New Ireland provincial assembly adjournment irks MP Schnaubelt

The scheduled New Ireland Provincial Assembly meeting yesterday was adjourned a few minutes into the meeting to give time to the Provincial Assembly Chairman and Acting Governor Sammy Missen to seek legal clarification on a question raised by the Member for Namatanai and candidate vying for the Governor's post, Walter Schnaubelt.

Schnaubelt questioned the eligibility of the four appointed chief representatives in the Provincial Assembly, calling them strangers in the house as there were no records in file of the ministerial approval of their appointments by the minister responsible for provincial and local level governments.

Sitting Chair and Acting Governor Sammy Missen adjourned the meeting to 10 a.m. today to give the chair time to seek legal clarification of the appointments of the chiefs as per Section 10, 3D of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Governments.

Resuming today, chair Missen advised the assembly that due to conflicting views on the interpretation of the appointments, the meeting was again adjourned to September 24, prematurely ending today's proceedings.

This adjournment fumed Namatanai MP Walter Schnaubelt, labelling this move as illegal, self-serving and detrimental to the province, given the fact that the LLG elections is only a month away.

“And the Chairman has unilaterally stopped this meeting for his own purpose. What happens to New Ireland and the leadership of New Ireland at this point in time?” he asked.

“Who will oversee the LLG election? Because neither one of these presidents or appointed reps sitting here, come the 24th of April, they are no longer a member of the Assembly, a normal ordinary citizen.

“We need to now fill the vacancy of the Governor position. It's paramountcy important. The Organic Law supersedes Supreme Law to the Standing Order.”

Mr Schnaubelt claimed the chairman is illegally occupying the chair and conducting meetings.

The former Transport and Civil Aviation Minister said he will pursue this matter in court for the Provincial Assembly to reconvene.

The Namatanai MP made these statement outside the Assembly building following the suspension by the Chair and Acting Governor.