Vote of no confidence in Somare imminent in next six months

A VOTE of no-confidence in Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare is imminent, Western Governor Dr Bob Danaya warned last night, The National reports.

But timing is crucial, as anyone wanting to remove the prime minister has only six months, between now and Dec 31, to do so. The Constitution does not allow any vote of no-confidence in a prime minister 18 months before the next general elections.

PNG will go to the polls in a general election in July or August 2012.

“The game is on now. The opposition will move a vote of no-confidence, but I do not know what strategy they will use,” Danaya said.

A legal source told The National anyone wanting to move a vote must give seven days notice first when Parliament is sitting. At present, there is no notice of a vote of no-confidence before Parliament, so one would have to be introduced on July 20 when Parliament next sits, or in November when it sits for the budget.

“Time may be on their (government) side.

“There is only six months, and they could juggle the number of sitting days remaining to suit themselves. That will happen unless factions within government block it,” the legal source said.

Just 24 hours after the Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Integrity Law (OLIPPAC), talks were swirling in Waigani of secret meetings by different factions within the government, and the ruling National Alliance party, but no one was coming out to confirm or deny anything.

A number of party leaders contacted by The National refused to comment

publicly on how they see the decision of the top court, its implications

and what they might do.

But leader of the Melanesian Liberal Party Dr Allan Marat, who was recently sacked as attorney-general, was forthright about his view of the government.

He said if there was a move to change the government, he would fully support those who make such a move.

 “I will support the change of government because I have seen the current government’s trend towards dictatorship; the greed of leaders and, when I spoke openly about it, I got kicked out as you all know.

“I was, then, speaking about leadership; the OLIPPAC provisions that have been found to be ‘unconstitutional’ were encouraging the ‘stability in government that saw the end in itself’.

“The deliverance of transparency and good governance were not there. I spoke up against it, and I was sacked.

“So, I will support the move for changes in government.”

Marat’s MLP is a coalition partner in the current government. Under OLIPPAC, he would not have voted against the prime minister he helped put in after the elections.

But, that has changed now with the court decision on Wednesday.

MPs are no longer bound by their party resolutions, and parties are no longer bound by their votes after the general election.

Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru, an avid supporter of the prime minister, is confident Sir Michael will see out his final term on top, but urged him to change “non-performing” ministers.

“Now is the time to demonstrate real leadership. Now is the time to take stock of who had turned up for work and who has been sleeping.

 “If ministers have not been performing, they must go. Quality leaders sitting in the backbench of government, and in the opposition, should be given an opportunity if they put their hand up,” Agiru said.

He said the highlands region had been given a raw deal in the past, and the government must now shift its focus and resources to important infrastructure like the Highlands Highway.

Works, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Don Polye, who is deputy leader of NA, said stability had brought investment and opportunities to the country never seen before, and must continue.

“We respect the decision of the court.

“OLIPPAC is out but, as leaders, we should not lean too much on the law to provide a stable environment for growth.

“As leaders, we should provide this in the way we behave and conduct ourselves. If we serve our constituents with honesty, stability will prevail without the need for such laws.”

Polye has 11 men in his highlands faction of NA, giving him pole position to take over leadership of the party when Sir Michael steps down.

The prime minister has kept the cards up his sleeve, and could play them now to beat any vote.

Parliament recently gave him approval to increase Cabinet from 28 to 32. He could play that to appease resentments.

He could also give away “economic” portfolios perceived to be concentrated in one region.

 

 

Lawyer: House can fix dent in OLIPPAC

WEDNESDAY’S Supreme Court decision on the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC) was hailed by its referrer, Dr Bob Danaya, as “justice being done at last” for the people of PNG, The National reports.

Danaya and counsel Loani Henao, however, said the decision had left a “dent” in the OLIPPAC.

Henao said: “The major parts of the OLIPPAC that we challenged in court have been declared unconstitutional, but the rest remained intact.

“The question of whether what remains of the OLIPPAC would hold the law together is something for Parliament and the registrar of political parties to consider,” he told reporters after the court decision.

“In our view, the OLIPPAC had been severely dented. And, so, necessary amendments are needed to put together a complete OLIPPAC.”

Henao said while the intention of the OLIPPAC was to bring stability to government, such should not happen “at the expense of freedom of choice, freedom of expression and freedom of exercising conscience”.

“Do it properly; you can still do it within the framework of the Constitution.

“Do not abuse and do not take away the rights of the people which are expressed by their representatives.”

Thanking his legal team for convincing the Supreme Court to rule in their favour, Danaya said: “I can tell Members of Parliament that from this hour on, you are free to resign from a political party – if you wish to – and join another party or form another party.

“MPs now have that freedom; and, the important thing is, from here onwards, we must ensure there is good governance in Parliament and throughout PNG.”

Henao said the fears of a dictatorship were gone.

“That has been removed.

“True democracy has returned.

