Mass rally calls on PM to resign

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Thousands of people in the Papua New Guinea province of Simbu have called on PM Peter O’Neill to resign from office.

The call, centred around the demand for O’Neill to stand aside to clear his name regarding an alleged fraud case, came at a public forum held in Kundiawa and attended by over 6000 people.

The forum, jointly organised by university students and a public group, Voice of Simbu, has facilitated public discussions about a series of national issues over which opposition to the prime minister is growing.

A blog, PNG Attitude, reports that after the students spoke, the MP for Sinasina Yongomugl, Kerenga Kua, spoke on the need for elected officials to respect the laws of the country.

He accused O’Neill of continuously using expensive lawyers to deflect the efforts of fraud detectives into endless court cases and using the media to convince the public.

The forum passed a resolution to organise a mass petition calling for the prime minister’s resignation from the people of Simbu province. - RNZI