Polye, Duma off to see PM

By YEHIURA HRIEHWAZI and PETER KORUGL

SACKED ministers Don Pomb Polye and William Duma travelled to Singapore yesterday to see Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare – a move orchestrated to undermine Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal who wielded the axe on Monday.
However, officials said last night Mr Abal remained unperturbed by their moves. 
Their travel comes on the eve of Mr Abal’s announcement of new ministers for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigrations and Petroleum and Energy which were held by Polye and Duma respectively. The Acting PM is expected to announce his new Ministers today. 
Some government quarters were not happy with Polye and Duma taking the heavy political power play to the sick Prime Minister who, they said, should be left to recover in peace. 
Meanwhile, Arthur Somare, the Minister for Public Enterprises, who was in Singapore with his sick father for about two weeks, left for Cairns yesterday on his way home to prepare for his leadership tribunal hearing which starts early next month. It is understood he conveniently left Singapore before Polye and Duma arrived. Air Niugini sources confirmed that the two former ministers boarded flight PX 392 for Singapore. “Bertha came and took him away to see the Chief. He has flown out already,” a close aide to Polye said. Bertha is the PM’s daughter and media director.
Duma’s travel was also confirmed by a United Resource Party official. 
The Post-Courier understands the Prime Minister is still in hospital and it is not known if he will have time for the two men. Polye and Duma were with the Grand Chief at the start of the formation of the Government since 2002 and they felt terribly hurt by Abal’s move to sack them. They are hoping to seek some form of consolation and assurance of return to Cabinet when the Chief returns home and into office. 
Mr Abal explained that Mr Polye was sacked for insubordination while Mr Duma was sacked for the problems at the PNG LNG project site.
Mr Duma said before he left for Singapore it was not his inability to deal with the LNG issues that had created the problems with the LNG landowners.
“Papua New Guineans must know that the fundamental reason why landowner problems keep growing for the PNG LNG project is funding. The Department of Petroleum and Energy is not being adequately funded to attend to landowner issues,” Mr Duma said.
On Wednesday, the United Resource Party expelled Francis Potape, the man most likely to take over the Petroleum and Energy ministry, for using his position as Minister Assisting the PM on Constitutional Matters, to poach two MPs from two political parties.
In response, Mr Potape said Mr Duma was trying to cause confusion because he did not want him to get his former portfolio.
“He just wants to disrupt any moves on my eligibility to his former ministry,” Mr Potape said.
Meanwhile, the NA Enga branch never had a meeting and resolved to sack Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal, branch deputy president Mr Chris Kandege said yesterday 
“There are 16 people or members on the Enga NA party branch executive and as deputy president of the branch, I am not aware of any meeting,” he said.
“Everyone here in Enga is very happy with what Sam Abal has been doing and what he is doing now as Acting Prime Minister. We have no reason to sack him,” Mr Kandege said.
However, Branch President, Paul Kurai last night said Kandege had left the NA Party four years ago and never attended NA meetings.


source: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20110610/news01.htm