After a month of defections from the government, Papua New Guinea will have to wait until next week for the outcome of a ‘vote of no confidence’ in the leadership of prime minister Peter O’Neill.
Parliament will resume today after dozens of MPs abandoned the government, with the opposition announcing over the weekend they have 57 of 111 sitting members in their camp.
Mr O’Neill’s ruling PNC disputes the claim, saying they have the support of 59 MPs and an independent backing the government and still maintained the majority in parliament.
PNG prime minister Peter O’Neill Source: AAP
One-thousand police have been deployed on the streets of Port Moresby since yesterday, with the commissioner Gari Baki warning all parties not to stir up trouble.
“I appeal to all leaders to respect the neutrality of police and not engage members of the police force for their political agenda,” commissioner Baki said.
“I am issuing a warning that trouble makers will be severely dealt with.”
Former O’Neill loyalist James Marape led the walk-out of government MPs and has now been nominated by the Opposition as their candidate to challenge the prime minister.
Mr Marape resigned as finance minister a month ago saying he had lost faith in Mr O’Neill, particularly over the handling of LNG resource projects which includes a $16b deal signed a month ago involving Australia’s Oil Search.
In a statement, the acting clerk of parliament said a no-confidence motion cannot be submitted until later this week as a Private Members Bill after which there is a seven-day cooling-off period.
The Bill will first have to be passed by a parliamentary committee chaired by the Speaker and O’Neill ally Job Pomat and dominated by government MPs.
“So it is Wednesday afternoon, or Thursday morning, it will be on Notice Paper, seven days minimum starting Thursday, which means that by Thursday the following week, which is the 16th, it will satisfy the requirement of the seven days,” acting Clerk of Parliament Kala Aufa told the Post Courier newspaper.
