Lessons from America

The United States of America last week celebrated a momentous occasion in history when Barrack Obama was sworn in as 44^th President.

His election shows that the American people wants change, youth, vision, dynamism, and transparency.

While the USA has opted for youth, Papua New Guinea has chosen to hang on to tired, old men who no longer have any more vision for the country.

Allow me to paraphrase from President Obama’s speech into the Papua New Guinea context:

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking Papua New Guinea.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.

The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.

We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.

We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.

We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.

And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.

All this we can do.

 All this we will do.

 

Send a message to our Papua New Guinea cricket team in Argentina

To get in touch with our Papua New Guinea cricket team in Argentina at the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament – to either congratulate them or wish them luck – log on to www.skerah.com/pngmilobarra.htm

 From there, you can send good luck messages to the team by completing the form in the page. 

The team will access from their hotel. 

 Comments received will be posted each night.

 

 

Questions the Papua New Guinea government must answer

• Julian Moti affair of October 2006 in which an international fugitive was spirited out of Port Moresby to Solomon Islands in a clandestine operation on a Papua New Guinea Defence Force aircraft, apparently ordered by the Prime Minister as revealed by the PNG Defence Commission of Inquiry;
• Failed $US29.8 million (K85 million) Taiwan diplomacy scandal in which Papua New Guinea citizens are alleged to have received bribes. In May 2008, allegations were made of a government minister allegedly signing a draft communiqué for Papua New Guinea to set up “full diplomatic relations” with Taiwan in September 2006 in Port Moresby.
• $US40 million (K145 million) in Singapore accounts, money from log exports, allegedly sitting in a bank account of a Papua New Guinea government figure and looked after by a “consortium” in that country;
• Prime Minister allegedly not declaring his shareholding in Pacific Registry of Ships Ltd. The official registry showed Sir Michael is a shareholder “in trust for the Independent State of PNG”.
• Prime Minister’s continued court actions to stop the Ombudsman Commission and the Public Prosecutor from performing their mandated duties on allegations of the Prime Minister not completing or providing annual returns since 1992.

 

Time for a change

School begins next week for thousands of young Papua New Guineas for whom the government has given a sub-standard education system.

While Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his cohorts can afford to send their children to expensive private schools in Australia and other countries, the majority of our people continue to suffer for lack of school fees for their children, and a sub-standard education system.

Sir Michael, now well past his use-by date, wanted independence so fast from Australia when Papua New Guinea wasn’t even prepared.

Now we are paying a costly price!

The country has churned out a whole generation of ill-educated, half-baked graduates from our education system,

Our health system has likewise floundered.

Sir Michael and his cohorts can afford expensive health services in Australia and other countries.

They don’t even trust our health system any more.

Health services were so much better in the 1970’s when we were under Australian rule.

Basically everything in this country has gone backward!

Now Sir Michael and his cohorts and children have bought expensive homes for themselves in Australia.

They don’t want to live in Papua New Guinea anymore!

 

School buses ready to roll in NCD

Students in Port Moresby will trial out an ambitious transport plan as of this year.
Three 70-seater buses imported from Australia will ferry students from designated areas.
National Capital District governor Powes Parkop fulfilled his vision to ease the transportation dilemma with an efficient and efficient travel plan for the general public within the city, especially school children.
“This will be on a trial and error basis but I believe it will serve its purpose,” he said.
“I will order more buses if this goes well.”
Mr Parkop said that student were disadvantaged during rush hours in the morning and afternoon and were discriminated by public motor vehicles - PMV - Papua New Guinea's ramshackle version of a bus service.
He said that he had noted these problems and attended to them, however, asked the students for their cooperation and support.
“I appeal to the student in NCD to make this work because this is for your own good,” Mr Parkop said.
 The buses will start ferrying students this month from designated tours.

India and Uganda also celebrate their big days

Oops.

 I forgot to mention that India and Uganda also had their big days yesterday.

 The Indians celebrated Republic Day and the Ugandans Liberation Day for Ugandans?   

I hope you also had a wonderful time and may your relationship with Papua New Guinea grow stronger this year and into the future.

Malum

 

Papua New Guinea cricket coach Gleeson in confident mood after second victory

ICC Media Release
25 January 2009

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Coach Martin Gleeson said that his PNG side was in a confident mood after recording a dramatic win over Argentina by 21 runs.

The victory left PNG level on points with Uganda, with both sides achieving victories from their opening two games.

“With the first break in the tournament with tomorrow’s rest day, it is nice to go in with two wins from two matches,” said Gleeson.

“Today was a very hard match and we didn’t play well but we still got the win.”

Gleeson admitted that he was worried when a dramatic collapse saw PNG lose ten wickets for less than fifty runs, after Vani Vagi Morea’s 39 had helped his side to an excellent opening stand.

“The game really turned on its head in the first innings. We got off to a flyer and looked set for a big score but some poor decision-making from a couple of our batters put us in a difficult position. Argentina bowled and fielded well and put some pressure on us,” said Gleeson.

The PNG coach also paid tribute to Rarua Dikana, who recorded his second five-wicket haul of the tournament, with amazing figures of 5-5.

“He bowls to a simple game plan and it is something which we have worked really hard on and Jamie Brazier kept it very tight at the other end as well,” said Gleeson

Papua New Guinea will face a top of the table clash against Uganda at Belgrano on Tuesday (Wednesday PNG time).