Not so fast my friend. O'Neill blasts media reports and stands by Dion.
"Prime Minister Peter O’Neill today stood firm for his deputy, East New Britain’s Leo Dion.
Hours after The National newspaper had a front page speculation that Deputy Prime Minister Dion was to be dumped, Mr O’Neill made a promise:
“Dion will be Deputy Prime Minister for the full term of this government.’’
He blasted the speculation on the streets which he said had found its way onto “the front pages of respectable newspapers’’.
The Prime Minister promised Mr Dion would stay on as his deputy and that there would be no reshuffle from now until the 2017 election.
He praised Mr Dion’s leadership and said: “Leo Dion is a very experienced politician. His mature and stable approach to national politics anchors a very strong and progressive government that is working for the people.
“When he accepted the challenge to become Deputy Prime Minister after the general elections in 2012, I was delighted to have such a mature and experienced hand guiding and advising us in Cabinet and as a government. That position is not about to change. Dion will be Deputy Prime Minister for the full term of this government.
“There have been a lot of speculations and rumours in the media and on the streets, about Dion and THE Party being sacked, and major changes being made to Cabinet.
“The chief aim of such speculations and rumours is to create instability, anxiety and uncertainty. They are false and unscrupulous, yet they find their way to the front pages of respectable newspapers.
“Let me be clear and concise here so there can be no more doubts: the government is intact; Dion’s position as Deputy Prime Minister remains intact; and there will be NO MORE reshuffle to Cabinet until the term of this government ends in 2017,” the Prime Minister said.
“I have total confidence in our coalition partners and their commitment to stability, progress and the delivery of our development agenda.
“There have been some issues with THE Party since my decision to decommission its leader Don Polye as Treasurer. Those issues are internal matters for THE Party to deal with, and move forward,” the Prime Minister said.
“THE Party is an integral part of our coalition government, and we remain committed to the Alotau Accord,” he said"