O’Neill told to respect court decision

By ZACHERY PER
A YOUNG Eastern Highlands leader has called on the O’Neill group to show maturity and accept the Supreme Court decision that reinstated Sir Michael Somare as Prime Minister.
David Bre from Goroka made the call following the purported sacking of Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio and appointment of speaker Jeffery Nape as acting governor-general, who then swore in Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill as Prime Minister on Wednesday afternoon in parliament.
“I make the call because PNG is a young country with a vibrant democracy and Constitution that I do not want to see tarnished and a bad precedent set for future generations,”
he said.
He said the tussle for power between the O’Neill and Somare factions would lead PNG into chaos as the international community viewed PNG facing a serious constitutional crisis and that it was already one of the most corrupt.
He said contrary actions in defiance of the Supreme Court order by political leaders taking advantage of parliamentary privileges would be a dangerous precedent set for this country.
Bre said the O’Neill regime already had the numbers but the decision of the other arm of the government (judiciary) must be respected and proper procedures must follow to iron out grievances.
“We have mega projects like the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects and other resource development projects that need to be developed under a stable government.
“We do not want to be another Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan that went into political turmoil because of bad leadership,” Bre said.
He said the next general election was only
a few months away.
“Young leaders in both camps must let Sir Michael, as the father of the nation who has had more than 40 years, complete his full political career.
“Young leaders must return to the polls with a fresh mind to form a new government and serve out a full term from 2012 to 2017,” he said.