It’s vote-of-no-confidence time again.

By PNG Echo. Papua New Guinea is, once again, finding itself looking through one of those windows of opportunity whereby the government can be defeated and removed on the floor of parliament by a vote of no confidence. This window is smaller this year because of legislation that increased the grace period from 18 to 30 months. It will be back to normal next year, the legislation having been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. But why is it expected that because it could happen that it should? What’s more, why do people expect an attempted vote of no confidence Continue reading It’s vote-of-no-confidence time again.

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Thin blue line between justice and contempt

As a reasonably litigious society, it is often too easy for the PNG media to eschew publishing about matters that don’t flatter their prejudices using the excuse of subjudice contempt as their morally pious shield, notwithstanding that PNG does not have trial by jury so the only person who can be influenced by publication is judges who are supposedly impervious. In the article below which I wrote for ABC The Drum, more than four year ago, I lamented that the charge is used by the unscrupulous to avoid scrutiny. Is the press in PNG also using it to promote and Continue reading Thin blue line between justice and contempt

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