“The Supreme Court decision was very important. It was, hopefully, a lesson to the legislators that the enshrined freedoms in the Constitution must not be tempered or interfered with.

“These freedoms are put there so that they will allow the constituencies and the grassroots people of this country to exercise their freedom of choice and their freedom of expressions through their elected MPs.

“That should never, ever have been taken away in the first place.”

 

 

Australia to provide A$50m for churches in Papua New Guinea

CHURCHES will be provided funding from the Australian government to continue to provide health and education services in Papua New Guinea, The National reports.

The churches play a very crucial role in delivering these services in the rural areas of PNG. They are present in areas where often the government, at provincial and national level, does not penetrate into. Over time, this has meant that people have grown to trust the church more than the government in delivering these services.

During the Australia-PNG bilateral meeting in Alotau this week, the role of churches in delivering a better outcome for the Australian aid programme was discussed.

Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith announced that, consistent with the review recommendations that the aid programme deliver better outcomes, Australia would support a PNG church partnerships programme.

This would comprise A$50 million over five years starting this year.

The programme would also help Australian churches work with their PNG counterparts to implement health, education and community development activities.

The PNG delegation welcomed this initiative.

This was one of a number of outcomes agreed upon at the conclusion of the meeting in Alotau yesterday.

It was also agreed during the meeting that the PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project represented a significant opportunity for PNG to transform the economy, and ministers noted the progress on the design of the sovereign wealth funds, which the Australian government is helping to set up.

The ministers agreed that Australia’s current level of overseas development assistance to PNG would not be affected by any commitments to assist with the implementation of the LNG project.

The ministers also agreed that the PNG LNG project was a schedule-driven project to meet commercial obligations and the timely delivery of this project would auger well for future investments in PNG.

The commercial obligations were mainly from bankers who had provided funding for the project, and wanted to see an outcome at the scheduled time.

The US$17 billion project has started with infrastructure development at project sites, and the first LNG cargo is expected to leave PNG shores in late 2013 or early 2014.

Kumuls must get ready for four nations' rugby league meet

By REGINALD RENAGI

 

The Papua New Guinea Rugby League administration must now get its act together to sort out the legal impasse or forget about PNG's participation in the forthcoming four nation rugby league tournament this October.

Time may be running out for the PNG Kumuls and PNG must also be concerned for several reasons.

While we stuff around, the Australian and New Zealand organisers of this important meet are also watching, and wondering whether PNG will be ready for this planned tournament.

We should not let the threat of resignation by Kumul coach Adrian Lam force us to come to a compromised decision that will destroy the integrity and long-term sustainability of rugby league in this country.

Let the rugby league administration now decide what is good for the development of rugby league in PNG.

What we decide now must be long in vision and mission, whether we are preparing for the four nations meet four months from now or the Australian NRL Bid proposal.

There is an urgent need for the Kumuls to must start preparing now or PNG may not be sufficiently prepared for this year's four nation tournament.

 Adrian Lam is the best Kumuls' coach so far, and it will be a shame if he was to step down as the Kumul's coach.

 Lam values his professional credibility more than the silly games the league administration is currently embroiled in at this moment.

The PNG Rugby League Administration's lack of clear direction has now prompted Sports Minister Philemon Embel to personally take matters into his own hand to try to resolve the legal impasse (which will no doubt drag on for some time, and time is what we cannot afford right now).

The Sports Minister must be commended for his foresight and quick action here.

 It's somewhat surprising to see the Sports Federation not taking a more-proactive action here to directly address the situation early until the resignation threat by Adrian Lam as recently reported in the media.

Last Saturday's meeting at Port Moresby's Crown Plaza hotel organised by the Sports Minister for all rugby league stakeholders to meet and resolve the present impasse has a temporary but a positive outcome. 

The meeting decided to have a caretaker rugby league administration in place until the court decides who the rightful rugby league board is. 

This is a positive start. 

What are really needed now are a good strong leadership and management within the PNG Rugby League administration to take the rugby league code forward into the future.

We must do this without any undue political and external interference to make decisions that will only compromise the growth and sustainability of this popular sporting code in PNG.

 

Reginald Renagi

*Former President, Defence Force Rugby League and Union

 

Integrity law thrown out

THE law that has regulated the conduct of Members of Parliament has been thrown out, prompting speculations moves were being made to overthrow Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, The National reports.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court yesterday declared unconstitutional parts of the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC) that place restrictions on MPs when they vote for the prime minister, the budget, any constitutional laws, and whether they want to remain within a political party or change allegiance.

The five-judge bench, chaired by Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, upheld all the 12 questions raised by Western Governor Dr Bob Danaya, whose provincial government filed the challenge in court.

While this decision effectively ruled those particular sections raised by Danaya as null and void; every other section of the OLIPPAC remained intact, the court said.

Sir Salamo, who read out the decision, said the bench held that “any Organic Law relating to section(s) 50 Rights of the Constitution must be regulated and not restrict or prohibit” MPs of their democratic rights, as had been done by the OLIPPAC.

