Opposition Leader Douglas Tomuriesa said he is disappointed and embarrassed over the way His Holiness Pope Francis was treated by Prime Minister James Marape over the last three-days during the Papal visit, and the lack of courtesy and respect shown by the Prime Minister. He said the Prime Minister continuously declares PNG as a ‘Christian country’ and prides himself on being a religious individual but he was surprised when the Pope was continuously snubbed by the PM over the weekend since the Pope’s arrival on Friday. “The Pope is the head of the Catholic church, the largest Christian church in the world and he is also a head of state. “PNG not only being a Christian country, but a country that prides itself as a ‘friend to all, enemy to none’, the PM should be according the Pope with the highest level of respect,” Tomuriesa said. The Opposition Leader pointed out that on Friday, the Prime Minister did not welcome the Pope at the airport, a tradition he had accorded to many other wo
By ZEDAIAH KANAU THE Supreme Court will proceed with a case filed by Opposition Leader Belden Namah questioning Parliament’s failure to deal with a motion of no confidence against the prime minister during last November’s session. Namah is also challenging the constitutionality of the 2021 national budget passed during that same session. A five-man bench comprising Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, Justice David Cannings, Justice Derek Hartshorn, Justice Ere Kariko and Justice Thomas Anis, refused two objection to competency applications filed by Attorney-General Dr Eric Kwa and Speaker Job Pomat after finding no irregularities in Namah’s application. The panel of judges found that Namah’s application was compliant with the rules. The objection to competency applications was on the ground that Namah’s application failed to state the relief for which he was contending and was therefore non-compliant with the Supreme Court rules. Justice Sir Gibbs, on behalf of the judges, said: “We have no difficulty with the interveners’ contention that strict compliance with the Supreme Court rules is necessary. “And that if an application is non-compliant with the rules, this is a matter that goes to competency of the application. “The principle of strict compliance with the rules has been developed in the context of the filing of special references under Section 19 of the Constitution.” Justice Sir Gibbs said the bench upheld submissions from lawyers Peter Kuman representing Dr Kwa and Loani Henao representing Pomat that to comply with the court rules and to be competent, a Section 18 (1) application must under Order 4 state the answer or interpretation (of the constitutional provisions the subject of the application) and relief for which the applicant contends. However, the judges also upheld submissions by Namah’s lawyer Greg Sheppard. Sheppard submitted that the application did “seek declarations as to the unconstitutionality of the 2021 national budget and decisions of the Parliament and the Speaker (Pomat) regarding a motion of no confidence in the prime minister”. The bench said the application sought four declarations. Justice Sir Gibbs said “a declaration in Papua New Guinea is a form of relief commonly sought in many proceedings in the original jurisdiction of the National Court and the Supreme Court”. “There is no doubt about this,” he said. “It was suggested in submissions for the interveners that simply seeking a declaration without seeking consequential relief does not meet the requirements of the rules. “We reject the submissions. “(Namah) is seeking declarations,” Justice Sir Gibbs said. “That is the relief for which he is contending. “The application is compliant with the rules. “It meets the standard of strict compliance required. “The jurisdiction of the court has been properly invoked. “Both objections to competency are therefore refused.”
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