PNG Government Thwarts No-confidence vote attempt

By Ilya Gridneff

PORT MORESBY, July 21 AAP - Papua New Guinea's parliament has descended into chaos after the government thwarted the opposition's attempt at a vote of no confidence by adjourning proceedings until November.

The opposition, swelled by a mass government defection, moved an expected motion for a no confidence vote on Wednesday morning.

But when parliament resumed after lunch, Speaker Jeffery Nape accepted the government's move for an adjournment.

The opposition challenged the government's numbers for the motion, but the speaker disallowed the move.

Ombudsman lose power

                                           By Isaac Nicholas - The National

Parliament has taken the first steps to weaken the powers of the Ombudsman Commission and establish a parliamentary Ombudsman committee that will have powers to make inquiries of its own.

Parliament yesterday voted 83-0 to amend section 27(4) of the Constitution to remove the powers of the Ombudsman issuing directives to ministers and heads of departments.

Section 27(4) allows the Ombudsman to issue directives to prevent payments out of public fund, or trips by MPs, or other actions by these office holders if it (the Commission) feels impropriety is involved.

For example, the Commission has, in the past, used this provision to stop MPs taking overseas trips when it felt the trips were a waste of public funds.