Sir Salamo said their ruling concentrated on five central issues, relating to MPs’ democratic rights of movements from political parties and their rights or choices to vote in parliamentary decision relating to:

* The retracting of MPs from one political party to another – at will – in the best interest of their constituencies;

* The voting of a prime minister;

* Voting on the national budget; and

* Casting their votes to the enacting of a law or repealing of a constitutional law.

He said the restrictions imposed on Members of Parliament were “unheard of in any democratic countries within the Commonwealth”.

In its 96-page decision handed down yesterday morning, the five-judge bench comprising Sir Salamo, his deputy Gibbs Salika and justices Bernard Sakora, Nicholas Kirriwom and Les Gavara-Nanu stated that “the Fly River provincial government filed a special reference under section 19 of the Constitution seeking the Supreme Court’s opinion on the interpretation and application of various provisions of the Constitution and the OLIPPAC. 

Provisions rendered invalid by the court are as follows:

* Constitution, ss12 (4) and 114, only to the extent that they authorise an Organic Law to restrict and prohibit the exercise of a Member of Parliament’s right under s50(1)(e) of the Constitution; and

* OLIPPAC, ss 65, 66, 67, 70 (3), 72 (2), 73 (1) (a) & (2).

Yesterday’s decision, in effect, meant that should a vote of no-confidence in the government is tabled, all MPs are at liberty to move to whichever side of the Parliament they wish to vote with.

They are no longer prohibited to stick to the party they are registered with. They can change political parties at will; they can vote on free will at enactments or repeals of enacted policies or vote on budgets.

“Not being able to do so is a thing of the past,” Loani Henao, lawyer for Danaya and the Fly River government, said soon after the decision.

Following the decision, the opposition issued a statement calling on MPs to join them to topple the prime minister.

Sources told The National talks were underway with different factions of the government and the opposition to remove Sir Michael and form a new government.

“They (talks) have been happening. They would intensify with the decision out now,” a source in Waigani said.

The source said the prime minister was also meeting with key figures of his government to ponder their next move.

Opposition: Join us oust Somare

THE opposition has welcomed the Supreme Court decision to nullify parts of the integrity laws and called on government members to join in the move to remove the government of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, The National reports.

Deputy leader and Lae MP Bart Philemon said the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC) was good for political stability, but had contributed to government using its numbers to stream-roll everything through Parliament.

“A lot of things that had been done by the government were highly questionable including the forestry amendments, proposed Ombudsman Commission amendments and the Environment law amendments,” Philemon said.

“The shackles that lead us, once you vote for the prime minister, you vote for government and, once you vote for the budget, you vote for government, have been removed.”

Philemon said now Members of Parliament could stand on principles to vote with conscience and not on money.

“We wanted to remove the government because the government had lost its way.”

He said there were outstanding issues including Moti saga, misuse of agriculture development funds, Taiwan scandal, Singapore’s K40 million scandal and the increase in the number of

ministries to 32.

“If you want to change this kind of tyranny and kitchen cabinet, we invite the 34 on the government to join us to change government.”

Philemon made the commitment that, for stability, the new government would go back and try and fix the areas pointed out by the Supreme Court without infringing the Constitution.

He was flanked by former prime minister and New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan, Kairuku-Hiri MP Paru Aihi, Imbonggu MP Francis Awesa, Mendi MP Isaac Joseph, Markham MP Koni Iguan, Tewai-Siassi MP Vincent Michaels and Bulolo MP Sam Basil.

Awesa, in backing Philemon, said the OLIPPAC had virtually held MPs as prisoners in their respective party.

“We, in the last eight years, have been subject to a mini-dictatorship and that has been removed.

“It is time for right-thinking leaders on the other side to stand up and be counted.”

Sir Julius said it took the court a long time to correct an unconstitutional legislation.

“Now, they (MPs) are truly free because, sometimes, they voted against their own conscience.

“This is your chance to correct the mistakes and to put the country back on course.

“The victory is not for us MPs, but for the people.”

 

 

Kavo ousted as governor

KEREMA MP Pitom Bombom was elected as the new governor for Gulf yesterday afternoon at the Gulf assembly in Kerema, an election that took place despite a court action filed in the Waigani National Court, The National reports.

Incumbent governor Havila Kavo showed up with five appointed assembly members.

But there was confusion as to what happened, and whether there were one, or two sittings yesterday.

According to one report, nine LLG presidents, Kikori MP Mark Maipakai and Kerema MP Bombom were present and elected Bombom as governor.

But a spokesman for Kavo said last night said Kavo had called for an assembly sitting at 2pm but the other faction did not show up.

“After having waited for almost 30 minutes for other ‘faction’ members to enter, Kavo as chairman adjourned the sitting to Aug 13 while all members rose and exited the chambers,” Kavo’s spokesman said.

He said when they were all out, the other party entered the chamber where they carried out the no-confidence motion.

