Abal explains MoA policies

By RONALD BULUM and GABRIEL LAHOC

 

ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal yesterday said that legacy funds arising from MoAs with landowners of resource projects had to be administered properly, The National reports.

“To ensure it is paid – and paid properly – the money is put through an efficient process,” he said at the Lae International Hotel.

Abal was referring to a National Court order issued on Tuesday for him and Finance Minister Peter O’Neill to review the 1996 MoA between the state and Kutubu landowners of PDL 2.

PDL 2 landowners, including former Southern Highlands governor Hami Yawari, had applied and been granted orders to prevent Abal and O’Neill from putting landowner grants into the Mineral Resources Development Corporation (MRDC).

He said MRDC would then administer the grants to the landowners.

He said cabinet had approved K100 million for MoAs.

Not wanting to be caught sub-judice or in contempt, Abal said he respected Justice Ambeng Kandakasi’s order but added that there should be room for mediation outside of court.

He said government lawyers were looking into the matter.

He said when the MoA was signed, “it was for oil, not gas”.

But, when the Porgera gold mine needed gas for power, “some of it was supplied while the rest was burnt”.

He said the agreement was for the extraction of oil because high world demand had increased its price.

“That agreement for oil cannot be equated with those for the gas landowners,” he said.

Abal said he was trying to deter “the wastage of money by landowners”.

“When money is paid into a proper system, the benefits are better,” he said.

The Wabag MP said he personally took up the matter this year, but asked for understanding as he could not “do miracles”.

“The government is not here to approve cash deals going out, as we will always have landowners turning projects into cash deals,” he said, warning that with the general election next year, the government did not want funds to be abused and that leaders should cooperate with the government.

Abal was in Lae for the opening of the mid-year review of the Crowne Plaza Pronouncements.

 

IMF: PNG suffers from poor governance

PAPUA New Guinea has enjoyed a decade of solid economic growth but suffers from week infrastructure and problems with governance and crime, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported, The National reports.

Following a May 18 visit to the country, the executive board of IMF concluded that the solid performance was supported by greater political stability, a sound fiscal framework, and a healthy banking sector.

Despite its commendable performance, PNG remains “a low-income country highly exposed to commodity price fluctuations”, the IMF said.

The report stated in part: “The economy has weathered the global recession relatively well and real GDP growth is estimated to have picked up from 5½% in 2009 to 7% last year.

“Higher commodity prices and the construction of a liquefied natural gas production facility (LNG) – a 190% of GDP project – have boosted the economy, while banks continued to provide finance, and agriculture production rebounded.

“However, the country’s infrastructure–roads, ports, and utilities–has shown signs of capacity constraints, and bottlenecks have appeared in the markets for skilled labour and land.

“Inflation has reached 7.8% at end-2010 and is increasingly driven by domestic demand.

“Higher commodity prices boosted revenues last year, at the same time spending from off-budget accounts slowed.

As a result, after the deficit had reached 9½% of GDP in 2009, a balanced budget was almost achieved in 2010.

“The Bank of Papua New Guinea has kept the policy interest rate at 7% since end-2009.

However, monetary conditions loosened as short-term interest rates declined to around 3% and the nominal effective exchange rate depreciated by more than 7% in 2010.”

Banks, although well capitalised and liquid are vulnerable to a possible correction in property markets, the IMF said.

Although commodity prices and exports recovered in 2010, the current account deficit has widened to 24% of GDP.

It was, however, largely financed by foreign direct investment related to the LNG project.

External debt declined to about 11% of GDP last year.

The IMF directors considered the near-term outlook to be generally favourable but encouraged the authorities to consider tighter macroeconomic policies in the face of rising inflationary pressures.

“Over the longer term, it would be important to reinvigorate structural reforms to support the development of the non-mineral sector, while ensuring effective use of mineral resources to sustain economic growth and raise living standards,” the report states.

