PNG woman farmer to represent Pacific region at international conference

Maria Linibi

 A prominent women farmer will represent Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region at a major international agriculture extension conference in Kenya.

Maria Linibi, president of the PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation, has been chosen as one of the key speakers at the conference to be held from November 15-18 in the Kenya capital, Nairobi.

Linibi and her husband have developed their own farm and she has used the experience gained there to stimulate and encourage other women farmers.

This has been done in trying circumstances.

The former public servant has trained many women farmers, organised them into groups, and also pioneered the production of plant-based organic products such as oil and locally-medicated soap, amongst others.

Linibi, one of PNG’s outstanding role models for women farmers, will be among more than 20 ministers of Agriculture and some 400 leading global experts in agriculture development who will gather at the Hilton hotel for the four-day conference.

The conference titled ‘Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action’ will discuss issues relating to the neglected sector of agriculture extension and advisory services, and seek support from government agencies, private sector, other stakeholders to strengthen linkages between agriculture knowledge holders and policy makers and millions  of struggling smallholder farmers in developing countries.

Agriculture extension and advisory services are viewed as essential to equipping farmers with the information, knowledge, confidence, tools and technologies they need to meet a daunting challenge: doubling food production on over the next few decades to keep pace with rapidly rising populations – even as climate change radically alters growing conditions.

The Nairobi meeting will focus on mobilising the national, regional and global knowledge networks needed to help farmers choose from a wide spectrum of productivity-enhancing and other innovations and access resources for meeting market requirements to compete in a constantly changing globalised world.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) is the major sponsor of the conference and is also meeting the costs of the PNG participant.

O'Neill appeals for calm

From SUSUVE LAUMAEA in Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Fri, Nov 11:  Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has given assurance that Papua New Guinea will not be reduced to a nation under constitutional crisis.

Mr O’Neill has appealed to citizens and residents to remain calm and impartial in the current situation between the executive government and the judiciary.

“There is no reason for citizens and residents to fear collapse of the rule of law or to speculate about the onset of a constitutional crisis.

 “Nothing like that will or shall happen under my watch,” Prime Minister O’Neill said in statement released from Honolulu, Hawaii today, where he is attending the 2011 Asia Pacific Economic Summit for Asia-Pacific leaders hosted by the United States Government.

 Mr O’Neill’s appeal follow Cabinet’s decision on Thursday to suspend Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia on the basis of a police report  alleging improper conduct against him.  

“What the nation has been watching and experiencing since August 2 is a healthy democratic display of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary proactively exercising their respective constitutional and independent roles as the three arms of government.

“That being so, the gravest development we must all expose, oppose and depose is the intrusion by all three arms of government into the affairs of each other.

“One arm of government must not unilaterally usurp the powers and authority of the other and vice versa.

“The executive government’s collective right to make national interest decisions – including decisions relating to members of the judiciary collectively or individually in the interest of transparency and good governance  -  through the National Executive Council should not be usurped by the threat of warrants of arrest for members of the NEC.

“This threat, as has occurred in the judiciary’s issuance of warrants of arrest on Friday for the Attorney-General and Justice Minister Allan Marat and Acting Prime Minister Belden Namah, is a very dangerous precedent,” the Prime Minister said. 

“This must never be allowed to happen or escalate into open confrontation between the judiciary and the executive government in our country.

“Let us allow the rule of law to take its natural course without undue influence and threats.

“No one should link Sir Salamo’s suspension with the Supreme Court proceedings into the legality and constitutionality of my election as Prime Minister and that of our government on August 2.  “Both are separate matters altogether.

“I appeal to all parties for maturity and commonsense to prevail and to allow the due judicial and legal processes to take their normal course in the allegations against Sir Salamo and the proceedings against our government’s legitimacy and constitutionality.

“The nation has an executive government in office and I assure all citizens and residents that we will continue to exercise good governance, discharge our parliament-mandated role to make and execute sound national interest decisions and govern the nation assertively, accountably and inclusively. 

