Papua New Guinea Speaker of Parliament, Job Pomat has made a ruling to disqualify the Private Business Committee (PBC) decision on the Motion of the Notice of the Vote of No Confidence and put it on the notice paper.
Pomat has also said that he would go to court today to find out if the decision he made is correct.
He further stated, “Should it be found to be wrong I will resign as Speaker.”
However, Prime Minister James Marape has called for dissent on the ruling with a vote that was entertained by the speaker, with arguments on the standings orders of parliament being used by Members of the opposition.
A vote was called and the Opposition walked out of the chamber in protest.
Meanwhile, Marape has expressed his support for Speaker Job Pomat’s decision to seek judicial clarification on the procedure for bringing a Motion of Vote of No Confidence (VONC) in the Prime Minister to Parliament, as outlined in Section 145 of the Constitution.
Speaking on Wednesday, PM Marape addressed the Parliamentary Private Business Committee’s recent decision to reject the latest VONC motion filed by the Opposition. The Committee cited improper completion of certain sections of the application, which did not meet parliamentary standing order requirements. This marks the fifth failed attempt by the Opposition to lodge a motion, with PM Marape questioning the recurrent errors.
“The proposal to change the Government is a serious constitutional matter, involving the attempt to change a government elected through democratic processes,” PM Marape stated.
“It has become evident that for the fifth consecutive time, the Opposition has made errors in completing a basic form according to legal and parliamentary standards.”
He welcomed the Speaker’s decision to seek court clarification, emphasising that only the judiciary can determine the correctness of the Private Business Committee’s actions.
PM Marape urged Papua New Guineans to scrutinise why the Opposition repeatedly fails to properly submit the VONC motion. He noted that despite being informed about the session’s schedule, the Opposition continued to make mistakes and was unable to prevent the adjournment due to insufficient numbers.
“You don’t go fishing for numbers. You present your numbers, prevent the adjournment, and alter the course of the parliamentary session. Unfortunately, they failed to gather the necessary support once again,” said the Prime Minister.
“To the people of Papua New Guinea, do not be misled by the Opposition’s tactics—they simply lack the numbers,” said PM Marape.
