Papua New Guinea National Planning and Monitoring Minister and Finchafen MP Rainbo Paita, has announced that he is stepping aside from his Ministerial portfolio indefinitely, as of Tuesday.
Paita in a statement said that he is stepping aside to allow for an investigation to be carried out, after a video he was featured in and firing a shot from a high powered gun, went viral on social media and the main stream media as well.
He said that he personally wrote to the Prime Minister, and requested that he be allowed to step aside as Minister, to allow for a proper, free and unbiased investigation to be carried out.
Paita also said that he has decided to learn the basic and safe rifle handling skills from his own Close Protection Officer (CPO), who is also a certified trainer, because his official vehicle was shot at by criminal elements around the Waigani area in September of this year.
The Finschafen MP also said that he has decided to learn the skills, so he can personally use the weapon to defend himself, in the event that his CPO is critically wounded.
He said that the video was shot during a private training session with his CPO in a private property, and never endangered anyone’s life or property, but he is stepping aside to preserve the integrity of the office he occupies.
Paita has also used the occasion to apologize to the people of PNG, it’s development partners, and his people of Finschafen for any embarrassment he may have caused, which he says were unintentional.
SOURCE: NBC NEWS PNG/PACNEWS
