Satan rules the PNG National Parliament, the deputy leader of the PNG Party, Francis Awesa, told a huge crowd at Banz in the Western Highlands on Saturday. Mr Awesa said politicians and bureaucrats who allegedly got rich overnight must be investigated so that the people knew the sources of their wealth.

Mr Awesa said that in the last five years PNG had been riddled with nothing but corruption and this had brought the country to its knees. He said the Somare Government had passed budgets that had not trickled down to the bulk of the population.

Despite many reports and allegations of corruption in high places, leaders and senior public servants allegedly involved in corruption and misuse of public funds were still walking free, he said. The laws seemed to favour them while ordinary people were sent to jail for trivial matters. Leaders and bureaucrats involved in abuse of power and misuse public funds must be held accountable and sent to prison.

Speaking at the same rally, human rights activist and National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop said bad leadership is leading PNG into poverty. He said God had blessed PNG but leaders had turned it into a poor country with bad leadership. The country was a dependent state despite all its resources.

Sources: ‘Satan is boss of Parlt: MP’ and ‘Bad leaders forcing PNG into poverty – Parkop’, PNG Post-Courier, 20 October 2008