“The stability of our nation and the welfare of our people outweigh the personal interests of individuals.

 “No individual is above the law and that applies to all citizens irrespective of status, professional or social standing.

 “The allegations for which the National Executive Council has seen fit to suspend the Chief Justice are unrelated to his role as chair of the Supreme Court proceedings into the events of August 2,” Prime Minister O’Neill said.

“The allegations against Sir Salamo are unfortunate occurrence. They were brought to the attention of the former government by agencies of State including the police but were not acted upon.

“Our government has now attended to that pending matter.

 “These turn of events relating to the Chief Justice does not prevent him from handing down judgments on cases that he has presided over – including the judgment on proceedings related to the events of August 2 - prior to his suspension by the NEC on Thursday,” Prime Minister O’Neill said.

Japan provides technical support to Papua New Guinea smallholder rice

Smallholder farmers can expect more government support in the promotion of rice production in the rural communities.

This follows the recent signing of phase two  of the Smallholder Rice Promotion Project between the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Benjamin (right) Tsuji (centre) and Samuel congratulate each other after the signing of project documents.

The three-and-a-half-years project, starting this month, will cost around K7.2 million.

The project is a follow on from phase one (1) which had been successfully implemented from 2003 to 2008, particularly in the Madang and East Sepik provinces.

The purpose of the project is smallholder rice farming extension by applying and improving the model farmer approach and its support system in the target provinces.

Under the project, the three main activities will be to improve the implementation structure of rice extension services of model farmer approach and its support system, by conducting supplementary training for model farmers and improving the monitoring system.

Other activities will be to improve the existing mechanical milling services of public and private milling service stations, and to strengthen the implementation of rice policies by DAL’s Food Security Branch and Rice Extension Unit.

DAL acting secretary Anton Benjamin said during the signing held recently that the project has already made an impact in the provinces where it was trialled and he was confident that it would bring more success to other areas.

The project in utilising the model farmer approach will enhance rice production in the rural communities where rice is becoming a main food staple for village households.

He said DAL and relevant agencies were committed to working with JICA to promote smallholder rice production and thanked JICA for helping to address some of the constraints affecting rice development in PNG.

JICA resident representative, Takashi Tsuji, said he was pleased to participate in the signing of the agreement and stressed that JICA would continue its efforts to support the PNG government in promoting smallholder rice.

He said the concept had proven that model farmer approach was sustainable, and it was also aligned to the PNG government policies including Vision 2050.

He wished DAL and its stakeholders every success in implementing the project saying JICA would provide much-needed technical advisory support services and hopefully many rural farmers could benefit.

Department of National Planning and Monitoring’s acting FAS – FAD,  Koney Samuel, who also signed the document, reaffirmed the government’s commitment with counterpart funding to be provided.

National AIDS Council alarmed at drug shortage

Chairman of the National Aids Council, Sir Peter Barter is saddened and disappointed that People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Papua New Guinea, on ART (Anti Retro Viral) treatment have suffered the indignity of having no drugs available to them at the sites where they are accessed.

He has described the situation as a national emergency as lives of people are at risk. He called on all stakeholders including international agencies to ensure ART procurement is maintained at a high level of efficiency

Sir Peter along with other council members are alarmed that people, deserving of the treatment, that is life long, are being denied the services through shortage of supplies.

As a show of this concern, he has directed the NAC and its secretariat of the moral duty as mandated coordinating authority to give as much support and assistance to the National Department of Health to ensure swift action is taken to remedy the situation.

Following discussions with the Minister for Health & HIV/AIDS, Jamie Maxtone -Graham and acting secretary for health Pascoe Kase, Sir Peter has directed the National Aids Council Secretariat to work with the NDoH and other  stakeholder partners to a ensure a rapid resolution of the drugs shortage.

The chairman maintained the council’s stance and message for patients on ARV, is that this medication should be adhered to daily and is for the life of the PLHIV.

“The Council rejects the notion in yesterday’s Post-Courier report that PLHIV on ART can have a drug holiday because of the dangers of drug resistance,” he said.

