gun, which he allegedly was not authorised to carry.
Namah said an investigation carried out by police had cleared Paita of any wrongdoing but a close-protection officer was charged with the offence.
“And now we have another of the Prime Minister James Marape’s inner circle of friends involved in a public display of a firearm which endangered the lives of all patrons and staff at a public place resulting in the death of a man.”
Namah said he had asked Marape repeatedly about the whereabouts of 50 high-powered firearms he had purchased for the Tari police but had failed to produce an adequate answer to his questions.
“I have raised the matter of citizens being gunned down, including policemen and soldiers in Tari and in other parts of Hela. And again we have received no satisfactory response from the Prime Minister and his government.”