So you want Kerenga Kua as the next PM- Oh Please!

By PNG Echo

Kerenga Kua
Kerenga Kua

Social media has started throwing around Kerenga Kua’s name as a possible next Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

In my opinion, it’s an ill-considered notion and this is why:

Firstly, having spent many years as the late Sir Michael Somare’s personal lawyer, Kua, no doubt, knows where all the bodies are buried, what’s more, as his legal representative he likely would have helped Sir Michael dig the graves.

If Sir Michael knows a certain something about corruption you have to wonder who was the master and who was the apprentice in this relationship.

Hypocrisy

Secondly, the most abiding criticism the current Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill faces is that he should stop using legal avenues to avoid arrest and submit to the court processes. Kua has even made a big splash suggesting the same. But people in glass houses  should not throw stones, should they? Yet, when an arrest warrant was extant for Kua in 2010, the Sunday Chronicle, reported thus:

[With]Mr Yama [complainant]…alleging conspiracy to pervert the court of justice [against Kua and others ] …police were working to interview PNG Law Society President, Kerenga Kua…but it was alleged that the duo [Kua and a Mr Mua] fled to Chimbu [to avoid arrest]…Mr Kua returned to Port Moresby after their representative, Blake Dawson Waldron Lawyers, successfully took out a National Court orders which granted leave to apply for a judicial review of the decision of Waigani District Court magistrate …to issue warrants of arrests.

The arrest warrants were stayed. How familiar does that sound?  Besides, never has Peter O’Neill fled to Chimbu or anywhere else – so clearly Kua could elevate this avoidance to a level otherwise unimagined.

Commissions, Commissions, Commissions

Goiye Gileng - keeping it all in the family
Goiye Gileng – keeping it all in the family

A healthy imagination is needed to believe the things that came from Kua’s direction out of the Commission of Inquiry into the briefing out and payment of private law firms.

Firstly, Kua tried to legally stop the commission (as had another lawyer accused in a different matter – for which he is now in jail) – in this Kua also failed. .

Subsequently, the Commission questioned Kua and his two partners in PKA Lawyers one of whom, Goiye Gileng is Kua’s brother. The lawyer for the Commission had a field day?

When Kisakiu Posman, one of Kua’s erstwhile partners in the law firm PKA Lawyers, was asked by the commission’s counsel what constituted an ‘item’ in a bill for X numbers of items, Posman answered that they were six minute blocks but then corrected himself saying – no, on reflection, an item was probably an hour.

Firstly, everyone knows that lawyers bill in minutes not hours. Posman must have been busy doing the sums in his head and was way ahead of counsel who pointed out that were they 6-minute units then the charge out rate would be K15,000 per hour. Counsel had done his homework and pointed out that in the other scenario (1 unit= an hour) then Mr Kua must have worked for 20 hours that day.

While Posman said that this would be right,  Kua, when cross examined, said he rarely worked more than 11 hours in a day. Yet, there it was  – the bill.

Jobs for the boys (nepotism)

During the short time that Kua was Attorney General, he briefed out two lucrative matters to his old firm, PKA Lawyers.

Counsel for the Commission pointed out that according to company records, Kerenga Kua was still involved in the firm when this happened. Posman explained it as being an ‘oversight’ that Kua had not been officially removed from involvement. Kua  said that, as Attorney General, he gave the contract to the most competent firm – yes, a firm so competent that they forgot to alter the company records in a situation as sensitive as this!

So, it seems they billed the government millions of dollars (either at K15,000 an hour, or while working 20 hour days) for working on the Kumul Holdings case and, (you guessed it) PNGSDP case in Singapore.

And that’s not all, there was much more – but read it yourselves.  The 18 and 25th November is of particular interest. Here is the link.

And last, but not least…,

In a violent society, where the most vulnerable (most often women and children) get gratuitously beaten, maimed and killed, it would be desirable that the leader of that nation, if it was trying hard to slough off the yoke of ingrained national violence (which I believe PNG is trying to do), be a man of peace of and moderate temperament.  Is that Kerenga Kua?

Below is a report of the Incident from The National Jan 6, 2014

…In his witness statement, which was supported by security guard Samson Kokong, Hunter [electrical manager with Aisi-Bishman Contractors]said the incident occurred at 7pm at a property owned by Kua in Section 60, Lot 20 on Gabaka Street, Gordon…

Hunter said when he arrived  [at the premises]with two of his workers, he saw Kua with 12 security guards waiting inside.

“I was trying to greet him when he started shouting that I had wrecked his property and he punched me in the face,” Hunter said in his statement to police.