“This is technically, medically and morally wrong as between 200-500 lives as a conservative estimate are placed unnecessarily in danger because of wrong and irresponsible medical advice.”

Sir Peter emphasised the urgency of getting people back on treatment rather than waste time pointing fingers.

“Whilst it is important to know how this shortage occurred, it can be done later, firstly we need to locate a shipment of drugs that have either arrived, or about to arrive and get them to those needing treatment,” he said.

“The next step is to procure drugs for the short and long term and in doing so establish how the shortage occurred.

“I personally will not rest until everyone is back on treatment and I am confident the minister and acting health secretary will do all possible to overcome this terrible situation.”

School head: Quality of English poor

By SALLY POKITON UPNG journalism student

A SCHOOL principal says the poor standard of English used by students during the Grade 12 examinations should be a concern to everyone, The National reports.
Jubilee Catholic Secondary School principal Bernadette Ove describes the quality of English on the Grade 12 answer sheets throughout the country as very poor.
She made the comment during the school’s Grade 12 graduation ceremony yesterday.
Ove said the quality and standard of written and spoken English had drastically dropped in the country, with very poor English written by students on the examination answer sheets.
And she said the extensive use of mobile phones by students was partly to blame for the drop in the quality of English.
She said the kind of language they used in sending text messages on the mobile phones was affecting the way they write in school.
She said the kind of language young people used on cell phones was very poor and that was portrayed in their writing during exams.
 “The quality of English used made it extremely hard for the teacher markers to understand,” said Ove.
Ove told students that English was an universal language and that the type of English they used would reflect on the kind of marks they would get at the end.
Marking of the country’s OBE pioneer Grade 12 examination papers is taking place at the Grandville motel and is expected to finish today.
Meanwhile, NCD Governor Powes Parkop said the free education policy would see overcrowding in some schools in the country.
He was addressing students at the Jubilee Catholic Secondary School’s Grade 12 graduation ceremony at the Don Bosco Technical Institute.
Powes urged the students to enhance the skills and knowledge they had learnt in their 12 years of education to become professionals and contribute to nation-building even if they did not make it to university level.
He challenged the 139 graduates to be entrepreneurs and wealth creators in the work force by creating employment for themselves and not merely employees and beneficiaries of the public and private sectors.

Sinebare is new education boss

By STEPHANIE BAWO

DOCTOR Musawe Sinebare has been appointed the new secretary for the Department of Education, The National reports.
Sinebare is the former deputy director of research at the National Research Institute. He replaces Dr Joseph Pagelio.
In a hand-over ceremony at the National Library in  Waigani, Sinebare said there was a need for smart and intelligent strategies to tackle the immediate challenges faced by the department.
This includes the implementing of the government’s programmes and policies such as the phasing out of the outcome-based education, fair and equal distribution of the K70 million for the rehabilitation of the education sector infrastructure programme,  the K40 million for the improvement  of the four national High school into Schools of Excellence and teacher issues.
He said for this to happen, there must be a change of mindset and attitude towards conducting business in the department.
He also highlighted the need for information and communication technology in the department so that proper management records are kept.
 Pagelio said Sinebare was not new to the ministry and had lots of experience with a background in the education sector.
He said Papua New Guinea had seen much improvement over the last 20 years and urged all staff and stakeholders to support Sinebare in implementing the government’s education plans and policies through the department.
Meanwhile, donor agencies had given their continued support to the department in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Agiru warns of another crisis

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

SOUTHERN Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru says the suspension of the chief justice by the government has created yet another constitutional crisis, The National reports.
“If it is true that the chief justice has been suspended, it is yet another constitutional crisis. There is clear separation of powers under the Constitution,” he said yesterday.
Agiru said the appointment and removal of judges were clearly spelt out in the Constitution.
“The acting prime minister and his cabinet should not be interfering with the work of the judiciary.
“If there are any allegation against the chief justice or for that matter any other judges, then due process must apply.
“It is a very sad day for Papua New Guinea as we are setting a very bad precedent.”
Agiru said the citizens had a right to echo their concerns over such acts by government.
He warned that PNG must not go down the path of many African and Latin American countries cautioning that history did repeat itself.
“The acting prime minister, while the prime minister is away, has again created a constitutional crisis.
“The National Executive Council does not have any powers to suspend any judges.
“The citizens have a right to protest such decisions by politicians drunk with power.”

