Quiet start to Parliament

 PARLIAMENT opened its 2015 sittings on a low key yesterday despite speculation about a no-confidence vote in the Government on the expiry of the 30-month grace period.

A long queue of people lined up outside Parliament anticipating a no-confidence vote to be moved by the Opposition. The MPs were slow in turning up, resulting in Parliament starting an hour late at 3pm because of the lack of quorum.

Speaker Theo Zurenuoc offered a word of prayer and then announced that Gordon Wesley was no longer the Samarai-Murua MP after he lost his seat in a National Court decision last November. He announced the passing away of Goilala MP Daniel Mona in Manila last week.

Parliament began with questions without notice, followed by a statement from Agriculture Minister Tommy Tomscoll on the PNG National Rice Policy 2015-2030.

He said PNG imported 200,000 tonnes of rice valued at K500 million to support 7.5 million people.