The Sunday Morning Herald. November 12, 2011

PNG crisis: police told to arrest Deputy PM

PORT MORESBY: A constitutional crisis has erupted in Papua New Guinea after the Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the Deputy Prime Minister, Belden Namah, and the Attorney-General, Allan Marat, a day after the government attempted to suspend the Chief Justice.

The arrest warrants were issued after the announcement by Mr Namah on Thursday that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Sir Salamo Injia, had been suspended pending an investigation of charges that included mismanagement of court funds.

The court has now ordered that Mr Namah and Dr Marat be arrested and brought before the court on Monday morning.

A police spokesman said yesterday the two men were not in Port Moresby. He said Mr Namah was in Kimbe Bay, in the province of West New Britain, and Dr Marat was in Kokopo, in East New Britain province.

The acting Police Commissioner, Tom Kulunga, confirmed in a statement police had received yesterday's order to arrest the pair for contempt of court charges and confirmed they were prepared to carry out the orders.

''The orders, signed and issued by the Supreme Court justice Bernard Sakora, were delivered to the office of the commissioner this morning,'' he said. ''Police are acting on the court orders.''

The order also restrains the government from implementing its decision, made on Thursday, to suspend Sir Salamo.

The chief justice has been presiding over a case that reviews the constitutional legitimacy of the O'Neill government, which took power on August 2 in a 70-to-24 vote on the floor of Parliament. That decision, by a panel of five judges, is due on December 9.

The then prime minister Sir Michael Somare had his 43-year career ended in dramatic fashion in August when he was disqualified from Parliament.

Sir Michael had been convalescing in Singapore after three heart operations.

The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd, said the order for the arrest of two senior members of the Papua New Guinean government was ''concerning''.

Speaking from Hawaii, where the PNG Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, is also attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, Mr Rudd said of the arrest: ''It strikes us as an unusual act. There are a range of political sensitivities in Papua New Guinea which go back to the decision concerning the replacement of Sir Michael Somare with Prime Minister O'Neill.''

A spokesman for the Prime Minister's office declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Mr Namah, who is acting in the prime minister's role.

The executive director of the Institute of National Affairs, Paul Barker, said the order to arrest a sitting deputy prime minister was a first in PNG's 36-year history as an independent nation.

There has not been such a constitutional impasse ''since [the early 1980s] when a chief justice went and locked up the then justice minister. [The] then prime minister Sir Michael Somare used his discretion to release her. The Supreme Court resigned.''

Mr Barker said the next few days would be difficult to interpret because of Mr O'Neill's absence from PNG, although he said any sort of military intervention was unlikely.

''I can't really see everyone rushing out to follow Mr Namah,'' he said.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/png-crisis-police-told-to-arrest-deputy-pm-20111111-1nbm6.html#ixzz1dRdYPz14

Childishness on all sides. Let's all now contribute to the kid's little fight.

GG dissolve parliament - call for elections now and let's bring in new blood.

Ogio, the old bribe taking Forestry Minister, doing anything for the benefit of the country?

If you want him to dissolve parliament, then we the people need to pool all our money and give to Ogio as a bigger bribe than what either Somare or O'Neill are offering him.

You think its gonna happen?

PNG politics and the judiciary system is so corrupt and I just hate it. Fed up. whatever happens it is not going to affect me as Im not benefitting so who friggin cares who is in power. Shut that crap. Dont you guys see the corrupt practices happening right in front of us by the former and the current govts?So dumb. Let the military take over and hand it over after the elections. Just fed up.

Did you bother to think through your answer before you put it up?

The whole reason why we have corruption is because we are too lazy to keep our leaders under control. Keep under control. Keep under control. That's the key term!

In functioning democracies people are always watching over and putting pressure on their leaders to behave and perform. There are still leaders who become corrupt in those places but it's a lot better than we have in PNG.

Now consider this. The military is even LESS under control of the people than the elected leaders. They are answerable to no one but the PM and Minister now. But what if they took total power. Who would they be answerable to? No one!

You don't think under that situation, they wouldn't be the most corrupt of all?