The directors stressed the need for tight fiscal policy during the construction phase of the liquefied natural gas plant.

They welcomed the agreement on a balanced 2011 budget and recommended strict adherence to budget allocations and the limit on trust account spending.

The IMF advised that it would be prudent to save windfall mineral revenues and use part of such resources to reduce government debt.

Further the directors welcomed the government’s plan to manage resource revenues through a sovereign wealth fund (SWF).

They stressed that the SWF should be well governed and adhere to the Santiago Principles to ensure effective management and use of the resources.

They considered it important to integrate use of the resources in the SWF into the budget and macroeconomic framework.

 

Touch of Papua New Guinea

Pacific Partnership 2011 mission commander Capt Jesse Wilson (of the USS Cleveland) is given a last PNG traditional escort by a young highlands lass as he marches up to the podium for his final remarks about services provided to help improve the quality of life in Lae city, The National reports.

The US mission crew was in the Morobean capital for the last two weeks, providing humanitarian services to about 11,000 people.

They were farewelled at a closing ceremony at Igam barracks yesterday.

 

PNG ratifies interim EU pact

PAPUA New Guinea  has ratified the interim economic partnership agreement (IEPA) with the European Union (EU) giving effect to the full application of the partnership agreement which has been on a provisional basis, The National reports.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Don Polye’s intervention for the parliament to waive the normal 10-day requirement for ratification process was granted last Tuesday.

Polye thanked the members of parliament for the foresight and cooperation to enable the legislative process to be secured which he said would ultimately benefit the people.

Polye said the government had achieved another historic milestone in its diplomatic relations to generate maximum impact and benefit for the people in the conduct of its relations with the EU.

“I am very satisfied that the MPs have given me the required support to meet our legislative requirements to effect this contractual obligation on our part as the European parliament had met its legal obligations in January.

“I had, therefore, sought parliament waiver of the normal 10-day requirement for ratification process for the interim EPA, between the Pacific Islands and the European Union ratified without delay. I am happy that parliament has granted its approval,” Polye said.

He said PNG signed the interim EPA in 2007 to continue to protect the preferential access for our substantial export interests of fisheries and other marine products, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and rubber to the EU markets.

He stressed that PNG-EU relations over the years had been governed by a series of conventions between the Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) states and the European Union. 

The current convention is known as the Cotonou convention.

“These conventions over the years have provided for generous benefits including provisions on development cooperation and trade. 

“The trade provisions in the various conventions were particularly favourable to the ACP including PNG because of the preferential duty free market access ACP products enjoyed in the European market.  In that connection, it should be noted that the balance of trade has always been in PNG’s favour. 

“For instance, last year, it was  448 million euro in PNG’s favour at the exchange rate of 0.2910 to K1.”

 

Review memorandum of agreement, Abal and O'Neill ordered

National Court orders Abal and O'Neill to look into 1996 deal

 

By JACOB POK

 

ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal and Minister for Finance Peter O'Neill have been ordered to personally take steps to review a 1996 memorandum of agreement signed between the state and Kutubu landowners of PDL2, The National reports.

The National Court yesterday said failure to do so could result in contempt charges against the state.

The state was given until June 17 to review the expired agreement.

Justice Ambeng Kandakasi then issued interim restraining orders stopping Mineral Resource Development Company (MRDC) from facilitating payments of MoA funds to Kutubu landowners.

The orders followed an application by the plaintiffs, including former Southern Highlands governor Hami Yawari and landowners of PDL 2.

The issue arose from a newspaper statement by Abal that all MoA payments would be facilitated by MRDC.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs opposed that and told the court that the 1996 MoA did not allow for MRDC to make payments of funds to the landowners of PDL2.

They said the payments were to be made directly by the state to landowner groups and companies.

The state lawyer told the court he had not received any instructions on the matter, but argued there was no evidence on the part of the plaintiffs to verify that MRDC would facilitate payment as who would facilitate payment was still undecided.

