O’Neill: Protect our sovereignty

FORMER Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says the country needs to protect its sovereignty and people and national security must not be compromised.
O’Neill was responding to a statement this week by Prime Minister James Marape regarding claims that his government was run by Australian advisers.
Marape claimed that the latest attack looked to be another work of political opponents making up fallacies and misconstruing facts for political mileage, and was far from the truth.
He believed the propaganda was being driven by O’Neill and Opposition Leader Belden Namah.
But O’Neill said Marape was being influenced by foreigners and some Papua New Guineans in key departments who were paid by foreign governments.
O’Neill contended that the prime minister’s reliance on these individuals had resulted in the undermining of the department’s top management.
“A good example is Treasury, consultants both foreign and national, are now able rewrite official reports to serve a political agenda rather than stating the facts,” he said.
“The real data provided by the departments are trashed and our professionals have been reduced to name calling.”
O’Neill said this was unacceptable and PNG needed to protect its sovereignty and its people.
He claimed the prime minister was allowing foreign advisers in Treasury and other key departments with some operating remotely from overseas.
Marape, however, maintained that Cabinet was guided by department secretaries and public service executives.
“Of course advisers are engaged but in the specialist areas where foreign aid and programmes are being run; they are there to assist with those programmes,” he said.
“As for the advice we do receive from foreign advisers, including Australia, we value them and for that we thank our advisers for giving us their time and putting in an effort to help our country.”