Dream come true as books delivered to remote Watut schools

By MALUM NALU

A dream came true for 13-year-old Ngaru Nen in remote Maralina village in Lower Watut, Morobe province, last Saturday, July 7, 2012, as he delivered a container load of books from the USA for the children of three schools in the area.

In emotional scenes at picture-perfect Maralina, six hours by motorised canoe up the Markham and Watut rivers, Ngaru and his siblings Betty and Aral Jr presented the books to the children of Maralina, Uruf and Tsili Tsili primary schools. 

 They, their mother Mary and father Aral travelled all the way from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, too make the book presentation.

Watut man Aral Nen (left) and his children Aral Jr, Betty and Ngaru, and wife Mary, on the banks of the Markham River at 40-Mile outside Lae last Friday before leaving to deliver books from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, to schools in the Lower Watut area.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

The people of Lower Watut laid down the red carpet last Saturday to welcome the Nen family home to present the books.

Man-of-the-moment Ngaru Nen (centre) is plied with gifts in the midstof siblings Aral Jr (left) and Betty.

They sang, danced and cheered as the books were handed over.

Some of the books on display at Maralina last Saturday.

The Nen children had been collecting books for the children of Lower Watut since 2008, however, they ran into a hitch when their father could not afford the high cost of transporting the books to PNG.

Givers become receivers…Nen children (from left) Aral Jr, Ngaru and Betty are showered with gifts from a young warrior at Maralina last Saturday.

Morobe Mining Joint Ventures general manager - sustainability and external relations, David Wissink, turned Good Samaritan as he read about young Ngaru’s plight on Facebook.

One of the positive stories in light of all the negative...Watut man Aral Nel (left), wife Mary, and children Aral Jr, Ngaru and Betty with their Good Samaritan David Wissink of MMJV at Maralina village last Saturday.

In January this year, thanks to Wissink, a container load of books and school supplies left Milwaukee for Lae, final destination Watut.

The books arrived in Lae earlier this year and were kept in storage by MMJV until the Nens arrived.

A local singsing group welcomes the Nen family to Maralina Primary School last Saturday.

In another twist of fate, major Korean TV company SBS, heard about Nen’s story and paid for all his family to travel to PNG so that they could make a documentary on the life of the family.

 Betty Nen (right) and a female member of the Korean TV crew join in celebrations at Maralina last Saturday.

Immediately after the book presentation, the Nen family and the TV crew travelled to Nen’s Zenem village, where they will spend the next couple of weeks shooting the documentary,

A quietly-spoken Ngaru said he was glad that the books had reached Watut safely after his ordeal in putting them together.

 Young Ngaru Nen addresses the crowd at Maralina.

“I hope that they are useful to you,” he told a crowd of Watut school children and the local community who gathered at Maralina.”

Wissink heaped praise on Ngaru and his siblings.

“This is a good partnership,” he said.

“Thank you to Ngaru and his sister and brother.”

The story starts in June 2008, when nine-year-old Ngaru Nen visited his father Aral’s home in remote Watut.

It was the trip of a lifetime for Ngaru, who had never travelled out of America before, to his mama graun and it had a profound effect on his life.

The trip was a special one for Ngaru, because he is the elder son of the Nen's and according to Sangark clan of Watut, needs to go through an initiation ceremony and be declared as a chief.

One thing that bothered him was the large number of children roaming around because of no schools, no school fees and no space.

He was also surprised to learn that schools in Watut had very little school supplies and books, and had to sit on the ground and learn, because there were no classrooms.

Bush material classrooms at Maralina Primary School

“I could see that this really bothered Ngaru because he kept on asking me ‘why’,” his father recalls.

“I had to explain to him the truth of the situation, and also told him that it happens in many other very- remote areas in the country, and even urban areas.

Ngaru was heartbroken, so much so, that he vowed that that upon return to USA, he would collect whatever books and school supplies he could, and send them to the children of Watut.

Thus began a three-year labour of love, collecting books and school supplies, however, the young man hit an 11th-hour hitch.

