PUBLIC Service Minister and Lae MP Bart Philemon has welcomed candidates challenging him for the Lae Open seat. Mr. Philemon was the second candidate to nominate for the Lae Open seat which he holds, after Paul Pora Ralpha. Four other candidates also nominated yesterday, bringing the numbers that have nominated for the Lae seat to six. They are Joseph Taso, Dopen Peukason, Passingan Taru and Benson Nablu. Mr. Philemon said he welcomes anyone who wants to take over the seat he has held for the last four terms of parliament.
He made the comments after the Post-Courier asked him about PNG Party putting up young Ahi man Bob Aaron up against him. Another Ahi man, Benson Nablu, who is contesting under the National Alliance banner also nominated yesterday, bringing to two, the number of Ahi people that will run against Mr. Philemon for the Lae seat “I have no qualms about anyone wanting to challenge me for the seat….in fact I welcome them….the more the better. “At the end of the day it is the voters who decide who gets in,” Mr. Philemon said. But he strongly reiterated to the people of Lae and Morobe Province to vote for incorruptible and God-fearing leaders, who would be strong pillars when they got into parliament and bear the interest of the people. “Lae was an example to the rest of PNG in how to run a good and clean election and we must show the rest of PNG and the World that we can run our own affairs,” he said. Mr. Philemon said the endorsement of Mr. Aaron by PNG Party was against the agreement reached between leaders of the O’Neill-Namah coalition not to put candidates against leaders.
Mr. Philemon is the leader of the New Generation Party. He said the agreement remained but it was up to each party to make their own decisions. Mr. Philemon made a speech after nominating and urged candidates to nominate and contest the seat he held, and exercise their democratic rights. But he warned voters to exercise their democratic rights with caution and vote God-fearing and incorruptible leaders who have their interest and well-being at heart. He said for the last 37 years PNG had gone backwards because of corruption and had not met its international obligations it agreed to, in the Millennium Development Goals it signed in 2000 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. They included reducing extreme poverty and hunger; adopting universal primary education for its citizens; promoting gender equality and women’s rights; fighting HIV/AIDS, corruption and ensuring that the environment is protected. “But it is sad to say that PNG has failed to deliver these goals because the Government and the Prime Minister that ruled this country for the last nine years failed the people of PNG,” he said.
He said it was time for a change and this election was crucial as people must be careful in making their choice on how to elect to represent them in parliament, questioning whether the leaders they were voting had their interest at heart or were just using them for their own corrupt gains.
It is time for young visionary leaders to rise up and take up the lead. Mr. Peukason is doing the right thing. He is an engineer by profession and since he is a technocrat let us give him the opportunity. He will use his experience and expertise to plan for the development of this so-called pot hole city, Lae. He is born and raised in Lae and is very well versed with the development of the city. He resigned from Shorncliff PNG to run for this election. He knows where to start the development strategies. Let the people of Lae city give him the mandate. Give him a try.
ReplyDelete