Parliament Privileges Committee finds Madang MP Bryan Kramer Guilty

By Adelaide Sirox Kari – EMTV News, Port Moresby

The Parliament Privileges Committee has asked the Madang MP Bryan Kramer to apologise to Parliament for his comments on social media against the minister for Communication, Information and Energy, Sam Basil.

Governor for Manus and Committee Chairman Charlie Benjamin presented the findings to parliament today (February 1, 2019) saying that Kramer was found guilty of breaching Parliamentary Privilege.

The report recommended that the Madang MP apologize within the next two sittings.

While the member for Madang was not present for the final sitting, during the Grievance Debate, the chairman of the Parliament Privileges committee, Charlie Benjamin, presented the report.

On Thursday 31st of May 2018, the Member for Tewaii-Siassi asked the leave of chair to raise a matter of Privilege under Standing order 97.  It was in relation Mr Kramer’s Facebook post asking if the member for Bulolo had become dumber.

Before the Member for Tewaii Siassi had raised it in Parliament, the PANGU Pati had moved to Government after the election of the Prime Minister, and the member for Bulolo was appointed Minister for Communications. Then, a report from Post Courier stating Minister Basil’s move to ban Facebook in PNG.

The Committee reported the post by the member for Madang on Facebook was an abuse of parliament privileges, stating all Imputations of improper motives and all personal reflections on the member were to be considered highly disorderly.

The committee then recommended that the member for Madang apologize to parliament within the next two sittings, or faced being suspended from attending parliament sittings for 2 days.

Related articels: