PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare: Jurisdiction of leadership tribunal challenged. Photo: ABC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By a special correspondent in Port Moresby

The Papua New Guinea prime minister’s tribunal is exercising powers that it does not have and decisions made by it could be voided, a prominent lawyer says.

Ambassador Peter Donigi,  a constitutional lawyer, told The National the Leadership Ttribunal had been asked to interpret and apply a constitutional law, which is the exclusive preserve of the Supreme Court – and of no lesser court, including tribunals.

As section 142 (6) of the Constitution, which has never been tested, is being interpreted on the question of suspension of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, Donigi said that job was rightly vested in the Supreme Court under section 18 of the Constitution. Read more »

Sir Michael Somare on a visit to New Zealand ... now back in charge of PNG's affairs. Photo: Malum Nalu

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By a special correspondent in Port Moresby

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has directed his deputy and Works Minister Sam Abal to move with all possible haste to implement the Papua New Guinean government programmes this year, The National reports.

In a letter dated January 18, 2011, Sir Michael thanked Abal for taking “affirmative action” in bringing together all agencies of government and provincial governors to focus on implementing the 2011 budget.

He also thanked Abal for holding the fort in his absence. Read more »

Papua New Guineans rush up the steps to get inside Parliament for seats in the public gallery for the emergency session - but the bid for a no-confidence vote was sidelined. – Photo: Auri Eva/The National

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Isaac Nicholas and Jeffrey Elapa in Port Moresby

A planned vote of no-confidence by Papua New Guinea’s Opposition against Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his government will not take place.

The Opposition yesterday failed to deliver a motion on the proposed vote to the Office of the acting Speaker, Francis Marus, despite an assurance by senior opposition member Sir Puka Temu.

Marus declared that he would not entertain any other business except that of the election of a new governor-general. Read more »

Fiji's leader Voreqe Bainimarama: Entrenched in power and new strategic thinking needed. Photo: Fiji One News

Pacific Scoop:
Analysis – By Gerald McGhie

Interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s track record does little to encourage those who look to an early negotiated settlement to the current coup/crisis.  But the coup is now in its fourth year and Bainimarama remains well entrenched.  Action to date has not brought him to the negotiating table.

Given the unproductive rhetoric and exhortation from both sides, the stand-off seems likely to continue. Should New Zealand be looking for alternative approaches?

The short answer is “yes” but power struggles, ethnic and land disputes have a habit of  locking themselves into the DNA of Pacific communities. Given the essential complexity of the problem there can be no quick fix or short term solutions to the issues surrounding Fiji.
Read more »

Sir Michael Somare fielding questions from the crowd at Auckland University in May 2010. (Photo by Jess Harkins.)

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Selwyn Manning.

UPDATED: Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare survived being ousted from power by political rivals this week after the Speaker of PNG’s Parliament forced The House into recess until November.

Opposition MPs successfully convinced PNG’s Parliamentary Committee that there was good reason to place a vote of no confidence before The House. But when Parliament was in session, the Speaker made a call for Parliament to go into recess. Observers said the majority of MPs objected to the move, but the Speaker ruled that the ayes have it.

At that point the Prime Minister Somare crossed the floor and made for the opposition benches, pointed at a rival MP, Sam Basil, and shouted in pidgin: “I am going to kill you outside.” Read more »

Sir Michael Somare fielding questions from the crowd at the University of Auckland. (Photo by Jess Harkins.)

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Jessica Harkins.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, is in New Zealand this week. He stopped at the University of Auckland to give his thoughts on the “new Pacific” and how he sees his country participating in future development of independent nations, Fiji, and the relationship between Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand.

Sir Michael spoke of the legislation surrounding the commercialisation of Papua New Guinea’s gas resources, in the Gas and Oil Act, saying that everything possible was being done to ensure that its resources would not be exploited. Read more »

Pacific Press Release – Pacific Media Watch

PAPUA NEW GUINEA REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ILLEGALITY OF MOTI ARREST

By Patrick O’Connor

(World Socialist Web Site/Pacific Media Watch): The Papua New Guinean Parliament has released a report by the Ombudsman Commission into the events of September–October 2006, beginning with the arrest of the then
pending Solomon Islands’ attorney general, Julian Moti, at the behest of Australian Federal Police (AFP). Read more »

Papua New Guinean soldiers training during Exercise Olgeta Warrior in 2009. Photo: www.defence.gov.au

Pacific Scoop:
Opinion – By Reginald Renagi in Port Moresby

General Francis Agwi, the new Papua New Guinea Defence Force commander, faces a tough job in trying to rebuild a grossly-underfunded, undermanned and a demoralised military unit.

But the force, once a proud national icon, seems to be not a top priority for the current PNG government. Read more »

Scott MacWilliam on a strategy rethink for Fiji. Photo: ANU

Pacific.Scoop
Opinion – By Scott MacWilliam in Canberra

The latest development in ANZ-Fiji relations shows clearly why the model of sanctions being imposed on the South Pacific nation-state encourages tit-for-tat, ill-conceived moves by all parties.

While one view is that ANZ governments have been deliberately egging on the Fiji military government to become ever more extreme, this seems a less likely explanation than another possibility.
Read more »

Sir Michael Somare. Photo: Fiji Times

Pacific.Scoop
Opinion – By Crosbie Walsh

Following the meeting of Melanesian leaders in Fiji last week, veteran Papua New Guinea prime minister Sir Michael Somare was reported to have said the Fiji economy was picking up, foreign reserves were up dramatically, and everything was slowly returning to normal.

Fiji’s “dictatorship” was different, he said, as he called on the Pacific Islands Forum countries – particularly Australia and New Zealand – to treat Fiji more leniently and accept Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
Read more »