The Opposition Leader, Douglas Tomuriesa has slammed the deployment of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force in Port Moresby for operations relating to the vote of no confidence, recommending the acting Chief of Defence Force to have them recalled immediately. However, the Defence Minister Dr. Billy Joseph has responded by defending the call out, clarifying that the PNGDF is neutral, providing necessary support to ensure the Capital City’s security. The PNGDF, are part of a joint force unit, put together to assist the NCD/Central command police since the resumption of Parliament on May 28th, as the much-anticipated Vote of No Confidence (VoNC) continues to be an agenda. In a statement on Sunday, June 2nd, Mr Tomuriesa described the PNGDF call-out as highly unnecessary and said that “it intimidates a democratically prescribed process that needs to be respected by members of the security forces”. Minister Joseph responded by labelling the Opposition Leader’s views as ‘misrepresentative’. Mr Tomuriesa, however, maintains that ‘the approval to deploy the PNGDF and our special forces namely the Long-Range Reconnaissance Unit (LRRU) is a misuse of state resources, and further intimidates the general public, members of parliament and international population.’ “We can understand this period can raise a lot of tension and provoke political disputes, however as we have seen from experiences in 2019, 2020 and in the last week, our police force has done well to manage all security aspects” “There have been no major security issues relating to the government and opposition, and I believe all parties involved in the current political impasse have been very calm and sensible in their activities.” “I question if this support by our esteemed LRRU has been sanctioned by cabinet, and if so, what criteria has warranted this call out.” Responding to this, Minister Joseph said, “(the) PNGDF units, let alone the Long-Range Reconnaissance Unit, are not patrolling the streets nor stationed at the Loloata Camp or the Crown Plaza Camp.” “PNGDF engagement is a continuation of the callout made by the National Executive Council in its NEC Decision No. 4/2024 following the unprecedented events of January 10, 2024, to assist police restore and maintain order in the capital city.” “As experienced on the Black Wednesday, Port Moresby, like the rest of our country, has a highly volatile security environment where relatively stable situations can turn very hostile in a matter of minutes.” However, Mr Tomuriesa, said that “January 10 was a major breakdown of our police apparatus due to internal inefficiencies.” “We cannot simply assume that the VONC will cause a large uprising like we saw on January 10.” “In this case, our police force is visibly present and in control of our city’s law and order situation – I simply disagree that one of our top military units is being used for simple patrols when they have much better operations they can be worrying about.” The Opposition Leader recommended that the acting Chief of Defence Force immediately recall and suspend the deployment of PNGDF soldiers until and when necessary, further stating that, “We cannot be misusing our soldiers for simple parliamentary processes.” “The RPNGC is adequate and has shown their capabilities to maintain peace and good order in the city.” To clarify, Minister Joseph reiterated that the PNGDF is neutral, providing necessary support to ensure NCD’s security. “Soldiers are assisting Police with information gathering and are on standby should situation warrant intervention.” “Only 120 soldiers are engaged in this operation, and they are not out policing the streets as purported by the Opposition Leader.” “As such, PNGDF preparation is to ensure situations do not escalate and all citizens continue their business in a safe and secure environment during the VONC period.” Parliament sitting are expected to resume tomorrow, Tuesday June 4th, with the Opposition’s motion of no confidence already before Parliament’s Private Business Committee, headed by the Speaker of Parliament, Job Pomat.