POLITICAL PARTIES OF PNG: ALOTAU ACCORD BREACHED

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Trouble in Purari River City? Seems there are cracks forming in the Alotau Accord.

POLITICAL PARTIES OF PNG: ALOTAU ACCORD BREACHED

on Sunday, 30 March 2014. Posted in News

BY JACK LAPAUVE JR, EMTV – PORT MORESBY SHARE ARTICLE

Political Parties of Papua New Guinea have signed a joint communique on the use and abuse of the Alotau Accord by the O’Neill-Dion coalition Government.

They say, the Alotau Accord was used as a political tool by the dominant party and its leadership to strengthen its grip on political power and manipulate the state to advance its interest.

Spokeperson say, by comparison the Accord was all-inclusive than any made by past governing coalition partners, however there was a price tag attached. And the effects of the Accord can be seen through the invalidation of Section 45 of OLIPPAC and the Extension of the Grace Period.

General Secretary of the Pangu Party Morris Tovabe said, the current government in power is using to bulldoze decisions, play the number game in parliament and intimidate coalition partners.  Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has breached the Alotau Accord, he added.

Charles Locke from the People’s Labour Party said, no one should undermine political parties and their mandated members. The concern here is to uphold integrity of political parties, said Mr Locke.

They are now calling on mandated leaders of political parties in government to make their stand and not to proclaim loyalty to the accord due to fear or self-interest.

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A little more on this

Parties: Accord dead

Source:

The National, Monday March 31st, 2014

 By MALUM NALU

Political parties in the country have accused the ruling People’s National Congress of using the noble intentions of the Alotau Accord to increasingly strengthen its grip on power and to systematically manipulate the State to advance its interests.

The parties made said that in a joint communiqué signed during an emotional and highly-charged meeting in Port Moresby on Saturday.

They called on sacked former treasurer Don Polye and members of his Triumph Heritage Empowerment (THE) Party, as well as sacked Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma and his United Resources Party, to pull out of government because of the way they had been treated by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his PNC.

Spokesman and Social Democratic Party general secretary David Dom told reporters the Alotau Accord had outlived its usefulness.

“The Alotau Acord has served its purpose well for the ruling coalition partner and its leadership,” he said.

“It served to extend the grace period to four years.

“Thus, it has delivered the desired political stability or more precisely protection and continuity in office for the ruling coalition partner.

“This effectively emboldens and enables the PNC and its leadership to do whatever pleases them anytime without fear of any opposition or scrutiny whatsoever.

“The Alotau Accord, having served its purpose, is no longer useful. It has outlived its political use by date for all the signatories.

“It is no longer something which a politician or coalition partner can continue to worship or uphold or pledge loyalty to.”

Dom said some coalition partners and individual MPs such as Polye had been “mistreated, mishandled, humiliated, or intimidated by the ruling coalition partner”.

“PNC and its leadership shamelessly continue to deny the no-win situation they have found themselves in,” he said. “Instead, they continue to shamelessly brag about a non-existent need to uphold the Alotau Accord. It is apparent that they do this purely out of fear.

“The dominant coalition partner – the PNC and its leadership – are now sacking and replacing, and in the process humiliating quality ministers, civil servants and coalition partners at will.

“This is not in accord with the letter and spirit of the Alotau Accord.

“Nevertheless, they will continue to dish out the same treatment whether partners like it or not.

“There is no stopping them for the grace period gives them a sense of power, security, and infallibility.”

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Then there's this with Polye's party. Good to see png getting back to normal.

Polye faces party rebellion

Source:

The National, Monday March 31st, 2014

 SACKED Treasurer and Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party leader Don Polye has described as “political propaganda” moves to remove him as the leader.

Sources said certain THE Party ministers and MPs had let Polye down by putting their own interest ahead of the party’s.

That particular faction has opted to remain in government with all the perks and privileges and want Polye out.

But an unfazed Polye said  after addressing University of Papua New Guinea students about the K3 billion UBS loan last Friday that THE Party members could not do that under the Organic Law on Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC).

However, when signing a joint communiqué on Saturday, the political parties said OLIPPAC was basically a “toothless tiger” after a Supreme Court interpretation rendered Section 45 unconstitutional.

They said with it being annulled, candidates and parties could switch allegiance at will.

“That’s another political propaganda,” they said.

“You only do it by the Constitution.

“Under the Constitution, you can’t do these things.

“Nobody can say ‘I can do this, I can do that’.

“There’s an Organic Law on this.

“My party members, if they say such, it’s very bad political propaganda that people with vested interests are playing.”