Kandakasi told the state lawyer there was a media article by Abal saying that payment would be made by MRDC.

He asked why the MoA of 1996 still had not been reviewed.

Kandakasi referred to earlier proceedings where state lawyers failed to turn up in court with state officials when instructed to do so.

"The defendants have shown no interest in the matter.

"It is time people are dealt with for contempt."

He said the state had provided MoA funds to MRDC without discussing the issue with landowners.

"These are all wrong and contemptuous," Kandakasi said.

He ordered Abal take personal steps to have the memorandum of agreement reviewed no later than June 17.

He said this was to maintain the status quo and failure to do so could result in contempt.

 

Atoi wins in Bougainville

By STEPHANIE ELIZAH

 

THE people of North Bougainville have elected their new national member of parliament. He is Lauta Atoi, a businessman of mixed Mortlock and Tasman parentage, The National reports.

Atoi, with 10,463 votes, won by 5,301 beating only female candidate Rachael Opeti Konaka, who completed the contest on 5,162 votes.

He now occupies the North Bougainville open seat left vacant by former member and Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio.

Bougainville Electoral Commissioner and North Bougainville by-election returning officer Reitama Taravaru, in thanking the Papua New Guinea and Bougainville electoral commission officers, police and the candidates and their supporters, said, generally, the election was peaceful and carried out with respect.

“Having being satisfied with the process on our part, that the by-election was fair and transparent, I have taken into account all the votes cast and I declare our new member-elect Lauta Atoi,” Taravaru officially declared in Buka yesterday.

Atoi, in accepting his new role, thanked everyone for their support and acknowledged members of the New Bougainville Party and churches in Buka for their prayers and assistance.

To all his voters and campaign team, he urged they stay focused on their primary reason for contesting the by-election.

“This win is just the beginning of our journey. Let us stay focused on the immediate needs of our people,” he said.

“We need to complete all incomplete projects of our former member like delivery of water tanks and assisting our people in the West Coast atolls.

“Let us concentrate on putting all monies into these immediate projects; 2012 can take care of itself.

“Our medium- and long-term plan is to boost economic growth in our region,” he said.

“There is no time to celebrate, we have six months to take care of our people. I stand with confidence, yes, I can lead, it is time for a change.”

He invited the candidates who lost and their supporters to work closely with him.

“I have seen your platforms during the campaign period.

“You have very good ideas which we can together work on and move Bougainville forward,” Atoi said.

 

Freeway ban ignored

By ANGELINE KARIUS

 

TRUCKS and semi-trailers are still accessing the Poreporena Freeway despite a ban imposed by police last Thursday, The National reports.

Deputy police commissioner and operations commander Fred Yakasa said roadblocks operated by his men appeared to have failed.

He said there were logistical problems involved in stationing his men at the designated Konedobu and Hohola roundabouts to divert trucks and semi-trailers using the freeway.

“It is not working. I will have to look into this and try to station officers at designated routes to continue monitoring the highway,” Yakasa said.

He said the ban imposed by police was over public safety fears and to protect commercial houses and properties along the roadside.

“I call upon respective transport operators to do something about it and impose measures for motorists and public accessing the freeway.

“Police have tried but it has not worked. We all have to do something.

“The Poreporena Freeway is a death trap. That is what everyone needs to understand,” Yakasa said.

It is understood that no formal meeting with transport operators had been held since the ban was imposed.

National Road Safety Council director Frank Aku had condemned the action by police.

He said the ban on the freeway needed to be approved by the relevant authority before it could be imposed.

“This is public road to be used by all vehicles,” he said.

 

Breakthrough against potato disease

Caption: Tubers of NP 02, one of the PLB-resistant varieties pre-released by NARI to the farming community early this month – Picture by ANTON KERRU

 

By JAMES LARAKI of NARI

 

THE farming community now has the opportunity to trial new potato varieties after the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) officially made a preliminary release of two varieties resistant to the late blight.

