THE AUSTRALIAN media this morning is reporting how PNG’s “wily, veteran fox of a Prime Minister” has contrived to escape political demise after he arranged to have parliament adjourned until November.

Rowan Callick in The Australian reports: “Buoyed by his win, Sir Michael Somare, crossed the chamber as MPs began to leave the house, pointed at rising young opposition star Sam Basil, and shouted in Pidgin: If you were outside, I would kill you."

Apparently he was restrained by his son, Public Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare.

This is the second year running that Sir Michael has avoided a no-confidence challenge by shutting parliament down.

But The Australian says this time he is likely to face a legal challenge, with a strengthened and frustrated opposition claiming it was cheated by a ruse in which Speaker, Jeffery Nape - a member of Sir Michael's National Alliance party - played a crucial role.

Legal appeals may follow Mr Nape's ruling which means parliament will fail to meet its constitutional requirement of sitting days this year.

New opposition leader, Sir Puka Temu, told AAP after the drama in parliament: "They call him the 'father of the nation', but he and his family are destroying the nation. They break laws, they treat parliament like a joke. Is this what PNG wants? No, they want an end to this."

Source: ‘Crafty Somare survives no-confidence challenge’ by Rowan Callick, The Australian, 22 July 22