Polye sure of return to cabinet

RE-ELECTED Kandep MP Don Polye expects to return to Cabinet to the portfolios he held prior to his dismissal from office by the court of disputed returns in August.
Speaking in Goroka after his re-election on Tuesday, Mr Polye said he was confident of retaining his Works, Transport and Civil Aviation ministry.
After Mr Polye lost his seat, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare held the ministries before giving Works and Transport away to Public Service Minister Peter O’Neill and Civil Aviation to Tourism Minister Charles Abel.
Sir Michael flew to Kandep to rally support for Mr Polye during the campaign period.
Mr Polye said he was confident the Prime Minister would stick to a promise he made, and give him his ministerial portfolios back.
“I am quite confident that Sir Michael, who is a man of faith, will keep his promise,” Mr Polye told a media conference after the declaration.
Sir Michael is away in Denmark for the climate change conference, and is not due back until next week.
Mr Polye said that in the meantime, he would concentrate on ensuring that pending projects in Kandep such as a rural hospital, two health centres, Kandep-Laiagam road upgrade, Kandep-Mendi road upgrade, 14 double classrooms, a computer laboratory and library books for Kandep High School, upgrading and sealing of Kandep town roads, district administration building, Pomb-Wasa bridge, Kondo bridge, district trunk roads, and bemobile and Digicel services were attended to.