Grand Chief Somare condemns ‘shameless act’

GRAND Chief Sir Michael Somare yesterday condemned the government’s decision to suspend the chief justice, The National reports.
“It pains me greatly that this unprecedented action is being taken when the full bench of the Supreme Court is deciding on one of the most important constitutional issues to face this country,” he said in a media statement.
“Because due processes have not been followed, I doubt if any fair minded citizen would believe the NEC accusation that Sir Salamo Injia has been guilty of any wrongdoing.
“Most members of the public would be well aware that I was closely involved with the drafting of the PNG Constitution, along with other leaders of the day, such as Bougainville President John Momis.
“This is a shameless action taken at the conclusion  of hearings by the full bench of the Supreme Court on the legality of the Aug 2 parliamentary coup and the Sept 6 declaration of a vacancy for the East Sepik Regional seat. I held that seat for an uninterrupted period of 43 years.”
Sir Michael said the public would be well aware of the string of decisions taken by the O’Neill-Namah government to give themselves a pretence of legitimacy.
“You  will recall they first tried very hard to stop me from returning from Singapore so my East Sepik seat could be declared vacant on grounds I had missed three consecutive sittings of parliament.
“Then the national government threatened the use of force to get the East Sepik provincial government to withdraw its special reference to the Supreme Court, acting in contempt of proceedings that were already under way.
“Now, in a third untoward action, the government is for the very first time in our history trying to impugn the integrity of our judiciary and the judicial system.
“I categorically condemn these actions.”

It is an evil action, says Abal

ANOTHER evil action by this illegal government was how former acting prime minister Sam Abal described yesterday’s purported sacking of the chief justice, The National reports.
He said the O’Neill-Namah Government seemed set on bringing Papua New Guinea to its knees by its disregard of the law and judicial system.
“They broke the Constitution and they are quickly trying to cover up for that error by sacking the chief justice as he and four other judges are about to hand down their decision on the election of Peter O’Neill as prime minister,” Abal said in a statement.
“In our 36 years of independence we have had government changes but never has the
integrity of our judges been questioned except by this government and this cannot be allowed to continue.
“The people must rise to make their views known to the government to reverse this insane decision.
“It makes a laughing stock of PNG in the international community; we have taken a couple of steps down by interfering with our judiciary.
“We have lost the sacrosanct of this valuable institution by this action and brought PNG’s name into disrepute.”
Abal said the leaders were mandated by the people therefore they must act responsibly, not recklessly with decisions.
“What right does Belden Namah and others in government have to blatantly destroy the foundation of PNG, beginning with the Constitution and now meddling with the head of the judiciary?”

Amet: Callous and foolish move on judiciary

THE purported “suspension” of the Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia is an action that needs to be condemned unequivocally as inappropriate and contemptuous of the Supreme Court, Sir Arnold Amet said last night, The National reports.
Sir Arnold, the Madang Regional MP, said in a media statement: “This is a callous and foolish attempt to compromise the judiciary.”
“It should not be tolerated especially since the Supreme Court is presently seized on a reference regarding
the constitutionality of the change of government that took place on Aug 2.
“This action is contemptuous of the Supreme Court. The perpetrators of this action are liable to face prosecution.”
He said what transpired was a blatant attempt by the National Executive Council to interfere with the course of justice.
“The National Executive Council has appointing powers but no disciplinary powers over members of the judiciary. Any such matter should, by right, be taken up by a leadership tribunal,” he said.
Sir Arnold said after he had warned last week that the NEC was discussing moves to sack the Chief Justice, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill publicly demanded an apology from him.
He said although O’Neill was out of the country and that the NEC statement was signed by his deputy Belden Namah, the prime minister was a party to the decision.
“O’Neill flew out of the country so that he could conveniently deny participating in the decision if public sentiment was aroused.”

