Former University of Natural Resource and Environment Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Aisak Pue has vacated his office at the university.
This follows a court order made on Aug 15, which stated that Pue’s extension of term from Aug 2021 as VC through the university’s council meeting was invalid and unlawful.
The court order was served to Pue in front of UNRE staff, students, representatives and legal officer from Higher Education Research Science and Technology Department (DHERST) and police response unit and mobile squad 17 on Monday.
He vacated the office on the same day.
Pue said they were trying to serve him some court documents and telling him that he should vacate but he refused to receive the documents because they did not follow the right process.
I was there in Port Moresby when the court order was made and I have not yet received the court transcript or anything in relation to that yet.
I didn’t want to argue or anything so I simply went into my office, packed my staff and went out.
Pue
He said the office he held was a public office which could be occupied by any qualified person through the right process.
I accepted the decision made in court, in fact, I was in the committee and was prepared to advertise the position to allow qualified people to be recruited through the process.
They hijacked the whole process and came in to the school unexpected.
Pue said it was an ambush and there was no need for police to be involved as he was not a criminal.
This is a public office and the new council members and the vice-chancellor did not have the decency to be polite in the manner they did.
Prof Aisak Pue
Steven Naitingale was appointed the new Chancellor and Dr Moik Komolong the VC through then DHERST minister Wesley Raminai’s decision in January.
Pue was acting in the position on a stay order he had obtained from court in February which had put a stop to Raminai’s decision until the court decision on Aug 15.