O’Neill says Ling-Stuckey’s appointment ‘insulting’

PRIME Minister James Marape has grossly insulted members in Government who voted him into office by choosing Opposition MP Ian Ling-Stuckey as Treasurer, former prime minister Peter O’Neill, pictured, said yesterday.
O’Neill said: “The prime minister has the prerogative to appoint anyone he pleases at his absolute discretion but the appointment of the Opposition shadow treasurer to the Treasurer’s post is a gross insult to members who voted him into office.
“Surely there must be one member in Government with the credentials to fill the Treasurers’ post.
“Even his own Pangu Pati ranks must be smarting from this new insult, now repeated a third time since the appointment of Opposition stalwarts Bryan Kramer and Kerenga Kua to their respective Cabinet posts.
“It will not be long before Sir Mekere Morauta and Opposition Leader Patrick Pruaitch join Government so be prepared to make way for them.
“In the process, the PM has removed one of the hardest working and honest ministers, Richard Maru.
“That is his prerogative but it seems preposterous that he has created a post for the very man who opposed him numerous times in parliamentary debates on financial and economic matters.”
O’Neill said he chose to remain silent to allow Marape to get on with the job but would not stand by and let his successor derail all the hard work his team had put in over the last eight years.
“Apart from the attractive rhetoric, we have seen no solid policies and programmes so far,” he said
“All we have seen are witch hunts and reviewing, revising and reversing all of our programmes and projects so much so that everything has shifted to neutral and nothing is moving.
“This is dangerous for the country.
“Despite all the rhetoric about taking PNG back, we see no evidence of this happening beyond the words.
“With each action, we seem to be taking PNG backwards.”