Yali loses appeal, but will leave jail

FORMER Madang Governor James Yali failed in court yesterday to have his 12-year sentence for rape reduced to eight years.

But he will be released on parole, and will not have to serve the balance of his time behind bars.

Mr Yali had appealed against his sentence, and was in court yesterday to heat the decision.

He was jailed in January 2006 for raping his wife’s 17-year-old sister.

He appealed against the sentence claiming it was manifestly excessive in all circumstances.

But the Supreme Court rejected this.

“We accordingly confirm the sentence and dismiss the appeal against the sentence,” Justice Panuel Mogish read out the ruling on behalf of the other judges on the panel.

Yali refused to comment as he was leaving the court house.

But chairman of the Parole Board Sir Kubalan Los said in a statement yesterday Yali was granted parole and the decision was based on merit.

He said while out of jail, Yali would serve the rest of his time under close supervision by community-based correction officers.

Sir Kubalan refuted suggestions Yali would contest the Rai Coast by-election, saying restrictions applied to State prisoners on parole.

He said the decision to grant parole to Yali was done after hearing views from sectors of the community, including the victim and church and community groups.

Reports swirled in Madang, Yali was going to walk out of Madang prison yesterday.

However, Beon commander Joe Jako, when contacted yesterday afternoon, said acting Correctional Service commissioner Henry Wavik directed them not to release Yali until they receive the original release order.

 

 

Prime Minister put on notice

Caption: Sir Mekere firmly making a point yesterday that the Opposition was ready and united to push for a vote-of-no-confidence against Prime Minister Sir Michael.-Nationalpic by AURI EVA.

Morauta says Somare offered Opposition  Cabinet posts

OPPOSITION Leader Sir Mekere Morauta has put Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare on notice that the conditions are right, and he is ready to change the government, The National reports.

There is an obvious “fatal fracture” with the ruling National Alliance Party and its coalition partners and the Opposition “is poised to strike” with a vote-of-no-confidence, Sir Mekere said yesterday. 

“There is definitely a great deal of unhappiness in the National Alliance camp and it’s causing a rift between its coalition partners,” Sir Mekere said.

 “The National Alliance is fatally fractured and implacably divided,” he said based on observations from the recent announcement by the Prime Minister Sir Michael of a major reshuffle to his cabinet and the in-fighting in the NA NGI camp.

 The Moresby North-West MP added that with the Supreme Court decision of the validity of the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC) looming “the NA led Government knows their days are numbered”.

 “The Opposition is poised to strike, we are together and politics is a numbers game."

 He said the current rift within the NA camp was also affecting coalition partners and these were signs of the Government becoming unstable.

 Political commentators had predicted that a reshuffle or news of what may transpire may cause disgruntled coalition partners to move camps and that a vote-of- no confidence was imminent.

 Sir Mekere said the Opposition was ready to push for a vote-of-no-confidence against the Government when the time came.

 Sir Mekere said the Prime Minister had offered three important ministries to Opposition MPs, including the Police portfolio.

 Sir Mekere said the Prime Minister offered the Police Minister portfolio to a member of his PNG Party and also made the same offer to another member of the Opposition.

 “I met with Sir Michael and asked him about this but he denied it,” Sir Mekere said and added that these were all signs the “the NA days are numbered”.  

 He said what “kitchen cabinet” was trying to do was offer portfolios to Opposition MPs, however this would not work as politics was a game of numbers and would only be determined on the floor of Parliament.

 “We remain strong, we are together and we will weather out this silly season and strike when the time is right,” he said. 

 In the last few weeks the Prime Minister had announced he would make a major reshuffle to his cabinet but had postponed his decision and was tipped to make it prior to the first sitting of Parliament.

 The Opposition has also had meetings last week and the week before but did not disclose the agenda.

 Papua New Guinea’s leading political scientist Dr Alphonse Gelu said: “PNG politics is unpredictable, it is only on the floor that we would know who has the numbers.

 "W have the OLIPPAC (Organic Law on Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates) in place which places certain restrictions but history has shown that regardless of the law, a government can be replaced by another."

 At this time, both sides of Parliament are anxiously waiting the decision of the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia on the validity of OLIPPAC.

 Observers said if the five-judge bench ruled OLIPPAC unconstitutional, the Prime Minister would face a challenge from within rather than outside.

 The Special Supreme Court reference on OLIPPAC came to its conclusion last Feb 8 after all parties made their final submissions. The court has reserved the decision to a later date

Crowd disappointed over Prime Minister no-show

MORE than 1,000 people including men, women and school children who lined up the streets to get a glimpse of the country’s Prime Minister were disappointed as they were not given the opportunity sparking calls for the resignation of West New Britain Governor Peter Humphreys over this protocol blunder, The National reports.

Hundreds of people waited in vain at Independence Park hoping that the founding Prime Minister would at least address them about the government but were dispersed by heavy rain as the Prime Minister was spirited in a tinted vehicle into the provincial assembly for the National Executive Council meeting.

Hoskins LLG President Felix Umarie yesterday called on Governor Peter Humphreys to resign over what he called the deliberate protocol blunder.

