Politician quits over environment policy
17 June 2010
BY LIAM FOX
ABC - A MEMBER of the
PNG parliament has quit the ruling national coalition government because he
opposes controversial amendments to environment legislation.
The amendments to the Environment Act effectively mean environmental permits granted for resource projects cannot be challenged in court.
Sumkar MP, Ken Fairweather, paid for a newspaper advertisement attacking the amendments.
He said the changes were bulldozed through parliament, are dictatorial and "against every principle a democracy stands for".
Mr Fairweather then resigned from the coalition and would be moving to the cross benches.
He was unavailable for comment.
The amendments have been widely criticised for robbing traditional landowners of their rights.
I need the email address for the member for Sumkar, Hon Ken Fairweather, please.
Posted by: Maryanne Salameng | 06 August 2010 at 10:31 AM
Well done, Ken Fairweather MP, and he's also calling on all Madang MPs to also stand up and be counted.
The Madang Governor is conspicuously quiet - too quiet in fact for a former Chief Justice who is very vocal in many public seminars and workshops.
He makes very long speeches in public forums like he thinks he is still in a courtroom, but is not too active in taking some practical steps to fix local problems - on his doorstep, in this case.
It is hoped that Ken Fairweather's actions also prompts like-minded MPs to see the error of their ways and repent and take similar actions, so support for the current ruling faction wanes.
The public is losing confidence in the Somare regime fast and a new leader needs to step in to rescue PNG from the precipice.
Well done, Member for Sumkar, Ken Fairweather. You have my support and respect as a principled leader of your electorate in Madang.
Posted by: Reginald Renagi | 18 June 2010 at 12:41 PM
To parody Winston Churchill, 'Is this the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning?'
Posted by: Paul Oates | 17 June 2010 at 07:07 PM