Opposition makes serious claims to stop the extension of grace period

THE opposition led by leader Belden Namah made numerous allegations against the government in a last-ditch effort to prevent the extension of its grace period to 30 months during the final debate on the proposal in parliament yesterday. 
Opposition member and Rabaul MP Dr Allan Marat claimed there were nume­rous instances of questionable go­vernance by the government as it displayed incompetence and corrupt practices in its short term in office so far.
Marat said these instances justified the opposition’s move against the amendment of section 145 which outlined the grace period (18 months) after which a no-confidence vote could be passed.
 He said some examples why the opposition was suspicious included:
n    The recent drama over the chartered Boeing 737 mystery flight with Vanuatu officials on board;
n    The establishment of the Manus Island asylum centre without observance of various domestic and international obligations;
n    The yet-to-be-tabled ICAC Bill to investigate politicians of corrupt practices; and,
n    Countless cases of public money and project funds being unaccounted for through procurement processes.
Marat said the government was answerable to these allegations and had only
given excuses.
“The 18 months grace period should never be extended again because our recent history has clearly shown that recent past political leadership, including the current one, still misconceive the real purpose behind the grace period,” he said. 
Namah had said the go­vernment’s move to pass the law was a means to hide fraudulent practices it had engaged in and that it placed all MPs in voluntary exile in which their negotiating and bar­gaining powers were suppressed.
The opposition said these instances of illegal and corrupt practices unexplained by the government were enough to show that it was unfit to continue.