PNG Party ranks swell to 26 MPs

By JEFFREY ELAPA
FOUR members of parliament from the Somare camp have defected to Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah’s PNG Party, making it the biggest bloc in the coalition government.
They are Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape, Kagua-Erave MP James Lagea, Nipa-Kutubu MP Philemon Embel and Mendi MP Pr Isaac Joseph.
Lagea, Isaac and Potape are from the United Resource Party but were independent MPs after they were sacked by party leader William Duma. Embel is from the Pangu Party.
The number of MPs in PNG Party have swelled to 26, while Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s People’s National Congress and Don Polye’s Triumph Heritage Empowerment party boast 22 members each.
Isaac said the time was right for him to join PNG party because the government gave him K500 million for the Mendi-Kandep road project in his district.
He said he believed in the leadership of Namah to form the next government with its good policies such as the free education and free health policy.
Potape said he had decided to join the party for the benefit of the LNG project because there were many problems yet to be addressed.
“There was no time to waste sitting in the middle or the opposition and there is no turning back,” he said.
Lagea said he saw the need to join the party after consultation with his people as there was no time to play around.
 petty politics.
They said with just a month away before the issue of writs for the 2012 general election they saw there was no need for them to sit and wait for court cases as it was better to be part of the government to deliver services to the people.
With the defection of members from the Somare camp, the government’s numbers have swollen to more than 85 MPs.
Embel, who joined the party, was still in Vanimo when the group declared and signed the party membership form last Thursday.
Namah thanked the people of Southern Highlands and the MPs for joining the party.
He said the government numbers had increased to over 85 MPs.

FOUR members of parliament from the Somare camp have defected to Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah’s PNG Party, making it the biggest bloc in the coalition government.
They are Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape, Kagua-Erave MP James Lagea, Nipa-Kutubu MP Philemon Embel and Mendi MP Pr Isaac Joseph.
Lagea, Isaac and Potape are from the United Resource Party but were independent MPs after they were sacked by party leader William Duma. Embel is from the Pangu Party.
The number of MPs in PNG Party have swelled to 26, while Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s People’s National Congress and Don Polye’s Triumph Heritage Empowerment party boast 22 members each.
Isaac said the time was right for him to join PNG party because the government gave him K500 million for the Mendi-Kandep road project in his district.
He said he believed in the leadership of Namah to form the next government with its good policies such as the free education and free health policy.
Potape said he had decided to join the party for the benefit of the LNG project because there were many problems yet to be addressed.
“There was no time to waste sitting in the middle or the opposition and there is no turning back,” he said.
Lagea said he saw the need to join the party after consultation with his people as there was no time to play around.
 petty politics.
They said with just a month away before the issue of writs for the 2012 general election they saw there was no need for them to sit and wait for court cases as it was better to be part of the government to deliver services to the people.
With the defection of members from the Somare camp, the government’s numbers have swollen to more than 85 MPs.
Embel, who joined the party, was still in Vanimo when the group declared and signed the party membership form last Thursday.
Namah thanked the people of Southern Highlands and the MPs for joining the party.
He said the government numbers had increased to over 85 MPs.