But a spokesman for Bombom said the vote was carried out, and when Kavo lost, he stormed out with his team.

During this meeting, court papers of an appearance last Friday was served on those present.

Funds released for anti-retroviral treatment

National AIDS Council chairman Sir Peter Barter has thanked Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and Health Minister Sasa Zibe for the release of K6 million which will be used to purchase and administer treatment for those people infected with HIV for the remainder of 2010.  

Although it was announced at the National Youth Debate held at the Divine Word University in Madang recently that funds had been approved for this purpose, the actual money has now been received and both the Department of Health and the National Aids Council Secretariat are engaged in ensuring these funds are used immediately to ensure the continuation of treatment for those under treatment as well as those expected to be infected in the future, in particular for children and pregnant women.

Sir Peter said the NAC had also requested that provision be made within the 2011 budget for funds to be made available so treatment could continue into the future as it was now time that Papua New Guinea took ownership of the challenge to ultimately eradicate HIV completely from the country, which could only be done by collectively working together and through effective coordination. 

“I am sure that the release of funds will convince our donor partners that the GoPNG is genuinely concerned, and that the release of funds will restore credibility with those donors, including the Global Fund, that we and all stakeholders will do all possible to prevent the spread of HIV in PNG,” he said.

 

Is China sending convicts to Papua New Guinea? Almost certainly!

From Japan Times Online

 

Monday, July 5, 2010

China now exports its convicts

 

By BRAHMA CHELLANEY

 

Relieving pressure on overcrowded national prisons by employing convicts as laborers at Chinese-run projects in the developing world is a novel strategy China has adopted — an approach that is certain to create new backlashes against Chinese businesses overseas, besides highlighting the country's egregious human-rights record.

In addition to being the world's biggest executioner, China has one of the largest prison populations in the world.

 The 2009 "World Prison Population List" compiled by the International Center for Prison Studies at King's College, London, put the total number of inmates in Chinese jails at 1.57 million.

China has evolved in important ways as a result of its economic "opening," with the new social pluralism prompting the state to cut back on totalitarian practices. Yet, with its Soviet-style autocratic structure intact, there is little space for political pluralism. Those who challenge government policies or practices or stage demonstrations against official highhandedness risk long imprisonment.

The forced dispatch of prisoners to work on overseas infrastructure projects raises new issues regarding China's human-rights record.

Thousands of Chinese convicts, for example, have been pressed into service in projects by state-run Chinese companies in Sri Lanka, a strategically important country for China, which is seeking a role in the Indian Ocean. Such is Sri Lanka's vantage location that it sits astride vital sea lanes of communication. China — in return for being allowed to make strategic inroads — provided Sri Lanka offensive weapon systems that helped end its long civil war. Now, Beijing is being rewarded with port-building, railroad and other infrastructure projects.

Chinese convicts also have been taken to a microstate in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives, where the Chinese government is building 4,000 houses on several different islands as a government-to- government "gift" to win influence there. So far, however, Beijing has failed to persuade the Maldivian president to lease it one of the 700 uninhabited Maldivian islands for setting up a small base for its navy.

The Chinese practice in overseas projects, including in Africa, is to keep the number of local workers to the minimum and to bring in much of the workforce from China. The novel twist is that some batches of laborers now being brought in are made up of convicts "freed" on parole for project-related overseas work.

The convict laborers, like the rest of the Chinese workforce, are housed near the project site. The Chinese logic is that if any convict worker escaped, it would be easy to find the runaway in an alien setting.

Chinese firms actually bring in more than just convict laborers and other workers at overseas projects. To help boost Chinese exports, they get all equipment, steel, cement and other construction material from China.

Such practices run counter to the Chinese commerce ministry's August 2006 regulations — promulgated in response to the backlash against Chinese businesses in Zambia following the death of 51 Zambian workers in an explosion at a Chinese-owned copper mine — that called for "localization," including hiring local workers, respecting local customs and adhering to safety norms.

Chinese domestic regulations, however, are sometimes promulgated to blunt external criticism. They are thus seldom enforced, except when a case attracts international attention.

Despite the State Council's 2006 nine good-conduct directives to Chinese companies engaged in overseas operations, the government and corporate priority still is to aggressively boost exports, even if such a push engenders environmental and social costs for local communities abroad. Indeed, as part of the government's "going global" policy, Chinese companies are offered major incentives and rewards for bagging overseas contracts and boosting exports.

The use of convict laborers adds a disturbing new dimension to the "going global" strategy, which was first unveiled in 2001.

As it is, some Chinese projects, especially dam-building schemes, have been embroiled in several countries in disputes with local communities. The pressing of Chinese prisoners into service will create new rifts.

Chinese dam-building projects, for example, have been controversial with local communities in Botswana, Burma, Ghana, Pakistan and Sudan, among others. In Sudan, security forces killed three people and wounded several others in April 2006 to scatter demonstrators protesting the 9.2-km-long Merowe High Dam, while a similar protest against another Chinese dam-building project in that impoverished country, at Kajbar, left four people dead in June 2007.

