The Catholic Professionals’ Society in Papua New Guinea has announced it will mount a court challenge against Theo Zurenuoc’s ongoing reform and modernisation agenda.
As part of his agenda, the speaker plans to replace all of Parliament House’s cultural objects with christian symbols such as the King James bible.
Mr Zurenuoc, who has already removed various traditional artefacts from the House, considers the cultural objects to be idolatrous.
The Bulolo MP Sam Basil says members of parliament are meant to be legislators, not pastors.
“I think the speaker of parliament should go back to the seminary and become a pastor.”
“I think he’s in the wrong place. The people of Fincshafen voted him in to serve the country and make good laws and deliver services back to his district.”
“They’re not voting him in here to chop up our cultural heritage at the parliament.
“I think he’s done the wrong thing. He should be charged for it.”
A union leader in Papua New Guinea John Paska and others are also filing a Supreme Court reference seeking an interpretation of whether the Speaker’s actions have breached PNG’s constitution.
Paska has also written to the governor-general and the prime minister seeking regulation on the principle of separation of church and government.
The Trade Union Congress general secretary John Paska says public debate is needed about the issue in light of the recent surge of fundamentalist influences in parliament.
He has highlighted moves by parliament speaker Theo Zurenuoc to remove prized cultural artefacts from parliament house as part of his ongoing campaign to reform the legislature.
Mr Paska says there are increasing signs of a Zionist movement in PNG state affairs.
“So it’s quite dangerous. And his (Zurenuoc’s) actions in authorising destruction of the totem poles… it’s a state property, number one; and number two, he did not secure parliamentary approval for it. And so he unilaterally used his decision, it’s an abuse of power, a decision to pursue his religious conviction.”
Papua New Guinea’s acting parliamentary secretary Danny Puli has defended the reformation of the parliament.
Puli says there’s much misunderstanding about the campaign, which he describes as being about forging national unity.
“We believe that we need to actually take the message to the nation very clearly that our nation needs to be founded carefully on a sure foundation, united as one nation, rather than focusing on our localised traditions and cultures that we have locally.”
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