So much for that silly idea that when we go to school, we become intellectuals who learn to think and reason things out logically! You are our case study.

Our problems get worse and worse because we schooled people rarely think before we talk and act.

Haha well military action is a silly idea isn't it? If that's the best idea ppl can come up with- they are entitled to their opinion. misguided or otherwise. Let's just watch this play out, the judiciary has dug their heels in and told the govt. to go screw themselves, and Oneill has come out with a wishy washy statement saying they wont be usurped by the judiciary etc etc, hello sneaky peter, you are going to be usurped every time you interfere with a case on foot. period. couldn't you just wait till dec 10?
The Clown Prince Belden and Alan "I have a Phd but still don't know sh** about the law" Marat will hand themselves in today and we will see what sort of legal weaseling they use to get out of jail time. The whole NEC should be prosecuted and I have a feeling that's what will happen. That is all depending on the outcome of the decision on dec 9, and it seems as tho that decision is leaning towards the Grand Chief.

The solution to this "TOTAL CORRUPT" situation with all sides of our government (yes, including the judges) is PEOPLE POWER. In other words, the people of this country in mass must take control of the government we elect, not just by voting, but by showing peaceful force.

But people power requires that we get away from the internet and start really showing our force. We wouldn't want to do that, would we? Takes too much energy. Too much effort. Easier to type away at pngscape.........

Good one Usain. With you bro.

Unfortunately common sense isn't so common in our country. Add a PhD to that and the logic becomes truly lost.

You're avoiding the people power solution aren't you. Is that purposeful, Waigani Rat? You'd rather sit here at the internet and whinge away at the computer just like me, huh?

Your acting like theres a good side and a bad side. Theyre all bad. Kick out corrupt peter and will we get corrupt michael back again? Big change huh.

Brata, I could take my 40 caliber out there and finish someone off but what good would that do?

I would probably end up in jail and you guys would still be here talking scape.

I was at the airport on Friday evening when about 10 tinted glass landcruisers filled with fully armed special services division police officers from McGregor barracks escorted Belden Namah at high speed out of the airport. There were between 50 and 90 fully armed police there to help Belden not arrest him.

I am keen to go to the 2012 election where I will also be standing against one of these corrupt fools to try and get rid of at least one. What more would you have me do friend?

Oh stop it. You'll get elected and become just as corrupt as the rest of them. Usually those shouting the loudest outside the fence are only screaming because they want to get inside and eat with the rest of the pigs.

Very intelligent answer? What would you suggest then, friend?

Wingti used to speak just like you-now look at him.

You ask, what more could you do other than contest the 2012 elections?

Here's a possibility: Show us you have the balls of the average grassroots in Libya, Egypt, Syria, or Tunisia who stood up to guns, often died, but changed their nations as a result.

Or: show us you're willing to take personal risks like the black americans fighting for their civil rights, the South African blacks fighting for freedom, or the Philippinos carrying out their people power movements. All risky actions, but look at the results - better than anything most parliaments have ever achieved.

You say "what good would it do" for you to get out there and start organising people in protest. Here's an answer: Doing all that would demonstrate your bravery to everyone. You'd have a bigger following than any of our disrespectable MPs. You'd have PNG in your back pocket and the mandate you would have to push our country in just about any direction you'd want to.

Martin Luther King was never an elected politician, like you say you want to be, but look at all he accomplished.

Neither was Mahatma Gandhi.

Even Nelson Mandela was never an elected politician until after apartheid was collapsing and he had spent 25 years in prison.

And there are those countless thousands of people who took to the streets and successfully overthrew governments of dictators overseas. None were elected politicians.

They were willing to take that risk. Surely you, a true PNG nationalist, would be willing to do no less?

I assume you meant your reply as something to bring a smile to all our faces this morning. I'm sure you have a more serious agenda that involves the personal risk taking that is now mandatory if we're ever to turn our country around. Please outline it for us.

No pain, no gain.

