Pruaitch clarifies his role

Opposition leader Patrick Pruaitch, pictured, says he is saddened by Prime Minister James Marape’s criticism over his role as a former Treasurer in previous governments led Sir Michael Somare and Peter O’Neill.
Pruaitch, in a statement, said: “As part of the ruling National Alliance Party, we have to take full credit or blame for government performance from 2002 to 2011.
“Subsequently, credit and blame should be directed towards the O’Neill government’s ruling People’s National Congress, where Prime Minister James Marape played a key role.
“I admit to being a little confused now as to why Prime Minister Marape approached the Opposition early this year for assistance to topple the O’Neill government since he had embraced all previous government policies and publicly announced there will be no major changes.
“I cannot recall a single major policy announcement in the past two-and-a-half months even though the prime minister has acknowledged “a tough 2019 fiscal year”.
“For the first time today (yesterday), he mentioned the “possibility” of a supplementary budget even though he remains reluctant to state what this might achieve.
“Marape has repeated the mantra that he wants a balanced budget and less borrowing on many occasions,” he said.
“The recently released 2019 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook shows the deficit has blown out to K1.7 billion in the first six months with continuing inaction set to blow it out to a highly damaging figure in excess of K3 billion.”
Pruaitch said he was confident most Papua New Guineans would welcome a Supreme Court ruling that proper Parliamentary procedures and the PNG Constitution, had been honoured during the May 30 election of the prime minister.
“Never again in our history should the letter and spirit of the PNG Constitution be breached, as it was in August 2011 when Parliament ignored two Supreme Court rulings that the election of Prime Minister O’Neill had been unconstitutional,” he said in a statement.
Pruaitch said concerns had been raised that the recent election of the prime minister may have breached procedures laid down by the Constitution and this will be ascertained during the Supreme Court hearing.