Philemon lauds record

By ELLEN TIAMU
A STATE minister has claimed that parliament had more sitting time and passed more bills in the past six months compared to the pre­vious four years.
Speaking at the New Gene­ration Party’s second national convention in Lae last Saturday, party leader and Minister for Public Service Bart Philemon said if a government that had only been in office for six months could do more than one that has had four years, then, stability in government could not be the problem.
The Lae MP said the introduction of the Organic Law on political parties and candidates had allowed one prime minister and political party to remain in power for nine years.
He said numerous suggestions by bureaucrats and politicians that financial resources
and lack of stability in government had contributed to
lack of development in
the country were not true.
Philemon claimed that the National Alliance, under the lea­dership of Sir Michael Somare as prime minister, had spent 60% of total funding ever available to the country.
The one-time treasury and finance minister said this spending was evident in minimal progress in the rural communities throughout the country.
“I have no doubt about the core of these causes.”
Having served as MP for 20 years, “my experience and observation is that bad leadership is the core cause of PNG’s woes”.
“Bad leadership begins with incompetence, inexperience, naivety and extends to unprincipled, flawed character.”