The arrest of Peter O’Neill

BRYAN KRAMER MP
| Kramer Report | Edited

PORT MORESBY - When will Peter O'Neill be arrested? The appropriate authority to answer the question of when the former prime minister will be arrested to face the many corruption allegations against him is the police force.

But if someone were to ask for my opinion, I would say the short answer is sometime this year.

It’s public knowledge that O’Neill is accused of being at the centre of numerous corruption scandals, including the K71 million Paraka saga, the K50 million LR Generators issue and  the K3 billion UBS loan, to name just a few.

There are many more allegations being investigated.

So why hasn’t O'Neill been arrested and charged?

Well, because he has been evading arrest by refusing to avail himself to the police, hiding out in hotel rooms, fleeing the country and filing fake court documents to obtain stay orders.

So he has been able to continually avoid arrest due to a dysfunctional and ineffective police force which is a result of years of neglect and political interference.

In my view, the best means to fight corruption, including having O'Neill answer to the allegations against him, is to first fix the police force.

This includes taking immediate action to restore discipline, ensure sufficient funding as well as address the many welfare issues, including basic entitlements, adequate pay, housing and paying outstanding allowances.

Under the Marape-Steven government there has been significant improvements in the police force and it has been the number one issue on the floor of parliament and in the media.

2020 will be a blockbuster year for our police force as it addresses many internal issues as well as coming out to bat against corruption and addressing escalating law and order issues around the country.

There have been claims that I’m scared of Peter O’Neill?

Well, the last time I checked, I wasn’t the one hiding out in hotel rooms, crouching in the back of vehicles or fleeing overseas to avoid arrest.

People who are innocent will always be happy to make themselves available to the law to prove their innocence.

Those who are guilty will always run and hide.

Go to this link for more: https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/01/the-arrest-of-peter-oneill.htm

PM plans to shift development to rural areas

By JEFFERY ELAPA - The National

PRIME Minister James Marape plans to shift development away from Port Moresby into the rural areas where the majority of the people live.
“We appreciate we have stadium in Port Moresby and we have a road from swamp to swamp at 9-Mile,” he said.
“But the government under Pangu will shift investment into rural areas where the masses are. We will use the borrowings if necessary to open up highway and infrastructure in the Sepik plains, Markham and Ramu plains, highlands highways, and all the highways and get the message to our people to go into agriculture.”
He said as a member of the Peter O’Neill-led government as Finance Minister, he had to accept some blame for the economic downturn facing the nation.
“We accept some responsibility as part of the former government but we played different roles,” he said. “I was expenditure minister when I was in finance ministry. Policies were controlled by the PM or Treasury. If I was PM like Peter O’Neill seven years ago, I would have done the same thing he did – that our revenue basis is too small and our expenditure is so big.”
But he said they differed in areas we invested in.
“I choose to invest in economic infrastructure while he chose to invest in social infrastructure only based in Port Moresby. That is why some of us differed.”
He said he wanted investment which would yield and not in areas which would not grow.
Marape also plans to free the nation from debts.
“These group of leaders standing with me dream of a time when we don’t borrow money anymore.
“There must be life in our nation’s history where we mustn’t borrow money,” he said. “We are not beggars for aids and grants but become lenders ourselves. We become givers to ourselves, to our Pacific brothers. And this is the big picture that is driving us.”


Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/pm-plans-to-shift-development-to-rural-areas/