Source:
The National, Tuesday 13th December 2011

CONFUSION reigned last night when it appeared the country had two prime ministers – Sir Michael Somare and Peter O’Neill.
Sir Michael was reinstated as prime minister by a 3-2 Supreme Court decision yesterday which declared the election of Peter O’Neill on Aug 2 as null and void.
The court also voided his Sir Michael’s ouster as member for East Sepik.
A few minutes after the court decision, parliament voted 79-0 to retain O’Neill as prime minister. But he was denied access to Government House to be officially sworn in by Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio.
Speaker Jeffery Nape said O’Neill’s election stemmed from two recent parliament decisions. The first decision last Friday rescinded the leave of absence granted to Sir Michael in May. This had the effect that he had now missed three consecutive sittings of parliament and would, therefore, stand dismissed as the member for East Sepik.
The second referred to yesterday’s amendment to the Prime Minis­ter & NEC Act which, among others, contended that should a prime minister absent himself from the country for three months, which Sir Michael did while on medical leave, a vacancy would arise in the
office of the prime minis­ter.
Declaring that these actions created a new vacancy regardless of the court decision, parliament on a nomination from Anglimp-South Waghi MP Jamie Maxtone-Graham elected O’Neill unopposed by 69 votes to nil.
While the court decision stated that all subsequent decisions by the O’Neill government stands voided, it is uncertain whether parliament was included as this would have an important bearing on its actions last Friday and yesterday, which led to the re-election of O’Neill yesterday.
This confusion unfolded later in a tense drama outside Government House last night when a police contingent, headed by senior police officers Fred Yakasa and Joseph Tondop, held off the O’Neill convoy from entering the Government House for the swearing-in cere­mony.
Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga was dispatched to the Government House soon after that but, in the end at 8.30pm, the governor-general’s official secretary informed police at the gate that Sir Michael Ogio had retired for the day and will not perform any official duty until today.
A policeman said a court order was deli­vered earlier in the afternoon to Government House not to entertain any swearing-in ceremony which led to the police move to prevent any ceremony taking place last night.
Police manning the blockade said there was confusion as there were no proper instructions from government lawyers as to what the real situation was last night or who really was in charge.
The stand-off was still maintained at 9.30 last night.
The remnants of the Somare regime last night met and announced a caretaker cabinet.

The new cabinet is:
Sam Abal: Deputy Prime Minister and Immigration;
Patrick Pruaitch: Treasury and Finance, and State-Owned Enterprises;
Sir Arnold Amet: Justice and Attorney General, and Public Service;
Sasa Zibe: Health, and Inter Government Relations;
Timothy Bonga: Forestry, and Internal Security;
James Marape: Education, and National Planning and District Development;
Benjamin Poponowa: Transport and Civil Aviation;
Philip Kikala: Agriculture and Livestock;
Paru Ahi: Higher Education, Research Science and Technology, and Foreign Affairs and Trade;
Fidelis Semoso: Bougainville Affairs;
Patrick Tammur: Communication and Information;
Francis Potape: Petroleum and Energy;
Ben Semri: Fisheries, and Commerce and Industry;
Tony Aimo: Correctional Services, and Lands and Physical Planning;
Andrew Kumbakor: Housing and Urban Development;
Philemon Embel: Sports and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister;
Bob Dadae: Defence;
Sani Rambi: Labour and Industrial Relations;
Dame Carol Kidu: Community Development; and
John Pundari: Mining; and
Anderson Agiru: Works, and Conservation and Environment.
Sir Michael said he had appointed the governor of resource-rich Southern Highlands province as a new minister in his cabinet and was pleased to welcome him in his new role.
He said he stood ready to lead his restored government over the next few months until the writs were issued for the 2012 election.
“The judiciary has again upheld our Constitution and maintained the independence between the three arms of government – the legislature, executive and judiciary”.
Sir Michael said the full cabinet would be announced in the next few days.
“The ministers who had defected have been decommissioned,” he added.
He called on the members of the public to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands.
“My government followed processes and waited for the appropriate authority – the judiciary to make its judgment.”