Last April, several small bombs went off at the site of Burma's Myitsone Dam, whose construction by a Chinese company in the insurgency-torn, northernmost Kachin state is displacing thousands of subsistence farmers and fishermen by flooding a wide swath of land. Located at the confluence of the N'Mai and Mali rivers, the Myitsone Dam is China's project for China, with the local communities saddled with social and environmental costs as the scheme's entire generation of 3,200 megawatts of hydropower is earmarked for export.

Chinese companies also have been erecting dams in an internationally disputed area like the Pakistan-held part of Kashmir, drawing protests from India as well as from local communities that view the projects, including the mammoth 7,000-megawatt Bunji Dam, as potentially benefiting only the dominant Pakistani province of Punjab, located downstream.

China is not only the world leader in building dams at home, but also the top dam exporter. In fact, it has no qualms about building dams in contested territories, or in areas torn by ethnic separatism, or in other human rights-abusing countries.

China's declaratory policy of "noninterference in domestic affairs" serves as a virtual license to pursue projects that benefit governments known to repress their citizens. For example, in Sudan, where China has emerged as the principal backer of a regime accused of committing genocide in the arid western region of Darfur, 13 of the 15 largest foreign companies operating are Chinese, with Beijing making huge investments in the Sudanese economy — from hydropower to oil. It also has sold hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of weapons, including tanks and fighter-jets, to help prop up President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.

Chinese companies on their own cannot get prisoners released in the thousands, let alone secure passports and exit permits for them. It is obvious that the controversial practice of making use of convicts overseas has been initiated at the instance of the Chinese government.

Until Beijing's treatment of its own citizens and those of other countries is guided by respect for basic human rights and the rule of law, it is doubtful that China will command respect on the world stage.

Brahma Chellaney is the author of the international best-seller, "Asian Juggernaut" (HarperCollins, New York, 2010).

Backyard gardening on Manus

ROSELYN ELLISON

                                                                             

Nancy Niakakes Kusunan, from Pokali Island, Manus province, showing the fresh and juicy water melon she harvested from her backyard last Saturday morning.

It takes three minutes to travel to the main Mbuke Island by dinghy.-Nationalpic by ROSELYN ELLISON

Tax crackdown

Company faces K20mil fine in customs probe

 

FOREIGN companies operating in the country that have evaded paying customs tax can be expected to be exposed and prosecuted, The National reports.

A crackdown is underway by the PNG Customs Services and already one oil company has been told it owes the state K20 million, while a mining company was forced to pay more than K1.5 million recently.

If successful, the state can expect something of a windfall in revenue from the Customs Services by the end of the year.

The oil industry company, which has not been named at this stage of its investigations, has been slapped with a bill of K20 million in outstanding duties to be settled within a deadline or face prosecution, Customs boss Gary Juffa said yesterday.

The company has also been advised to produce documents, which the company refused saying its records were kept offshore.

In a stern warning to corporate giants operating in PNG, Juffa said no one was above the law and all efforts were being made by Customs to ensure revenue due to the state of PNG and its people were paid up.

Juffa said the company was operating in PNG for the last decade and had substantial investments in PNG and abroad.

“If the company does not pay up, it faces the consequences which include refusal by Customs to clear its vessels or imports, or have its bank account garnisheed.

“If the ordinary Papua New Guinean is required to pay his taxes and duties every time he purchases a good or a service or imports or exports, then I don’t see why companies which have the means to and are obliged by law to pay their duties, avoid doing so,”  Juffa said.

The oil industry company has told Juffa it would take time to bring their documents into PNG for scrutiny.

Under Customs laws, they were required to ensure they hold all documents in relation to their business in PNG for five years.

Meanwhile, Simberi gold mine has been fined more than K700,000 for alleged failure to declare goods and evasion of customs duty.

A further K700,000 in import duty was also collected for a total of more than K1.5 million.

“The company had brought in machinery for its mine in New Ireland without declaring and paying the necessary duty until they were caught.

“Many companies in PNG that operate and reap significant profits ignore paying their duties and behave with contempt for PNG laws and its people.

“We welcome them with open arms and yet they deem it their right to ignore our laws.

“Multinational companies in PNG that import are coming under the spotlight of Customs and where they are found to have evaded duties due to the state, they will pay with heavy penalties,” Juffa said.

He also said an expatriate working at the Mineral Resources Authority, who attempted to interfere with Customs was under investigations, and could be prosecuted.

“He is employed by the state and is to maintain state’s interests and the interests of the people of PNG and not lobby for companies that err and fail to respect our laws,” Juffa said.

Stop being overly generous: Bakani

THE country’s chief banker has warned the national government against making excessive commitments with landowners and to discourage the free handout mentality, The National reports.

Bank of Papua New Guinea governor Loi Bakani also warned yesterday that the government’s previous unsettled commitments were likely to prompt a supplementary budget this year due to the exerted pressure by landowners, especially the liquefied natural gas project area landowners.

