By CHRISTOPHER YANDAWAI
A RELIABLE source aligned to the Opposition told PNG Bulletin that members of the Opposition led by Opposition Leader, Belden Namah are currently consulting lawyers to discuss on what has transpired at the Parliament House yesterday.
“The Opposition is at present consulting lawyers to discuss the Parliamentary Private Business Committee’s (PBC) actions and we will advise on what actions we are taking, if any, as soon as it is decided.”
It is understood the Opposition team is aggrieved of the actions and decision by PBC that saw the amended notice of motion for Vote of No Confidence in Prime Minister James Marape lodged by Mr Namah through Speaker’s Office earlier yesterday morning at 10:16am. It was deliberated the same day at around 12pm and found to be defective.
In the amended motion, former Prime Minister and Member for Ialibu-Pangia, Peter O’Neill, was named as Opposition’s alternate PM nominee, substituting the initial nominee in Patrick Pruaitch.
However, the PBC comprising of Parliament Speaker, Job Pomat as Chairman, Deputy Speaker Koni Iguan as Deputy Chairman, Philip Undialu, William Powi, Charlie Benjamin, and Taboi Awi Yoto who deliberated the motion of VoNC found that the motion failed to meet two of the five requirements under the Constitution.
First being the change of PM nominee from Patrick Pruaitch to Peter O’Neill. The committee noted that this was not a substitution but it was a replacement after Pruaitch withdrew and thus constitute an amendment prohibited by Constitution.
The second failure that the committee noted was the requirement of 1/10th of Members being not met since the earlier eight (8) signatories decided to withdraw.
After the motion was found to be defective, the Government used this space and time with its numerical strength and unanimously voted to adjourn the parliament to August 10.
The adjournment follows reports of confirmed cases of 16 parliament staffers that have been tested COVID-19 positive early this week.
This now squashed what was believed to be another live motion for Vote of No Confidence Motion in Prime Minister James Marape by the Opposition.
Earlier before the Committee announced the defectiveness of the motion, former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill as the alternate PM nominee in the VoNC indicated that if the government don’t allow the motion to be entertained and voted on the floor of parliament, the Opposition will still go to court to address the issue as it would be seen as violation of the Constitution.