Mane says people no longer care about MPs’ as he reveals he almost fight at market

The MP for West Are’are, John Maneniaru, has expressed concern that people no longer care about MPs’ – as he stunningly reveals in Parliament that he almost had a fight at the Central Market with one of the relatives of the deceased 27 passengers of the M.V Taimareho sea ordeal this year.

Early this year under the government repatriation of citizens to their provinces due to COVID-19, M.V Tahemariho which was bound for West Are’are encountered bad weather and as a result 27 passengers were swept over board, only six were recovered but were also dead.

Maneniaru told Parliament that all the families except for five have decided not to support him as they pursuit peaceful ends to the problem.

He told Parliament that one of the relatives of the families who did not support him has gone to Facebook to post alleging that he killed the 27 people.

Maneniaru said last week he encountered the person at the Central Market.

“My (both) hands were full. I was walking back (to vehicle) near the shops (market shops) then this particular person, comes up, stands up and blocks me. He was angry and alleged that I killed his children and I neglected them.

“So I said: ‘get out of my way before I kill you. So he shouted. I said get out of my way. You’re talking none sense’,” he said.

Maneniaru said had the person refused to move away from his way he would have moved him out physically.

According to the MP, after that he made 29 missed calls to his phone.

“I don’t answer them because I can’t response to such a person,” he said.

Maneniaru said the next day his project officer was assaulted by the same person at the market.

“A day later, my project officer went to the market not knowing what happened (to Hon Mane). The same person, a senior public officer, grabbed my officer by the throat and his phone, for almost a minute and harassed him. He continued to point in the eyes of the officer saying ‘you’re so lucky that it was not the honourable member’,” Maneniaru told Parliament.

He stated that this is what they are living through.

“That’s how people wanted to take the law into their own hands. The process is there to follow. I am sharing the story because it is alive and active and it was sad but real. It is sad that people don’t care about us as MPs because people can do that to us in public,” he said.

Maneniaru reiterated that there are processes to deal with the issue and they are following them now to put a close to the case.