The varieties referred to as NP1 and NP2 (NP stands for NARI potato) were pre-released during the agricultural innovations show early this month along with a broiler feeding system and two cold-tolerant rice varieties for the highlands.

The preliminary release of the two varieties will be sigh of relieve to smallholder farmers who have been unable to grow the crop after it was completely wiped out by the potato late blight (PLB) disease in March 2003.

The potato industry worth about K25 million at that time has not recovered fully as the common variety Sequoia is still very susceptible to PLB.

After the outbreak caused by a fungal agent, Phytophthora infestans, the Sequoia variety could not be grown by ordinary farmers due to the cost of weekly fungicide treatments.

The Sequoia is highly susceptible to the late blight and potato production has been limited to a relatively small number of commercial farmers who could afford chemicals, backpack sprayers and seed potato.

Subsistence farmers, particularly in the highlands where the crop is usually grown rely on potato as an important crop.

Potato is not only a commercial crop but is also a source of food next to sweet potato (kaukau), particularly in the high altitude highlands where the choice of staple food is limited.

In a view to revive the industry, particularly the smallholder farmers in mind, NARI initiated a project in 2003 with funding support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research to evaluate blight resistant varieties.

The objectives of the project were to introduce, multiply, evaluate and deploy late blight resistant clonal material into PNG and to develop safe, cost effective integrated late blight management strategies for existing and new potato cultivars and ultimately to rehabilitate potato production for smallholders.

Under the project, NARI sourced 59 International Potato Centre (CIP) clones in 2003 and evaluation work has been undertaken at various sites to asses late blight resistant and yield.

 Of the 59 clones, 12 clones where selected and further evaluated against Sequoia both on station and on-farm.

The two varieties pre-released have proven to be late blight-resistant, high yielding and have other favorable agronomic traits such as good taste and processing quality.

These were observed through on-farm farmer participatory trials covering some 15 sites over three seasons in Enga, Western Highlands, Simbu, Eastern Highlands and Morobe (Kabwum) provinces.

The pre-released varieties have been subjected to a wide range of farmers and general public for their comments and views, both at the growing and harvesting stages.

Many farmers have already shown their approval and are into growing them, including seed production.

The Enga rural potato project based in the Lagaip-Pogera district, an initiative of its local Member of Parliament has ventured into seed production with a view to reviving the crop in the district and the province as a whole.

This is seen as a good initiative as the adoption of new potato varieties by farmers depends on the availability of a consistent supply of quality seed potatoes.

The late blight disease remains a concern to the potato farmers, especially in the highlands where the crop is popular and usually grown.

The fungus is a specialised pathogen of potato and is an extremely-destructive disease of potatoes.

It attacks both tubers and foliage at any stage of development and is capable of rapid development and spread.

It was responsible for the devastating Irish potato famine of the 1840s and has continued to be important to the present.

Since the Irish famine, late blight became the most-studied potato disease in the world.

Previously free of the disease, PNG was one of the world's few remaining safe havens for growing potato until 2003.

The entire potato crop was wiped out in a matter of weeks after it was first discovered in the Sirunki area of the Enga province leaving a trail of destruction.

The blight is believed to have come across from the neighboring Indonesian province of Irian Jaya.

Yield losses caused many smallholders, who relied on potato as a valuable cash and food crop, to withdraw from production, leading to an increase in potato prices in the country.

Some breakthrough has been made to control PLB using fungicides, however, the extra input has been a burden to smallholder growers and identifying suitable varieties was the long lasting solution to revive the potato industry.

NARI with support from other partners have taken on this responsibility and the preliminary release of the two varieties is an outcome of the efforts to assist smallholder growers and to reviving the once-thriving industry.

It is now hoped that smallholder farmers will now be able grow their favourite crop once again with the preliminary released materials as additional inputs requirements associated with the Sequoia variety has denied them.