“I attempted to reason with him and explain my side of the issue while he continued to punch me in between yelling accusations that I was a con man and had cheated him.”…

Hunter said Kua and one of his security guards then proceeded to attack him but he managed to run out of the gate and drive off to the Boroko police station to report the matter.

Is he what PNG needs?

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19 Replies to “So you want Kerenga Kua as the next PM- Oh Please!”

  1. Or the other misquoted phrase from BBC Radio “MY WORD” by Dennis Norton? “People in grass houses should not stow thrones”, methinks could equally be applied 😉

  2. Woh . it seem you have done your research .. I can cant belive how ow you can bend to produce such article to discredit Kerenga Kua .. He must be a treat to you ..

  3. Now the links between Koim and Kua make sense and it is clear that Koim has been politically compromised. Worse still, Kua and the Chief Justice have links from when Kua was head of the Law Society.

  4. The magnitude of the impact of a government choice is not felt by clumsy shits who rip the benefits of PNG but by the people who have the right to be choosers of their leaders especially in this unique coutry of PNG.

    Their statement on social media is as real as how they are impacted by every decision that is made.
    And they have every right to express themselves.

  5. You obviously have a personal problem with PNG as a country. All of your articles position you against the opinions of the majority of Papua New Guineans, aside from all your facts and fancy words your just another keyboard warrior judging a nation from the outside. Why don’t you go to PNG and see whats really going on there. Kerenga Kua is one of the few politicians in PNG that has the right leadership attributes to govern PNG. It is obvious that you are one of the many bloggers paid by Peter O’Neil to prise his corrupt government

    • Well Don, or whoever you are – you are wrong. Clearly I have a problem with your namesake and there are articles here that explain why. The majority of pngeans, in fact, support the government – that’s why they are the government. 2017 will see the return of O’Neill and you know it. I have been to PNG many times – were you your famous namesake you’d know that. Interesting that you say for me to “go” to PNG rather than to ‘come’. From where are you speaking? If you want to know about Kerenga Kua you can also find an article in this site.

      • Truth. Its really a difficult time. Commodity prices are falling. It is the world economic recession that is getting the best of the economic situation. Yet everyone is pointing the finger to Prime Minister Peter O’Neil and his government. Look at the market situation and think.
        Hope the new PM does not point fingers. However O’Neil has proven all wrong. Keep it up ON.

        • Susan, it seems you support Peter O’Neill to return as PM. Well, besides other corrupt practices, could you find out howmany LNG Shippments out and howmuch in monetary terms returned to PNG since July 2015,

  6. I would take what RH’s mouthpiece, The National says on anything related to incumbent governments with a grain of salt.

  7. Hahahaha..what did Kerenga Kua do to you that made you wasted your time researching him ? Sounds like you hate him with a passion but for what reasons ?
    Kua’s leadership stands out still

  8. Promeinency is true sweating it self discipline and achievements, opportunities prevail and acquiring success and not opportunities. So I believe # Kerenge Kua is the man on the scene for PM post. Yah……Yah……Ivan Yaman ESP.

  9. Corruption at its peak under Peter. This year would mark Peter’s Last year. We need the next PM. Kua is the man to look up.

  10. My shelf I corn fierce about country’s economic we talking about why I saying because Papua new Guinea we have 15 resources like oil Gas and gold copper and others mineral resources like coffee cocoa copra so why there government every day saying that we have problem about country’s economic problem so my questions that why??

  11. Kerenga Kua
    is our beacon of hope in a country completely covered with corruption. The economy and the Government system are manupulated to a level where rule of law and acceptable practises are merely swept under the carpet.

    Hon. Kerenga Kua track record and reputation as a God fearing man from his childhood moulded and guided by a simple Lutheran Evangelist and Medical Orderly father trained by the first German missionary remain a scared tale known only by few. The first Lutheran Missionary a German by the name of Berghman blessed Hon. K Kua;s father and said my is to Simbu and PNG is accomplished through you. Let me go in peace.

    The critics of Kerenga Kua can go scathing and looting to destroy his reputation but if God is is with him you wont beat him.

    Captain Buglo Komblo

  12. Susan, I think Peter O’Neill’s term as Prime Minister has ended. The people of PNG have been waiting for it and it has come, the 2017 National General election. A new Prime Minister will not be Powes Parkop but one of these: Kerenga Kua, Don Polye or Mekere Morauta if Sir Mek wins the election.

  13. There is practically nothing convincing he could make the post….In this business, numbers count.Do you have what it takes?

  14. Despite and Regardless; Kerenga Kua is STILL more than capable of running this country !

    #sineyal.com

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