Bakani was concerned this might lead to an increase in the government’s total debt.

His warning was contained in the central bank’s Quarterly Economic Bulletin for the March quarter released yesterday.

Bakani said: “While high mineral export prices will lead to higher taxes for the government, the unsettled commitments to various landowners have exerted pressure on the 2010 budget.

“If the revenue is not sufficient to meet these outstanding commitments, the government will have to introduce a supplementary budget with new financing plans.

“The government, through departments that are directly involved in the LNG project, should refrain from making excessive commitments with landowners and avoid free handout mentality,” he said.

Last month, the government moved for a supplementary budget to accommodate landowner commitments but it was not clear whether the budget would be introduced in this month’s Parliament sitting.

Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru said last month there was more than K1.3 billion in claims from landowners for various commitments, including the K120 million seed capital and other memorandum of agreements commitments.

Meanwhile, JP Karai Landowners Association from petroleum development licence (PDL) 1 has welcomed the change in bringing the K60 million seed capital to the project sites for payment.

JPKLA general secretary Thomas Hengebe said:  “We, the majority landowners at home, support the move by Agiru because we fear our money might disappear in Port Moresby into the hands of unidentified city-based landowners.”

 

 

Second chance at life

FOUR-year-old Bainam Palo has survived her second heart operation, this time under the operation open heart (OOH) involving Australian doctors and nurses and their PNG colleagues, The National reports.

Palo, of mixed Morobe and Goroka parentage, was first wheeled into the operating theatre for a closed heart surgery last year.

However, when her condition did not improve, further tests revealed that she had a hole in her heart that needed open surgery.

Doctors at the Goroka Base Hospital had her listed as a candidate for this year’s OOH and, hence, Palo’s second surgery which went smoothly to the relief of her mother, Nafil Palo.

She said her daughter was diagnosed as having a heart defect at two years of age.

“I thought my daughter would die. She had recurring shortness of breath and, sometimes, seizures; and she would collapse. She could fall asleep all day from 8am to 7pm faced down and not wanting to be moved around,” mum Nafil said.

Mother and daughter first made the trip to Port Moresby in 2008, but were referred to surgery last year.

“We returned last year and my daughter had a closed heart operation because of a lack of oxygen circulating in her body. After careful examination, she was confirmed to have a hole in her heart,” Nafil said.

“The feeling of pain when your child is going through such a condition is very painful.

“I am thankful to God for giving my child another chance at life and for blessing the medical staff at PMGH with lovely hands to carry out this extraordinary work,” she said.

Meanwhile, Australian High Commissioner Ian Kemish and his family visited PMGH yesterday.

The family’s visit was a morale booster for the Australian volunteer doctors and nurses and a clear indication of the Australian government’s support and commitment for the OOH programme in PNG.

Kemish said OOH was supported by the Australian government through AusAID’s PNG health programme which provided about A$100,000 per year since 2002. To date, this amounts A$820,000, which is inclusive of this year’s A$140,000.

The family toured the two operating theatres – Kangaroo and Kumul – the emergency ward and the intensive care unit.

They were accompanied by Prof Nakapi Tefuarani, OOH coordinator Russell Lee and board member of the Sir Buri Kidu Heart Foundation Marilyn Ward.

The Australian doctors and nurses, the largest OOH contingent so far, arrived last Thursday and will leave for home on Sunday.

The team included 53 volunteers ranging from surgeons to scrub nurses from hospitals in Alice Springs, Newcastle, Brisbane and Sydney. 

Officials said 24 OOH patients had gone through surgery and were recovering at the PMGH.

Manus plants new coconuts

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL

Coconut is the tree of life for rural communities in the coastal areas of Papua New Guinea.

 It provides for the people's livelihood as well as cash income and is a major export earner for the country.

 In some areas, especially the island communities, coconut trees are dying out and need to be replanted.

On M'buke Island on the south coast of Manus, the community has rallied together and sought technical assistance to carry out replanting and revitalising the coconut industry. 

But their main priority is to ensure that coconut continues to provide for their sustenance on a daily basis.

In these photos, Department of Agriculture and Livestock regional director for Mamose, Masayan Moat, does the honor to replant a young coconut plant to signal the start of the replanting exercise.

DAL in collaboration with the Manus provincial administration is embarking on a programme to do replanting and redevelop the coconut industry on the island and other communities.

Politics Down Under

From JOHN PASQUARELLI

Malcolm Turnbull has written a soppy,  silly piece about Rudd's execution in the SMH – will he be just as soppy about John Howard – losing his seat of Bennelong and now not even making the cut for his seat on the international cricket board – or whatever it is!

Howard has been done over by racist bongo bongo African despots and Asians – for Asians read Indians and Pakis(oops) – let's call a spade a spade - I can't remember any tall,  ferocious real Asians belting down sound-barrier breaking body-liners at Old Trafford! 