The preliminary release of the blight resistant varieties is a breakthrough against the devastating potato disease and it is now up to the farming community to try the varieties in their farms and adopt them from their own judgments.

Nature at your service

Tubusereia Primary School teacher Michael Tau was more than happy to get himself dirty while assisting PNG environment goodwill ambassador and Miss PNG Rachel Sapery James plant a mangrove seedling, The National reports.

Students, teachers and staff yesterday from the Central school off Magi Highway joined staff from the Department of Environment and Conservation and corporate partners Steamships Trading Ltd and Trukai Industries plant mangroves to launch World Environment Day. Centred on the theme “nature at your service”, this global event will be celebrated on Sunday. – Nationalpic by JASON GIMA WURI

 

Pacific countries ready to sign EU pact

PACIFIC countries in the  Pacific, African Carib- bean Pacific (ACP) group are ready to join PNG and Fiji in signing the economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU), The National reports.

Pacific ACP countries have again stressed their commitments to conclude negotiations on EPA with the EU by the end of the year, as reported by Solomon Star newspaper yesterday.

“However, that deadline could only be achieved, if there was flexibility from both sides,” the Pacific lead spokesperson on EPA negotiations and Tonga’s minister for trade, Lisiate Akolo said.

The deadline for negotiations was December 2007 but the Pacific region failed to meet the timeline because it was not able to strike an acceptable free trade deal with the EU.

Instead, Fiji and PNG signed interim EPAs with the EU in 2009.

“I am pleased to inform you that interim agreement was ratified by the PNG parliament last  Wednesday and the implementation of the agreement is well advanced,” Akolo said in his progress report to the ACP’s 93rd session of the council of ministers meeting underway in Brussels, Belgium.

After seven years of negotiating the EPA the region seeks to bring negotiations to a conclusion.

“We believe the region is now prepared and ready to do this.

“A recent meeting of Pacific ACP in Apia, Samoa, and ministers agreed that this would be the overarching priority for the region in 2011.

“But any conclusion will require all parties to show flexibility and be mutually committed to undertaking the work necessary to conclude the agreement,” Akolo said.

He said the rest of the 12 Pacific ACP countries reaffirmed their desire to conclude a comprehensive EPA as a single region.

The Pacific ACP EPA 2011 Strategy was adopted by trade ministers in Samoa, which outlined a work programme for the conclusion of the EPA.

For PNG, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Don Polye has completed their agreement with his EU counterpart in March.

 

Sleeping student hacked to death

By ANGELINE KARIUS

 

CLASSES at the Mt Diamond Adventist Secondary School in Central have been suspended following the brutal killing of a student, The National reports.

The Grade 10 male student, who was not named, was hacked to death in his sleep early on Sunday morning.

Central provincial education board chairman Titus Romano Hatagen said yesterday the student was attacked by a group of men on the verandah of his home, which is located along the road to the school.

His body was chopped to pieces, Hatagen added.

NCD metropolitan commander Supt Joseph Tondop confirmed the death yesterday but could not provide details.

The central education division was also not able to provide further details about the circumstances leading to the student’s death.

However, Hatagen said he had cancelled classes for three days until Thursday.

“Due to safety reasons and fear among the staff and students, the provincial education board has approved cancellation of classes,” he said.

He said the board expected students, who had left the school, to return tomorrow.

Hatagen assured parents that police were investigating the killing and were closely monitoring developments in the surrounding communities.

“I appeal to parents not to withdraw their children from the school and staff and students should not interfere with investigations,” he said.

The Mt Diamond Adventist Secondary School principal could not be reached for comments.

The boarding school is located in the Kairuku-Hiri electorate, inland from Tubusereia village, off the Magi Highway.

 

Bougainvillean local shot while visiting mother

By STEPHANIE ELIZAH

 

SOUTH Bougainville police commander Paul Kamuai yesterday said a civilian was shot and wounded on Sunday evening at Mongai village in Konnou, South Bougainville, The National reports.

