We are fair to all: Somare

THE prime minister’s department has maintained that district support improvement programme (DSIP) funds were distributed equally to MPs in both the government and opposition.
Media adviser Betha Somare said records she had access to indicated that all opposition MPs had received their fair share, including Bulolo MP Sam Basil, who received 71.1% (K7.1 million) of his funds from the K10 million earmarked. This was on Oct 30 last year.
She said records indicated that all MPs had received their fair share and the same would be done this year. The government would soon publish how much each MPs had received for their electorates.
However, Somare said she did not have any records to support the claim that the government had paid K2 million to each MP in government to lure MPs and starve off a challenge against the prime minister.
She said the Somare government did not give free handouts; an obvious reason why the government was maintaining its budget deficit forecast.