It is outrageous, says law society

By JULIA DAIA BORE

PAPUA New Guinea Law Society president Kerenga Kua has described the cabinet decision to suspend the Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia as outrageous, The National reports.
He said yesterday it could only be deduced to be “a way to sabotage, disrupt and derail the delivery of the final judgment of the full bench of the Supreme Court in the Supreme Court reference No.3 of 2011, scheduled to be delivered on Dec 9 and to rule by default into the next election.”
Kua said the National Executive Council did not have the powers to suspend the chief justice.
“That power belongs to the head of state, acting on the advice of the NEC under section 182(3) of the Constitution.
“The NEC decision is merely an advice to the head of state. There is no suggestion as yet that the head of state has accepted the advice to suspend the chief justice.
“In that regard, I urge the head of state in the strongest possible term to tread on this matter with great caution and take a full independent external legal advice before making a decision.
“A rash acceptance of the NEC recommendation will create an unprecedented constitutional crisis and reduce Papua New Guinea to an outcast and pariah in the international community.”
Kua also called upon the Judicial and Legal Services Commission to intervene by the operation of law that grants a judge (in this case the chief justice) the right to continue to complete uncompleted matters (before him) before his suspension or even during his suspension – were he indeed under suspension.
“The announcement of a cabinet decision to suspend the chief justice is the single most outrageous cabinet decision and is beyond all belief.
“The judiciary has been the only one of the three arms of government that has upheld democracy in this country. We destroy its integrity now and the whole of democracy will be threatened.
“It is now far bigger than any constitutional crisis this country has had before,” he said.
“Whatever manner the members of the cabinet may dress it and spin it, the motives and objectives are very clear. It is to sabotage, disrupt and derail the delivery of the final judgment of the full bench of the Supreme Court in Supreme Court reference No.3 of 2011, scheduled to be delivered on Dec 9, and to rule by default into the next election.
“The timing of the suspension destroys any suggestion that this is genuine. This action will now go down in history as the single most direct assault on the judiciary to date.
“If the cabinet has now chosen to go down this path then who else is out there with the requisite authority to insist governance according to the rule of law?
“This decision has to be seen in the context of the parliamentary actions on Aug 2, and Sept 6, which led to the Supreme Court reference.”

Chief justice suspended

By ISAAC NICHOLAS and FRANCIS ULIAU

CHIEF Justice Sir Salamo Injia has been suspended and a tribunal appointed to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against him, The National reports.

Sir Justice Sir Salamo Injia

Instruments effecting the suspension, a first for Papua New Guinea in its 36 years as a sovereign nation, had been signed by Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio and gazetted (Gazette No. G316 of Nov 10, 2011).
Announcing the National Executive Council decision yesterday, shortly after cabinet met, acting Prime Mi­nister Belden Namah said the allegations raised against the chief justice dated back to 2009 and had nothing to do with the East Sepik Supreme Court reference, a statement re-affirmed by Attorney-General Dr Allan Marat.

