O’Neill: Get it right

FORMER Prime Minister Peter O’Neil, pictured, has rejected statements by certain senior political figures that they were responsible for his decision to resign last week, saying he had acted on his own accord.
“(It) was my decision alone. And while leaders had provided their views, I was under no obligation to resign as (Supreme) court proceedings were already underway to ensure clarity of (the vote of no-confidence motion) process,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“I made the decision to resign before I left for Parliament on Wednesday morning, and signed my letter of resignation.”
“Even the most senior members of the Government were not aware that my letter of resignation (had been sent) to the Governor-General at the same time we took our seats in Parliament.”
Following his resignation on Wednesday, Tari-Pori MP James Marape was elected the next day by 101 MPs on both sides of the House, including O’Neill, to take over the top post.
It ended what was a hectic period of political manoeuvring, realigning and horse-trading to force him out and change the leadership.
O’Neill, the Ialibu-Pangia MP and leader of People’s National Congress Party, said it was “incorrect” to claim now that he had been coaxed into giving up the position.
Former New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan and Western Highlands Governor Paias Wingti had been discussing with O’Neill the continuing shift in political allegiance away from his camp up to his resignation.
O’Neill said he was of the view last week that “the prolonged action that would also provide the time to rebuild the number required to govern would not have been in the best interests of the nation”.
“I have long spoken of the importance of political stability in the long-term interests of our country,” he said.
O’Neill said he did not consult anyone when he made the decision to resign.
“I did not need to, because for me the decision was clear. I chose the interests of political stability over political self- interest,” he said.
O’Neill said leaders claiming to be responsible for his decision to resign, or the timing of this decision, “were seriously mistaken”.
“Some are making false and self-serving statements trying to claim credit, when the reality is that they were themselves hungry for power and are now trying to take credit for the change that has taken place.”
He said Parliament “has since elected the eighth prime minister of our nation James Marape”.
“This matter has been settled and it is time for leaders to put aside their attempts to seek glory and stop this misleading self-praise.”