Wobiro fails to stop rejection

By BEVERLY PETER
THE court must be seen to be performing the course of justice by exercising the power vested in it to show that the system works vigorously well, says acting judge Getrude Tamade.
Judge Getrude added that though the court “stands to be challenged”.
She mentioned this at the National Court in Waigani yesterday when refusing former Western governor Ati Wobiro’s application to stop Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai’s decision to reject his nomination to contest the General Election 2022 (GE22).
“Wobiro has lost his rights as a candidate by virtue of the Electoral Commissioner’s decision, and is stopped from furthering this proceeding as he has not met the requirement under the law,” she said.
“He is no longer a candidate as per Sinai’s lawful authority to reject his nomination as his conviction and sentence still stand without a free pardon.” Judge Getrude said Wobiro submitted that he lodged an application in the Supreme Court to allow him to file a slip rule application to review the decision on his conviction and sentence.
“In my view, Wobiro does not have a slip rule application and an arguable case yet until the Supreme Court granted his leave application,” she said.
Judge Getrude said it was unnecessary for Wobiro to make an arguable case on the slip rule application because he was not yet in the Supreme Court to speak until he was given leave to do so.
She dismissed the proceeding and ordered Wobiro to pay the costs. Wobiro was nominated as an independent candidate for the Western governor’s seat in GE22, but was disqualified under the amended Parliament Act section 103(3)(e) which was enforced by the Supreme Court’s order on May 26 during the Attorney-Generals’ special reference.
Wobiro was convicted and sentenced 11 years imprisonment in 2015 for conspiracy to defraud the state when he was the Western governor.

Education, law and order my focus after polling: PM

PRIME Minister James Marape says he will focus on education and law and order when he returns to office after General Election 2022 (GE22).
“On law and order, the focus is on fighting corruption,” he said.
“Law and order is a complex issue that cannot be resolved overnight.
“If I return as prime minister, I will focus on finding solutions and strengthening pathways in the law and order sector so that all law offenders can be prosecuted and held accountable.
“In the last three years, under the Pangu-led Government, and our coalition partners, we were able to pass the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), we were able to pass the Whistleblowers Act, and even better, the last law we passed before Parliament rose was an amendment to the Proceeds of Crime Act, for undisclosed wealth.”
On education, Marape said reforming the public education system would be his priority.
“We will reform the education system so that we reduce the number of school dropouts from Grade 8 and Grade 10,” he said.
“So, no more dropouts in Grade 8 and Grade 10, all Papua New Guinean children will complete their Grade 12, so everyone has a fair chance of going out into the country or the world and making their own mark.
“We will also build more schools to cater for the large number of students, and will improve the working conditions for teachers, because we want to ensure that we leave no one behind.”
Marape, who is also the party leader for the ruling Pangu Pati, said “we are standing not just for free education but for quality education”.
“We will reintroduce agriculture and religion to public school systems, so that our children can have life skills and be grounded in the word of God when they complete their education,” he said.
Yesterday, Marape was at Nutawawua Island in West New Britain to attend a Pangu campaign for the party’s Kandrian-Gloucester candidate Walter Lunga.
“I do not come from a rich family, or a business family, my father was a simple man, I grew up in the villages, in remote parts of the country.
“I know, the hardships, the challenges,” he said.
“We want to connect Papua New Guinea, we want to connect rural areas, build roads and bring in government services.”

Marape stands by party: Leave Pangu Pati out of dirty politics

PRIME Minister James Marape says political parties and politicians should leave Pangu Pati out of their electoral smear campaigns.
“Pangu will always remain as the ‘mama political party’ in the country,” he said.
“It gave birth to Papua New Guinea as a country and was the party that united Papua New Guineans and the country.”
Marape retorted: “If you have a problem with me, come talk to me, mi mangi Tari, mi stap (I am a Tari man, I am here), do not attack Pangu.
“Pangu is bigger than you and I.
“Pangu is bigger than whatever issues you have against me.”
Marape made the comments while in Western to attend Pangu candidates’ campaign rally.
He said people had been saying that Pangu was dead but Pangu was very much alive.
“Pangu was there before, any of your political parties and it is here to stay,” he said.
“The fathers of our country, from all across the country in the likes of the late Sir Michael Somare, Sir Olewale, Sir Guise, Sir Kale and many others formed Pangu to unite the country.
“If you young people do not know, let me tell you, that Pangu united Papua and New Guinea.
“Pangu gave birth to PNG.”
Marape said his generation of leaders leading Pangu Pati now also believed in the same dream, of a united PNG.
“We want equal distribution of development, infrastructure and government services nationwide,” he said.
“We want to recapture that dream of a united PNG and develop the nation as a whole, not just some parts of the country.”