Every politician is corrupt and there is no rule of law if the DPM & AG cannot be arrested as ordered. What a bull crap. Let the military take over for six months and hand the authority back to the elected govt come August. The military is the alternate government when all else fails. DPM is a military officer and has all the support fm the three disciplinary forces. SC can hand down decisions but who is going to implement it?You need the military to rescue the nation out of this corrupt practices.

every politician is corrupt...wow thats a big call... I assume you have that under good authority. Call me an optimist, but i dont think all of them are. You raise a valid point about the military, tho I am interested as to how they would lead, and who would? Would belden mobilise his loyal (half-witted) followers or would those in favour of Somare take over. The SC reference, from a legal standpoint at least, looks to be favouring Somare so when that happens, the current govt. will have no choice but to hand back the reins to the Grand Chief. Will it really descend into a military stand-off...thats anyone's guess, but I for one don't want us to go down the path of fiji or any of the war-torn countries of africa etc talking about drunk with power- this current govt. is passing out slowly with every day that they hang on.

every politician is corrupt...wow thats a big call... I assume you have that under good authority. Call me an optimist, but i dont think all of them are. You raise a valid point about the military, tho I am interested as to how they would lead, and who would? Would belden mobilise his loyal (half-witted) followers or would those in favour of Somare take over. The SC reference, from a legal standpoint at least, looks to be favouring Somare so when that happens, the current govt. will have no choice but to hand back the reins to the Grand Chief. Will it really descend into a military stand-off...thats anyone's guess, but I for one don't want us to go down the path of fiji or any of the war-torn countries of africa etc talking about drunk with power- this current govt. is passing out slowly with every day that they hang on.

Did you bother to think through your answer before you put it up?

consider this. The military is even LESS under control of the people than the elected leaders. They are answerable to no one but the PM and Minister now. But what if they took total power. Who would they be answerable to? No one!

You don't think under that situation, they wouldn't be the most corrupt of all?

So much for that silly idea that when we go to school, we become intellectuals who learn to think and reason things out logically! You are our case study.

Our problems get worse and worse because we schooled people rarely think before we talk and act.

wats the latest with Namah/Marat? They in jail or??

Correcction, Ghandi did become a political leader but he lost his entire family in the process.

I am no martyr and no saint. Far from it.

As a student leader, I was involved in my fair share of protests and the odd police bullet did miss me by a few inches years ago.

Today I have children to think of so I prefer the civilised method of changing society. If I did not have a 4 year old child I guess I would be out there with Anjo putting my neck on the line.

I intend to work on my province alone, let others worry about their provinces. We need to devolve power from Waigani so that power sharing will reduce the power fights here in Waigani.

What do you think the previous kitchen cabinet was after? What do you think the new kitchen cabinet is after? If you listen to what they are all saying in Waigani, they all want to be in control of the LNG and other revenues that are going to flow from 2014. Listen to them now, all they are interested in is the size of the budget, not the size of the impact of the budget.

No, I will not die on the streets of Port Moresby, I will work through the ballot boxes because that is the legitimate way to go in a democratic society. If the people say no to me then I will accept their decision and go back to growing kaukau in peace.

Oi Rat,
yu doing this nation a great mighty service. please keep on. i have been seen what you have done so far and yu've ( well, you and the other other such as waigaini insider and waigaini swamp...ating yu tsol) scooped the media everytime.

Well done!

M-n

OK step aside and let the martyrs take over this movement. If not, watch us continue to sink. Your strategy is doomed from the start. Reference: World history

No pain, no gain!

If you note, the Swamp guy criticised me and he has a different style. No we are not the same person. I am a rat who is unseen in Waigani but gets to access some tasy morsels of information about how the ruling elite behave.

In case you all forgot my friends, we do not live in a dictatorship therefore you do have the opportunity to bring change through the ballot box. You do not need to descend to violence or sacrifice your life through a policeman's bullet. Besides, we all have short memories and 2 years after your worthy demise, no one will remember your sacrifice. Remember all those souls who died in Bougainville? What about those students who got shot during Mekere's reign? See, you forgot about them didn't you? I rest my case.

The ballot box is the right place to vent your anger.