Fancy a murderous mongrel like Mugabe being listened to. 

Cricket has now been captured by Indian and Pakistanian racists who will do anything for dollars.

Howard should have been more perceptive and not put up his hand in the first place but his love of cricket overcame his decision making. 

Where to now? 

We should fight back and only play cricket with England,  New Zealand and South Africa(?) but political correctness and gutlessness will win the day for sure. 

How many of our MPs will support Howard and attack the disgraceful racism that has been directed at him? 

The racist bastards didn't even have the decency to cast a vote! 

New boss same as old boss? (Or steady as she goes Julia.)

By REGINALD RENAGI

 

So what's new in Australian politics? 

Julia Gillard is the new boss now but what can she do different from her old boss?

 As the old pop song goes... 'new boss same as old boss', and many wonder whether Julia will be any different or will she be the same as her old boss, Kevin Rudd. 

 Some sections of the Australian public think this way because Gillard is also seen as the co-drafter with the man she dethroned of key ALP policies.

 Some of these policies have been the main cause of former PM Kevin Rudd's diminishing popularity in recent times.

 So Julia is equally guilty by association and should take part of the blame for Kevin's drop in ratings by opinion polls.

 She played the loyal deputy's role very well whenever she was given a chance to appear on breakfast TV shows during studio debating sessions one-on-one with opposition leader, Tony Abbort.

Both looked liked good mates on the surface but Julia struck me as a more shrewd and calculating pollie not to be trifled with, as Kevin Rudd found out recently.

As deputy PM, Gillard looked good to viewers when defending her government's policies against prevailing public criticisms.

Gillard accounted herself well in the public's eye on national TV while her boss's popularity slump as he refrained from constructively engaging with a concerned public.

The opinion polls subsequently convinced Julia to make her historic move a fortnight ago to oust one of Australia's most popular PM in recent years.

Her reason?

The country needed strong leadership to move it forward and Labor was not doing that well and might prove much worse come election time. 

ALP stalwarts broke poor Kevin's career as PM so Julia can rebuild Labor's wavering public support as inside power brokers felt the party would have a better chance of winning with her in the coming polls this year.  

So will the new PM make some real changes or will it be 'steady as she goes Julia?'

 I think it will be the former. Gillard will try very hard with her new cabinet team to try and regain Labor's popularity slump.

 Labor will in the short time it has under Julia Gillard to build up public support and trust before the elections.

 So what key policy changes will she make for the ALP? 

 Key ALP policies will remain very much intact except the ones that are controversial with the Australian public like the new Mining tax slapped by the former Rudd government.

Here Julia will be a more engaging PM than Kevin Rudd was in talking more with her critics and try to reach a middle ground to appease a recalcitrant industry.

Other key policy changes may be in climate change and whether to reintroduce Rudd's ETS in another form and configuration, stronger border policies, asylum seekers issue, AusAid programme with Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, Pacific Forum and possibly a relook at its future ADF troop involvement in Afghanistan.

Australia under Julia Gillard is a new sea change.

The ALP just need three new good policies now to sell to the Australian public and they just might win the election for Julia Gillard: Cut PNG aid levels to zero and instead increase trade by 100 percent, do more for indigenous Australians than before and lastly; pull Australian troops out of Afghanistan by Christmas.

Keeping troops in Afghanistan will not make Australia any safer but a very unsecure country in future.  

New Guinea Energy spuds first exploration well

NEW Guinea Energy (NGE) spudded its first exploration well at Panakawa oil prospecting licence in Gulf province last June 25, according to a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange yesterday, The National reports.

The drilling programme is managed by contractor Australian Drilling Services, using its contracted rig #6.

Work has been progressing well for the last 10 days

The Panakawa oil prospect is located in PPL 267.

It was initially identified as a lead from the Yalis phase I seismic survey completed in 2006, and further delineated by the Yalis phase II seismic survey (Q3 2008).

The prospect underlies the Panakawa oil seep which has a surface measured flow rate of five barrels of oil per day of 35°API oil and is ideally located less than 1km from Rimbunan Hijau’s Panakawa logging and veneer plant wharf.

The statement said the Panakawa-1 well was targeting the lower cretaceous toro formation sandstone and several secondary reservoirs.

Proposed total depth of the well is 2,323m in basement.

The company expects the well to require approximately 30 days drilling.

NGE is the sole owner of PPL 276.

The company said apart from PPL 276, NGE also has five other onshore petroleum prospecting licences (PPLs) covering more than 52,000sqkm (including PPL 276).

These PPLs contain an excellent exploration inventory of 59 prospects and leads, which include six drillable prospects.

Ten top leads are currently being evaluated for upgrading to drillable prospect status.

The oil-and-gas-focused explorer raised US$18.5 million (K49 million) early this year by a placement of 112,121,210 shares at US$0.165 per share to sophisticated or professional investors, it said.