Kamuai said Isaac Malabus, 24, of a mixed Muisuru and Mongai parentage, was recovering at Buka General Hospital after he was rushed to Buka from Buin at 3am yesterday.

“Malabus went to Mongai to vi-sit his mother when he was confronted by five former Mekamui combatants who are now followers of former commander and gang leader Damien Koike,” he said.

“The criminals ordered Malabus to sit down and questioned him on the whereabouts of freedom fighters in the area.

“When he said he did not know anything, he was shot below the knee and stomach,” Kamuai said.

He said tension among communities in the Konnou constituency was high.

“Criminal elements do not normally go to Mongai because the area is known to have its own home guards.

“The villagers are living in fear because the criminals crossed into Mongai territory deep in the night, searching for the village chief and his home guards,” Kamuai said.

In a related incident, Kamuai reported Buin police had received reports that a former police scout was killed in Konnou last Wednesday.

“Our local sources said the alleged murder occurred deep inside Koike’s territory, next to Siniminoi alluvial gold mine, Koike’s economic base,” Kamuai said.

He said the victim was known to police because, during his time as a home guard at Mongai, he was a police scout helping the South Bougainville police.

“In 2008, he was wounded by an AR15 at Mogoroi, got treated at the Buka hospital and, on discharge, went deep into Koike’s territory.

“I cannot confirm if the former scout was killed,” Kamuai said.

 

Milne Bay starts operations to rid illegals

MILNE Bay provincial government last week started a special operation to remove all foreigners illegally working and living in the province, The National reports.

Customs commissioner Gary Juffa, who was in the province for the start of the operation, said the exercise was targeting people who breached Papua New Guinea’s migration and labour laws.

“The aim of the operation is to scrutinise foreign workers living and working in Milne Bay and also to ensure they comply with labour and migration laws,” he said.

“Time and time again we hear and read of illegal foreign business and foreigners illegally living in and working in PNG,” Juffa said.

“We must protect the interests of PNG and its people,” he said.

The two-week operation was spearheaded by the provincial administration, customs, police and the office of labour and migration.

Juffa commended the Milne Bay provincial administration for its initiative, saying customs would work closely with the administration to ensure the exercise was a success. 

He said a number of foreigners had already been deported from the province after they were found to be illegally working and living there.

He said, so far, Milne Bay and East New Britain were the only provinces who were actually removing illegal foreigners and business working or operating there.

While in the province, Juffa attended a gathering hosted by the Border Development Authority to discuss trans-boundary issues.

 

Hijacked highway?

Transparency International PNG is concerned with the state-sanctioned construction of the Kiunga-Hiritano Highway through immense tracts of Western province land covered by the controversial special purpose agriculture business leases (SABLs).

Chairman of TIPNG Lawrence Stephens was commenting on the recent media reports of arrangements for construction of the Trans National Highway: "There is huge concern that the leases were improperly executed, that they will result in large-scale logging without providing large scale agricultural development and that the landowners are not adequately informed of the implications of these agreements supposedly executed on their behalf.

"Now the reports suggest that the leaseholders are involved in arrangements to build a major national highway which will cost the government nothing.

“The people of Western and Gulf provinces deserve to share in the prosperity of PNG.

“More importantly they need to benefit from resources in these provinces.

“A good road linking Kiunga to Port Moresby would be of great benefit to the people.

“But how do we achieve this at no cost to government unless we are giving some people the right to large areas of timber resources which, before the SPABLs were issued, belonged to whole communities?

“With the moratorium on new leases and the call to investigate existing leases there is a need to quickly ensure that the commission of inquiry is up and running to determine whether these SABL’s have been properly granted.”

Stephens raised the specific concern with reports that landowners have agreed to “trade off” their resources for access to roads in agreeing to a developer to harvest forest within the road corridors of the transnational highway.

 “What will happen to the prime virgin forest that the landowners are trading off?

“Will all the landowners be fairly compensated by the developer not just a select few?

