Leader of Government business in the New Ireland Legislative Assembly Edwin Maigen is calling for full audits of Kavieng and Namatanai District Development Authorities.
He brushed aside accusations by Kavieng Open MP Ian Ling Stuckey who accused the New Ireland Government of lying about funding constraints due to Lihir Royalties diverted to the Districts.
“Treasury Minister Ian Stuckey is a liar and greedy politician literally spoon-feeding his voters with rice and foodstuffs in his electioneering campaign but deliberately neglecting the equally deserving people of New Ireland of their wealth, says the Leader of Government Business in the New Ireland Legislative Assembly, Edwin Maingen.
Maingen says, “Stuckey depleted the K2 million Covid 19 money released last year on foodstuffs and now he’s drawing Lihir Mining Royalty funds to expend in the same manner, denying New Irelanders of their God-given wealth for his personal election and power-hungry ego.”
“We have no Covid pandemic in New Ireland nor do we have a disaster-stricken province but millions of kina of people’s money is locked in to feed NA voters for Ian Stuckey in Kavieng District and the majority of non-supporters get nothing and spectate in this evil agenda of the Lemus Structure.”
Maingen says under the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Governments and the DDA Act, he as President of Murat LLG and other colleague Presidents must sit and make decision on the disbursement of District Funds to the electorate.
“This is not the case in Kavieng, and must be investigated by the Police Fraud Squad, the Ombudsman Commission and ICAC to establish his give away of public moneys constitute Bribery. This is the kind of dictatorial leadership that is not right for New Ireland and must be changed.”
“Stuckey must now open the books of Kavieng District for full audit of where people’s money have gone and his formula on the sharing of the wealth of New Ireland. He and Minister Schnaubelt of Namatanai called for the audit of New Ireland accounts; now that the Provincial Government Accounts have been audited, both Kavieng and Namatanai District Accounts must now come under full audit.”
Maingen said, “Stuckey owes full explanation to the people of New Ireland where he expended the K64 million under his watch that was surfaced in the Audit Report by the RAMS Business Consultant in 2002 to 2007 as Governor. His role as Treasurer is compelling reason that he opens the District Accounts for Audit, as well as his past expenditure of K64 million of public funds.