The National Gazette, dated Nov 10, on the suspension of the chief justice

The opposition and the PNG Law Society immediately cried foul, saying the government was undermining the judiciary and the office of the chief justice (stories, page 2).
NEC sources last night said the suspension did not affect Sir Salamo’s post as the chair of the five-judge Supreme Court bench hearing the East Sepik reference case, of which a decision is expected on Dec 9.
Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika was appointed acting chief justice while Justice Bernard Sakora would be acting deputy chief justice pending the tribunal report.
Members of the tribunal appointed to investigate the allegations against Sir Salamo were former judge Paul Akuram as chairman with justices Collin Makail and George Manuhu as members.
Namah, flanked by his cabinet ministers, told reporters that the allegations against the chief justice stemmed from complaints by the various sectors of the community and the government needed to act “to prevent further negative impact on the dignity, confidence and integrity of the judiciary”.
Government advisers also warned last night that it was “in the interest of the government and people of PNG that the matter is handled cautiously and with due care and attention because these serious allegations are levelled against a very senior member of the judiciary”.
“It is unprecedented and an informed decision is needed to minimise any disruption to the administration of justice in Papua New Guinea.”
Namah said among the grounds for suspension were the allegations of contempt charges, questionable conduct and double dipping, abuse of the salaries and remuneration commission determinations towards housing entitlements and gross mismanagement of court finances.
Other charges included misconduct and impropriety in office, practising double standards and condoning immoral behaviour of judges and corrupting, scandalising and bringing into disrepute the overall administration of the judiciary, its system and processes.
Citing a police report, Namah said Sir Salamo was facing contempt charges, along with the former registrar of the Supreme and National Courts Ian Augerea, for breaching contempt orders concerning entitlements relating to the estate property of the late judge, Justice Timothy Hinchliffe.
He said before the death of Hinchliffe in March 2009, the judge had signed a document pertaining for his will to his adopted son, Timothy Moere Sari (Jr).
Despite the cheque being cleared and paid to Sari, Sir Salamo was said to have verbally directed Augerea to recall the cheque.
“Thereafter, the cheque in question was cancelled causing presiding judge Justice Mark Sevua, who granted the Grand of Probate Order, to question why the cheque was recalled and cancelled.”
Namah said when police were in the process of interviewing Augerea and the chief justice, they took out a permanent restraining order.
“The matter had been pending.
 “There is only one law for all citizens and nobody is immune to prosecution if they breach these laws,” Na­mah said

Regional coordination the way forward for development

With four-days of reviewing technical and scientific programmes during the CRGA (Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations) meeting recently ending in Noumea, a recurring theme during discussions was sustainable development.

Amongst the delegates at the high-level conference being held at the headquarters of the Secretariat of the South Pacific Community (SPC) is His Excellency Mr Peter Eafare, the Papua New Guinea High Commissioner to Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru, who firmly believes that the way forward for Pacific Island Countries and Territories is through an integrated, regional approach to development.

Peter Eafare

 Mr Eafare cited as an example of effective sub-regional cooperation the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) concerning cooperation in the management of fisheries of common interest, signed in 1982 by Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau and the Republic of Marshall Islands.

“As early as 2004, I advocated that a cost-benefit analysis needs to be done on the merits and demerits of a region- wide implementation process for sustainable development,” Mr Eafare said.

“In this way, we can clarify which agencies have the mandate to carry out programmes throughout the region, without stepping on each others’ toes. To a large extent, the implementation of programmes lies with the governments within the region, to ensure that at the national level, regional development plans impact our national development plans.

“Foreign Affairs departments need to coordinate with National Planning departments, because at the end of the day, many of these regional initiatives are related to the Paris Declaration of 2005 on Aid Effectiveness, and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“We need to factor these into our own medium-term development strategies, as we now have in place in Papua New Guinea’s Strategic Plan, to 2050. The global and the regional must filter down to the national level for effective implementation.” 

The eight MDGs, adopted by the 193 UN member countries, and at least 23 non-governmental organisations, include the eradication of poverty and the development of a global partnership for development.

While Mr Eafare wholeheartedly supports these goals, he does suggest that attaining them by 2015 may be unrealistic for developing Pacific island Countries and Territories, and “would like our development partners to appreciate that levels of development differ from country to country.” 

“SPC provides a catalyst, especially in the area of coastal fishing and conservation, and through the work of the SOPAC Division in seabed minerals and bathymetric surveys (or maps of the seabed), water and sanitation, and disaster risk reduction, for example.”

Mr Eafare sees the conference as a the opportunity for SPC, governments and development partners to ensure that all are “on track and aware of their mutual responsibilities, as well as the basis for further discussions, and a better understanding of and sensitivity to the national requirements of Pacific Island Countries and Territories in the pursuit of regional development goals".