The fundraising was managed by Bell Potter Securities Ltd and was strongly supported by both institutional and sophisticated retail investors.

The shares issued will rank equally with existing ordinary fully-paid shares on issue, with shareholders approving the matter at a meeting last week.

NGE is partly-owned by Sir Michael Bromely, a PNG-based businessman who, at one time, ran one of the Highlands’ region’s large supermarket chains – the Bromley and Manton.

 

Gunman charged

A MAN allegedly involved in the shooting incident at the Port Moresby International Airport last Friday has been charged by police with discharging a firearm, and will also face multiple attempted murder charges, The National reports.

Former chairman of Moran Special Purpose Authority David Mulungu has been charged in connection with the possession and use of a firearm in the incident.

Police said his younger brother Paul, nicknamed Rambo, who is recovering in hospital, would also face a similar charge when he is released from hospital.

Police were also considering malicious damages charges for damages inflicted on properties during the shooting incident.

They also faced other charges under the Civil Aviation Act.

Police denied reports by the other daily newspaper that the wounded gunman had escaped from hospital.

A third person, believed to be the son of the former chairman, was released as he was a juvenile accompanying the two.

David Mulungu, who is in police custody, is expected to appear before the Boroko District Court today charged with discharging a firearm.

Police also confirmed that a wounded bystander, who was admitted at the Pacific International Hospital, had been discharged but was expected to continue with his medical review.

Police also said the firearms used were licenced.

Doctors will examine the injuries sustained by Paul Mulungu in his leg and determine whether to carry out an operation or not.

Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape, who was at the airport when the shooting happened, said a number of individuals who provoked and incited this attack should also be arrested by police.

He said these people had been associated with the Homa Paua People’s Association and had been making provocative public statements.

He said since oil was first discovered there 15 years ago, millions of kina had been squandered by individuals, some of whom freely expressed threats in the media, and they should be arrested.

 

Moran leader calls on media to report fairly

THE chairman of the Moran Special Purpose Authority, Tony Kila, has called on the media to report accurately, The National reports.

Kila said some media organisations had failed to report news without fear or favour.

He said ethically, journalists were expected to collect accurate information and balance their stories instead of hearsay and one-sided reports and accounts from people with vested interest.

Kila was referring to a news article published in the Sunday Chronicle newspaper on Sunday and aired on radio last Friday that two policemen were shot when landowners fired shots at each other at the airport.

“There was no policeman hurt or was there any exchange of gunfire between my group and the opposing landowner faction; it was a public shooting which resulted in the wounding of two people who were not party to any issue,” he said.

Kila said the use of guns at the airport was a national security issue as the gun-wielding men shot at the public.

“I’m not happy with the way the two media outlets had reported on the incident because they reported from hearsay without even checking facts with the policemen on the ground.

“Trained journalists should know better as what goes out to the public becomes news which might have greater implications on certain people or groups,” he said.

He called on the PNG Media Council to investigate the two outlets as their reports lacked facts with poor journalism practice and lacked ethical decision-making.

 

'Illegal deals soar in B'ville'

THE recent apprehension by PNG Customs of an oil tanker carrying fuel it had loaded from Bougainville copper mine storage tanks is only one of many illegal operations which both the national and the autonomous Bougainville governments have been called on to look into, The National reports.

A Panguna Landowner Association (PLA) executive said the tanker was only one of many illegal deals being conducted in Bougainville involving Bougainville Copper Ltd (BCL) property and machinery.

Lawrence Daveona said far too many of these businesses had ignored or bypassed established rules and procedures for conduct of business.

Consequently, he said, mine lease area people, who have suffered from the crisis, were missing out on benefits.

Apart from the oil tanker business, another lucrative business was the sale of scrap metal from the now abandoned mine and other parts of Bougainville.

Daveona said the association had an on-going understanding with BCL that all scrap metal, left behind as a result of the crisis, belonged to the landowners and they were allowed to enter into any business arrangement with interested foreign or national partners so long as they have the endorsement of the Autonomous Bougainville Government and relevant national agencies.

The approved process was to get a written approval from the PLA and the ABG to conduct such business before permission is sought from BCL.

Once this is sorted out, the final approval must come from national agencies such as Customs, Internal Revenue Commission and Labour where foreign workers were concerned.

Daveona said this process was necessary to ensure any business opportunity concluded would benefit the mine lease area people.

Tired of watching illegal operations going on, PLA had incorporated its own landowners company called Komeri Holdings Ltd. It had also established Panguna Metals Ltd through a joint partnership with UK-based Capital Equipment Supply Co.

Komeri Holdings shareholding included the two factions of Mekamui holding 5% each, 30% which is held by ex-combatants (BRA 20 % and Bougainville Resistance Fighters 10%) and Panguna Landowners Association (60%).

Daveona is confident that the company was ready to proceed to full operational status.

It has BCL approval to carry out its scrap metal operations in the secondary crusher, concentrator and mine pit areas covering the pit, pit workshop and the primary crusher.