Namah: Govt travel costly

By STARZA PAUL
SENIOR government members travelling abroad and not spending time running the affairs of the nation since its formation last month “is milking the taxpayers’ money that could be spent meaningfully,” opposition leader Belden Namah said in Port Moresby yesterday.
“The prime minister just returned from the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands and within a short period, he is again travelling to Russia (for the Apec conference in Vladivostok).
“That does not make sense for the good of this nation and its people,” Namah said.
He said the thousands of kina spent by the government to pay for travel, allowances and accommodation should be put to better use in the country.
“Just imagine, mothers are dying in hospitals because of the lack of staff and babies given birth on rough wood because a mere K20 mattress cannot be afforded,” Namah said.
He described the spending as unnecessary expenses and said that the money could be put to better use in education and health that the government was saying it would provide for the country.
Shadow Treasury and Finance Minister Joseph Lelang has been urging the government to spend within its means.
“The government, within a short period, accumulated a budget deficit of K513 million and it has to cut down on some of its major spending because an economic is looming,” he said.
O’Neill said he was satisfied with parliament before travelling to Russia.
for an Apec meeting said he was satisfied with this parliament sitting in which some of his promises to the people had been achieved.
He was quoted saying that the mv Rabaul Queen inquiry, appointment of parliament committees and his visions and plans for this nation had been tabled in parliament.
But the Opposition said it had too little time during the two parliamentary sessions to voice it views.