“How wide is the corridor of tree harvesting along a 600km road?

“Gulf and Western povince people have the right to know what is planned.

“They are familiar with plans which see them lose their resources with no development to show for it." 

TI PNG, according to Stephens, remains concerned that “for too long our rural people based have not benefited from their resources and many unscrupulous developers have taken advantage of them. If this is to stop a true agricultural industry must be fostered, SABL's must not be a means for the bypassing of strict forestry regulations”.

Stephens reiterated the need to immediately conduct the commission of inquiry into the SABLs so as to rectify any possible irregularities.

 

True partnership

Hospital corpsman seaman Carmen Alfaro, assigned to the amphibious transport dock ship USS Cleveland (LPD7), reading to children during a Pacific Partnership civil action project in Lae, The National reports.

Pacific Partnership is a five-month humanitarian assistance initiative that will also make port visits to Tonga, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste and Micronesia.

During the past five years, it has provided medical, dental, educational and preventive medicine services to more than 220,500 people and completed more than 160 engineering projects in 16 countries. – USNavypic

 

OTML suspends production to fix ruptured pipeline

OK Tedi Mining Ltd has temporarily suspended production at the Ok Tedi mine following concerns over a series of small ruptures in the company’s pyrite pipeline, The National reports.

The pipeline, commissioned in 2008, transports pyrite concentrates 128km from the tailings processing plant at the mine, along the Tabubil-Kiunga highway and on to Bige to underwater storage pits.

Four small ruptures occurred in some sections of the pipeline in the past weeks causing spillage in a localised area along the highway.

Although the ruptures had been repaired and a clean-up programme implemented, OTML board and executive management had decided to take a cautious approach and have suspended ore production at the mine and mill to allow further investigations and tests on the pipeline.

This would determine the cause of the problem and provide information for redesigning and upgrading of the pipeline to prevent these failures occurring again.

OTML environmental science officers and community relations staff were engaged in testing and monitoring the environment surrounding the ruptures in addition to supervising the clean-up operation.

Managing director Nigel Parker said yesterday: “We are taking a careful, responsible approach to managing the situation and are consulting with affected communities and with regulatory authorities including the Western administration and the Mineral Resources Authority.”

 

K17 billion for free education

But, Sir Julius says: Dump your MPs if they fail to provide

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

FREE and universal basic education in the country will cost the government more than K17 billion over the next decade, Education Minister James Marape said during debate in parliament last Friday, The National reports.

He said a cabinet meeting in Wabag last year decided on free education and that had been endorsed by the national executive council.

Marape said as a responsible government, it had to consider other important sectors to make sure they did not stuff up "when a large chunk of money is injected into free education".

New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan said education was a right, as stipulated under the United Nations charter, and the government should provide free education.

"First and foremost is the future of the nation and, in order to have a literate society, the government should invest in education," he said.

Sir Julius said none of the nation's wealth was going to the people and the only way was to give free education to children.

"It is the best way to distribute wealth and it is best to invest in our human resources."

He said through free education, "money will be put into the pockets of the people, which will then raise their standard of living".

"It is time for the people to demand free education from their political representatives.

"If they do not do that, then throw them out in the 2012 general election," Sir Julius said.

He said if he could provide free education in his province, "there is no reason why the government cannot" do that.

 

Sir J: Demand your MP for free education

FORMER prime minister and New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan has bluntly told the people of Papua New Guinea to throw out their respective members of parliament in the 2012 general election if they are not willing to provide free education, The National reports.

Sir Julius and his government have lead the way in providing free elementary and primary education through to Grade 8 since 2008, subsidising 75% of fees for Grades 9 to 12, providing K1,200 per year for all provincial students in tertiary institutions and providing four post-graduate scholarships at K50,000 per annum for specially selected faculties like mining engineering, environment, fisheries and agriculture.

He told parliament last Friday that the people of PNG should demand the national government do what the province had already done and provide free education for all children.