His dad, Aral, tried so many shipping companies, however, the fees were so high and father told son that the books would go to Africa instead of Watut, as there was a Rotary club which could ship to that continent.

A teary Ngaru was heartbroken and prayed for a miracle to happen.

God must have heard his prayers, for in far-off PNG, MMJV’s Wissink read about the plight of the young man.

In late January this year, thanks to Wissink, a container load of books and school supplies left Milwaukee for Lae, final destination Watut.

“When I was in Papua New Guinea, one of the things that struck me most was that so many people would go barefoot, be able to live so far away from hospitals and also have no health care,” Ngaru told me in January.

“I was also surprised that the schools in Watut had very little school supplies and books and had to sit on the ground and learn.

“I know I have a lot of books and supplies I can donate to them.

“I told my dad that, when I return to America, I'd like to collect books and school supplies and send them to Watut schools because I feel sorry for all these kids.

“My dad and family agreed and helped me collect books and supplies over three years.

“Now we have a problem with transportation.

“My dad tried so many shipping companies but the fees were so high for us to afford.

“Sadly, one afternoon, my dad told me that, the books would go to Africa instead of Watut, because we cannot afford it and there is a Rotary club which can ship only to Africa.

“Also, since our garage was so full of boxes of books and winter was approaching, we needed to get rid of those books somehow.

“My heart was broken and I prayed in my heart that the Good Lord will know the struggles of my people and will help me get the books and supplies to Watut.

“While we were packing and taping the boxes for Africa, my dad got a message from someone in PNG (Wissink), offering to pay for shipping costs from my garage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, to Lae, then to Watut.

“I call him my guardian angel.

“Without him, this would not have been possible.”

The final chapter of this story unfolded in style at Maralina last Saturday.

It’s good to be back home again.Nen brothers Aral Jr (left) and Ngaru enjoying the Watut countryside last Saturday.

PNG helicopter crash: Bodies found

By HAYDEN DONNELL  of New Zealand Herald

Search teams have found the bodies of a New Zealand man and two Australians whose helicopter crashed in a remote area of Papua New Guinea a week ago.

New Zealander Antony Annan, 49, and two Australians, Russell Aitken, 42, and Emmett Fynn, 36, were found dead at the wreck of their Bell 206 helicopter near the Purari River around 3pm (NZ time).

Paul Booij, managing director of the helicopter's operator Hevilift, said the deaths were devastating.

"Unfortunately our worst fears were realised this morning.

"This is a harrowing time for everyone... We are devastated that this has happened. Every one of us had hoped to find them alive and now we have to deal with the reality."

The helicopter was reported missing at about 4:30pm last Friday.

The first sign of its wreck was found yesterday, when a villager discovered some pieces of plastic labelled "fly away kit" in a stream.

A helicopter tailboom was seen from the air this morning and search teams found the crashed wreckage about six hours later.

There was low cloud and reduced visibility at the time of the crash and the pilots were flying on sight rather than instruments.

Hevilift Group Managing Director Colin Seymour would not comment on company protocol for flying indangerous conditions.

Mr Booij said the company would cooperate with authorities and conduct its own investigation into what caused the crash.

"We can assure everyone that no one wants to know what happened more than we do. We operate in rugged terrain and challenging conditions in Papua New Guinea and we have very strict protocols within our operations."
Seven helicopters were involved in the search for the missing men

Speech by Minister for Public Enterprises Rt Hon Mekere Morauta, KCMG MP to welcome Air Niugini’s new Boeing 737 to Port Moresby

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.  Thank you Prime Minister for coming today.  I take this opportunity to congratulate you for your sweeping victory in Ialibu-Pangia.

Sir Mekere Morauta

We are here to welcome this new aeroplane to our country – it will be a most valuable addition to Air Niugini’s fleet, serving on the Brisbane, Sydney, Cebu, Manila and Auckland routes.  So it’s going to be a bit of a workhorse. 

