By IRWIN ANGIKI
Harry Kuma, member of parliament for Northwest Choiseul, has resigned from the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party.
Mr Kuma, who is GNUT’s minister for Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI), is now with the People First Party (PFP).
OUR is the largest coalition party of the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT), boasting 24 members. PFP follows with now-12 members.
Resigning yesterday, the reasons for leaving OUR include ‘weak accountable manner in the administration and management of the party’s affairs’, a sighted copy of Kuma’s resignation letter said.
Furthermore, OUR Party has ‘evolved significantly, and I find that certain values I initially aligned myself with have either changed or been marginalised in practice’, Kuma’s letter said.
Kuma’s resignation comes at a challenging time for government, which is reportedly trying to patch up internal divisions among members of its two major coalition partners.
Kuma was GNUT’s finance minister until he was abruptly removed on August 30 this year for acting against a cabinet decision relating to sufferance wharves.
The issue of sufferance wharves has divided government – one group supporting sufferance wharves, the other opposing it.
Outside interests are reportedly behind this, pulling the strings.
Opposition leader Matthew Wale on Wednesday this week called out prime minister Jeremiah Manele for not having control over his government members.
Responding to the PM’s statement that he has the numbers in anticipation of a third motion of no confidence, Wale said it is clear that the PM does not have control over the numbers.
Rather, Wale said there are other forces, both within the NUT government, and also outside that control those numbers, the Opposition statement said.
Kuma was reportedly part of a group within government that had planned to remove PM Manele.
Government ministers who spoke to Island Sun on condition of anonymity for an earlier article said the group had planned to replace Manele with Rexson Ramofafia, MP for Fataleka who until October 3 was the GNUT minister for National Planning and Development Coordination.
This plan was reportedly hatched while PM Manele was overseas on international engagements.
PM Manele returned on October 1, and two days later Mr Ramofafia was given the prestigious finance ministry portfolio.
The reshuffle on October 3 saw Ramofafia become new finance minister, replacing Trevor Manemahaga, MP for Gao Bugotu, who had only been on the job for a month.
Mr Manemahaga took Ramofafia’s former portfolio.
OUR president Jimson Tanangada and PFP leader Frederick Kologeto were contacted yesterday for comments, however no reply before the paper went to print last night. Kuma could not be reached for comments.