Paita clarifies position on APEC meeting held in 2018

National
Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill speaking in Parliament yesterday. Seated beside O’Neill is Nipa-Kutubu MP Jeffrey Komal. – Nationalpic by KENNEDY BANI

FINANCE Minister Rainbo Paita says that he does not discredit the Apec event that the previous government hosted, but the irregularities that occurred in trying to host it with inflated costs.
Ialibu-Pangia MP and former prime minister Peter O’Neill said the K600mil expenditure for Apec 2018 as claimed by the Government was “rubbish” and “politically motivated.”
O’Neill said before the Apec summit that the budget would be between K250mil and K300mil.
However, Paita said the audit report would be tabled at November’s sitting of parliament so that everyone could see the facts.
Paita claimed that he “represented the young generation of this country who were equally qualified to run this country.
“Many people have called me ‘small boy’ since I entered politics and I’ve proven all of them wrong.
“Young men and women in this country will now realise the mentality of people like O’Neill who will always undermine the young generation of leaders and not have a succession plan to build leaders, instead they are happy building more followers.”
Paita said that there were “equally able men in the Government, coalition MPs, ministers trying to run the government and O’Neill saying we’re running an incompetent government is unbecoming of a senior statesman and former prime minister”.
“He should be more critical rather than political.
“This country does not belong to the elite and the superpower, it belongs to everyone and I represent my generation and owe no one any apology to represent and will do so without fear or intimidation.
“Prime Minister James Marape has placed a lot of trust on me to manage my ministry and I will do it to the best of my God-given ability and ensure we will hold this government together until we accomplish all that needs to done to archive our agenda.