This is exactly what Air Niugini needs – maximum use of its capital assets, maximum profit from its investments.

I congratulate the Chairman Mr Garth McIlwain and the Board, and the management team led by Mr Wasantha Kumarasiri for this initiative.

The national airline, like all of our publicly owned enterprises, can be healthier than it currently is.  The status of this aircraft in fact is a symbol of the problems the company faces.  It is leased. Air Niugini does not own it.

Now many airlines do not own all the aircraft in their fleets – many choose not to for good financial reasons.  But in Air Niugini’s case, it does not have the luxury of choice.

The reason, simply, is that the national airline’s balance sheet is not strong enough to stand the cost of outright purchase of all its aircraft, especially bigger jets like this.

There is nothing new in this. Air Niugini has been unable to own all of its fleet for many years.

In today’s fleet of 22, less than half are owned by Air Niugini – four Fokker 100 aircraft, three Q400s, two Dash 8-100s and one Dash 8-200.  And these are the less expensive aircraft.

Air Niugini is leasing 12 aircraft - three Boeing 767s, two Fokker 100s, three Dash 8-200s, three Dash 8-300s and this Boeing 737.

The constrictions imposed by its balance sheet do not end with aircraft – they affect every aspect of the organisation and its operations.

We all know the results: flights cancelled, flights delayed, passengers offloaded, and so on.

And there are longer-term and more fundamental consequences: Air Niugini in its present configuration is unable to provide reliable and affordable services to all the people, the shareholders of Air Niugini.

It is flying on one engine, not two.

To be in a position to provide the services that travellers need, Air Niugini requires a large infusion of financial capital from its shareholder, the national Government.  I believe Air Niugini needs at least K800 million to re-fleet appropriately, in type, size and number of aircraft. 

But providing all public enterprises with the money needed to rehabilitate them and put them onto a sound financial footing is virtually impossible.  No government has ever been able to meet all their requirements, so Public Enterprises struggle on as best they can with what they generate or borrow.

Air Niugini is to be congratulated for the fleet restructuring that it is undertaking at present – it will be more efficient and it will be more profitable and it will provide better services.  It is to be congratulated as well for its recent decision to fly into Wau-Bulolo and Daru.

But it could do so much more if it was put on a sound financial footing.

We do have one chance to do this – possibly our last chance – and that is through the new Sovereign Wealth Fund.

I have suggested that the Sovereign Wealth Fund should earmark dividend flows from PNG LNG ‑ about K500 million per year – to be used to recapitalise our public enterprises, and to pay for the maintenance of national infrastructure (roads, ports, airports, universities, hospitals) and the provision of rural infrastructure.

I hope that the next Government sees the wisdom and practicality of that.

I also hope that it does not succumb to the temptation of winning political popularity contests – looking good but doing nothing and achieving nothing to solve our deep-seated problems.

Governments and politicians are there to make decisions in the national interest, not to please vested interests or to entrench themselves in the comfortable seats of Parliament House.

Most importantly I hope that it does not listen to the ignorant, self-interested mauswara that the opponents of reform inflict on us.

Most recently vested interests and would-be politicians opposed NEC’s proposed solution to the constant power blackouts that the national capital suffers.

The anonymous arguments they put in support of their case were non- arguments.  What they served up to the nation through the media – in particular with the connivance of the Post-Courier – was politically motivated and self-serving nonsense consisting of falsehoods, rumour, innuendo and smear.

Facts appear to be a non-essential item in public debate these days.

How long are we going to allow tens of thousands of families to suffer every day because there is no electricity for mothers to cook with or lights for children to do their homework by?

How long are we going to allow people – the old, the very young, the ill and the frail – to be put at risk because there is no power or water?

Why should we allow the job prospects of our children to be crippled because rather than hiring more workers, business needs to spend its money on generators and fuel?

These are the consequences of the opposition to the reforms that the nation so desperately needs.

It is my hope that the incoming Government will make decisions based on the fact that the people of Papua New Guinea own Public Enterprises.

