Somare urges O’Neill to surrender

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s first prime minister, Sir Michael Somare, has called for current prime minister Peter O’Neill to respect the rule of law and stand down.

He said O’Neill, whose arrest had been sought in relation to a major fraud investigation for two years, should respect the Office of the Prime Minister and surrender so police can carry out their duties without obstruction.

O’Neill has managed to halt the investigation and stave off the arrest through legal challenges.

But a Supreme Court decision two weeks ago to allow the probe to continue was soon shut down by the suspension of the fraud squad officers, who have been accused of insubordination and other breaches.

PNG Loop reports Sir Michael saying: “ ‘Sir Julius Chan submitted to PNG laws following the Sandline crisis; Paias Wingti submitted to the law after the courts declared his actions in Parliament to be unconstitutional; I submitted to a leadership tribunal and accepted the penalties of its ruling.”

He said in the interest of the people of PNG O’Neill must stop eroding the institutions of government for the sole purpose of defending himself.

Sir Michael Somare has called on all members of parliament to represent the interest of their electorates and the true intent of the Constitution to protest against the current and continued manipulation and deterioration of institutions of state.

Sir Michael said: “People of Papua New Guinea must not tolerate elected leaders who are condoning the actions of the O’Neill regime by remaining silent.

“Silence means acceptance of the glaring abuses of processes that are taking place around us.

“Before long our institutions will be completely useless because elected leaders have neglected their duties to stand up against the current manipulations by leaders holding high offices.

“I support wholeheartedly the call by another former Prime Minister, Sir Mekere Morauta’s public statement of April 17, for O’Neill to stop disrespecting the country’s highest office.

“I thus call on Peter O’Neill to respect the Office of the Prime Minister and surrender to police and appropriate authorities so they can carry out their duties without obstruction and interference.

“Calling members of the Royal PNG Constabulary ‘vigilantes’ is intolerable when officers of the law are merely carrying out their constitutional duties. No person, including myself, is above the law.

“In order to clear charges against him relating to the Paraka Case, O’Neill must submit himself to the orders of our courts so that others who also have pending arrest warrants can do the same.

“Sadly our police constabulary is in disarray. The previous two commissioners who defended O’Neill have been set-aside with contempt charges against them. And current police commissioner Gary Baki’s continued defiance of court orders in defence of O’Neill is on a collision course with the judiciary.

“I urge Peter O’Neill to respect the people of Papua New Guinea who are all watching their institutions of state being played for the convenience of a few. If you are innocent, surrendering to agents of the law is the only way that any charges against you can be cleared,” Sir Michael said. - PNC.