 "The grassroots people of this country are hurting and the LNG project has done them no good  – it has only forced the prices of rice, bread, tinned fish, rental and other costs to double and triple," he said. 

"The rich are getting richer and the poor are suffering."

Sir Julius said if the government wanted to help the people of this country, "help the future of this country, they should provide free education now".

He said free education not only ensure a bright future for children but it would put thousands of kina in the pockets of hard working mothers and fathers.

Sir Julius said the government had talked about universal primary education for years, "but they have done nothing".

"This is unforgiveable, look at the billions of kina of wealth coming out of 'mama and papa graun' and where does it go? 

"It should go, first and foremost, towards the future of our country, towards providing education for all our young people and towards putting some kina in the pockets of their mothers and fathers."

He said his province spent K12 million every year for free education. 

"We constantly hear about how strong our economy is, about the 8% growth and about how great the LNG project is and about how much money we are earning from high gold and copper and oil prices. 

"But none of this seems to get to the people on the ground."

Sir Julius said the people should demand that "government provide free elementary and primary education in the 2012 national budget, and that they extend this to at least 50% subsidised secondary education in the 2013 national budget".

"It is time for the people to take control of their government. And it is very simple.  Every NGO, every community-based organisation, every women's group, every village planning committee, ward development committee, LLG and province, every man and woman in this country should write, phone or talk to their national MP and demand; demand that they support free education in the 2012 budget.

"And they should make it clear if their MP does not support free education, he will be thrown out of office at the 2012 elections and replaced with someone who will."

He said if the people spoke with one voice, politicians would have no choice but to finally become the servants of the people instead of being the masters.

Crop diseases hit Madang

THE cocoa pod borer and the Bogia coconut syndrome have struck Madang, threatening efforts by the Kokonas Industri Koporesen (KIK) and the Cocoa and Coconut Institute (CCI) for the province to be the leading cocoa and coconut exporters, The National reports.

KIK and CCI chairman Sir Makena Geno last week told of the re-emergence of the diseases on Karkar and the other five districts.

Sir Makena was in the province for the launch of the cocoa coconut improvement project and the presentation of five sawmills to five vocational schools – Karkar, Danip, Talidik, Ramu and Simbai.

He said the two diseases would be destructive if serious networking between educational institutions, business houses, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and stakeholders did not exist.

Extending an invitation for these bodies to join in the fight, Sir Arnold Amet gave K1.32 million for the provision of 2,000,000 cocoa trees and 100,000 coconut trees to be provided by CCI and KIK under a memorandum of agreement signed that day.

Sir Makeno, in accepting the K500,000 cheque for seedlings and nursery materials to be provided with technical expertise for interested  farmers in the six districts, said these two pressing issues would now be their main focus.

He said his area of concern would be to eradicate these diseases before “it kills the industry as well as the growers’ interest”.

Of the money, K250,000 will be for a coconut mill at Murunas; K500,000 for cocoa seeds; K125,000 each for the two new 10-seater vehicles, one for the police and the other for monitoring the projects by the provincial government.

Through this MoA, the Madang government aims to raise an annual export of K16 million, at K8,000 per tonne with a target population of 48,000 people to be impacted by the cocoa and coconut improvement programme.

He said K820,000 had been spent to get the five sawmills to be set up at the vocational schools with training to be provided for locals under the technical vocational education training.

Service to the nation

Policewoman Maureen Undaba was among more than 100 people recognised for their services to Papua New Guinea at this year's Order of the PNG New Year awards investiture ceremony held at Government House yesterday, The National reports. 

It was also Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio's first official investiture engage  ment since he was sworn into office.

Undaba was recognised for her services to law and justice.

Former Catholic archbishop of Port Moresby Sir Brian Barnes, former politician Sir Akepa Miakwe from  Unggai-Bena in Eastern Highlands and Madang businessman and former politician Sir Peter Barter were also among those awarded.