May 21st 2021
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has welcomed the five-man Supreme Court decision this afternoon which ruled in favour of Speaker Hon. Job Pomat in the constitutional case filed by Opposition Leader Belden Namah.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the action of the Speaker to adjourn Parliament was constitutional.
They refused all the associated orders sought by the Opposition Leader.
PM Marape said that it was time the Opposition stopped misleading the people of this country by mounting mischievous court actions “which is paid for by the people of this country through Parliament” .
“Mr. Namah and Mr. O’Neill have, for far too long, chosen not to take responsibility of the economic mismanagement of this country since 2011, and continuously seek to pull a rug over our people through ill-conceived and politically-motivated court cases, ” he said.
” At some point, we must put the interest of the nation ahead of our own political interests.”
PM Marape paid tribute to the majority Government that he leads” and the leaders who have chosen stability over politics, and have stuck with this Government through the last two years of instability”.
“These leaders have demonstrated political maturity over actions that have caused uncertainty, affecting Government services as well as private sector activities,” he said.
“What we do in Government affects decisions that other people must make in terms of their businesses and their lives.
” We must take responsibility over our actions.”
PM Marape said today’s court decision meant that his Government was settled to take the country to the next National General Elections.
“I have a short time to get as much work in before we go to the polls in 2022,” he said.
“I have always maintained that this position is not my birth right, and when the time comes, I will gracefully move on.
” But for now, we have much to do.”
Prime Minister Marape added: “We all have to face our people in the 2022 National General Election, where no doubt, all leaders will have to account to their voters what they have done for the last five years.”
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