Not unions and employees. Not directors and management. The people own Public Enterprises through their elected representatives.  And elected representatives have a duty to make decisions in the national interest.  Elected representatives are empowered directly by the people, and the people are the owners of these assets.

One of the biggest failures we have as a nation is that decision-making is often on the basis of political convenience or pandering to sectional interests.

It is my hope that the new Government has the determination and the wisdom to make decisions solely on the basis of the common good.

If the new Government does not prevent decision-making from being hijacked, we will continue our increasingly rapid slide down a slippery slope.

Public Enterprises are at the heart of service provision, yet they lack capital, they lack clear and consistent direction from government, they are not fully accountable and transparent, and they are unable to operate on fully commercial terms.

Until my reforms beginning in August last year, none of them had paid a dividend to their owners, the people of Papua New Guinea, since 2007. Today’s dividend from Air Niugini is most welcome.

In fact it is the first paid by Air Niugini in 16 years, the first since 1996.

That in itself shows the weak financial position of the airline.  The dividend of K6.4 million represents 5% of paid up capital, again demonstrating the shallow capital base the airline has to work with.  Air Niugini is totally dependent on borrowed money and internally generated revenue – this will never be enough for it to make the shift from flying on one engine to flying on two.

The lack of capital of all public enterprises is the principal cause of their service delivery falling far below acceptable levels.  They have not increased rural air services, reliable power, efficient ports, competitive telecommunications or fast and affordable internet services, to name just a few areas for which they are responsible.

Sure, we can apportion some of the blame for this dreadful state of affairs to the Somare family’s treatment of IPBC and its public enterprises as a personal empire, but the problems are more deeply rooted than that.

It is significant that since the creation of IPBC out of the former Privatisation Commission in 2002, not one Public Enterprise has been successfully rehabilitated and referred back to the government for a decision on its future.

That tells us that the Government, IPBC and the SOEs have failed to do their jobs properly.

My reforms of IPBC since August last year show that Papua New Guinea is perfectly capable of the institutional rehabilitation that is needed.

From an organisation paralysed by a lack of leadership and direction, and political interference and nepotism, it has become effective, efficient and vigorous in its leadership of public enterprises.

I hope that the new Government continues these reforms and extends them to all public enterprises, including Air Niugini, and that one day our national airline will be able to provide the extent and quality of services that all Papua New Guineans require.

Thank you.

Lower Watut villagers make money from gold, cocoa

By MALUM NALU

Villagers in the remote Lower Watut area of Morobe province make their living mainly from small-scale gold mining along the Watut River, as well as cocoa.

They do sell vegetables such as taro, bananas and yams – grown on fertile river land – however, canoe transport to Lae through the Watut and Markham rivers is expensive, a lengthy canoe ride of up to six hours, and can be risky at times.

Motorised canoes along the Watut River…the only means of transport to market for the Lower Watut villagers with the absence of roads.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

The National visited the Lower Watut area last weekend and was able to see how the villagers made their money.

“We make our money mainly from small-scale gold mining,” Lower Watut community leader Simon Gulup told The National at Maralina village.

A taro and banana garden in Kapungu village along the banks of the Watut River…high transport costs means much of this does not get to market.

“We use this money to pay school fees for our children as well as other goods.

“Both men and women work for gold along the Watut River.”

Gulup said it was only over the last five years or so, when Morobe Mining Joint Ventures (MMJV) came into the area, that they started going into cocoa.

“Over the last five years, we have gone heavily into cocoa,” he said.

“However, currently, prices of cocoa are not good and cocoa pods are rotting away because farmers are not keen on picking.

“There is so much cocoa in the Lower Watut area.

A cocoa grove in Maralina village, Lower Watut.

“We need more fermentaries.

“We get help from MMJV with cocoa seeds and cocoa fermentaries.

“But then, we have to pay K40 to 40-Mile (along the Highlands Highway on the banks of the Markham River), another K30 for PMV fare to Lae, and when we come back, we have very little money or nothing at all.”