“I think the programme was so confined that more than 1,000 people waited at Independence Park the whole day and the Prime Minister was not given the opportunity to address them what was going on with the country,” he said.

The people again waited yesterday hoping for some words from the Prime Minister but it was not included in the programme that Mr Umarie described the security arrangement as “a Hitler type operation”.

He said the Prime Minister was driven in a tinted vehicle and hundreds of school children who wanted to see their PM were not given that opportunity.

Mr Umarie said the presidents as heads of local level governments (LLGs) were snubbed from the programme to meet the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers.

“This goes to show that the government has no recognition of the LLGs,” Mr Umarie said.

He said the LLG Presidents who had the mandate of the people were not included in the programme and did not have the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and have dialogue with the Provincial and LLG Affairs Minister on problem facing the LLGs.

He said that the 11 LLG Presidents were not invited to a dinner hosted by the Governor that was attended mostly by public servants.

Mr Umarie said the Governor must resign because he was not accountable and transparent about government business since becoming the leader of the province.

 

 

Defence: an important element of national power

By REGINALD RENAGI

 

For years, the PNGDF has been a misunderstood element of national power.  After numerous false starts and countless defence ministers, PNG needs a new defence White Paper.  The last key policy document is some 10 years old. 

Despite important strategic changes within the region, the past three PNG governments have not had any defence reviews done and producing its own defence white paper.  It is important for PNG to have a good strategic plan and to be reviewed annually.  Without complicating matters, some blend of corporate reorganisation, realignment and renewal of a new nationally-sustainable defence policy is needed.

PNG's first challenge is to enhance its sovereignty and security.  We do this by bridging the gap between declared defence commitments and actual military capabilities.  Integral to our vision of a more credible defence posture are the realignment and consolidation of existing commitments, a vigorous modernisation program for the next 15 years and beyond.  This must include a broad sweeping reorganisation, especially of our higher defence command.

The second challenge is to improve defence management in all core competence areas.  That is, the way defence manages its equipment acquisition; its people's careers, planning in every area from how we fight to how we feed our people.  All these processes need to be revised due to military technological and management changes in the world this past decade.

Defence cannot allow itself to become complacent in the face of great changes sweeping through our society and region.  The national priority task whether in defence or the whole country is to become the master of change rather than its servant. 

Change, be it technology or in the way we manage and organise ourselves, is something which the PNGDF needs to drive.  Any development challenges must be well managed at a time of budget constraints and during an extended time of peace.

Defence has several functions.  The defence department as apart from being a self-accounting agency provides defence policy advice to government.  Its military arm - the PNGDF; carry out various security roles with specific tasks relating to: surveillance and response, monitoring, enforcement and interdiction missions, maritime law enforcement/coastguard tasks, border patrols, intelligence collation and dissemination, aid to the civil community, civic action tasks/nation building, remote area medical patrols, coast-watch duties, search and rescue, "mercy missions", showing the flag in remote maritime localities, ambassadorial good-will visits by ships, peace support operations with neighbours, etc).

Its span of diversified responsibilities simultaneously overlap into agencies like: police, fisheries, customs, health, environment and conservation, foreign and provincial affairs, works and transport departments, provincial and community governments, and so on. 

Since 2001, no manpower review eventuated to have credible minimum levels of manning.  PNG can have an affordable military if the defence Ministry plans well to first, get a realistic budget, and secondly, properly prioritise operations better. 

Presently the PNGDF lacks a surge capacity as it is already cut to the bone.  It can not mobilise quickly, if it has to respond to any defence emergency of a low-level contingency.  Present defence manpower system is grossly inappropriate for our new strategic circumstances. 

Consequently, despite the PNGDF's significance to our country's development and stability; defence issues and national security is unfortunately not given the priority attention by the government.  Additionally, defence's constitutional roles are highly specialised responsibilities that cannot simply be transferred to other government departments. 

The PNGDF is a useful strategic management tool but governments have failed to fully understand its capability.  The government must be more creative in how far it wants to put defence to work towards future development aims. 

For instance, if our defence force was well resourced, it would very well complement the works department’s programme of improving remote district infrastructures\ - without the government unduely spending millions on civil contractors.

Finally, there are broader social challenges taking place in our society.  These are important because the PNGDF remains part of our society.  It draws people and skills from our wider community, and relies on community support to function effectively.  Here, the public must urge their MPs on the best ways available to defend our national interests, which defence and national security are an integral part of.

Last, but not the least; I further encourage citizens whether they be academics, diplomats, public servants, retired servicemen, journalists, students, politicians, representatives of industry, or a common villager to all participate as concerned citizens in an informed; and balanced public debate on matters of defence and national security. 

 

 The writer is a former defence chief, now a private sea training school executive and freelance writer.

A soup kitchen without religion

By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

 

AFTER making a headcount of orphans who came for last Saturday’s feeding session, he walked back to me and said: “Fredo, we got 51 kids today. Anyway, attendance is better today than last Saturday’s.”

Actually, this should be a big concern, but Hayward Sagembo was not worried.

“Guardian parents are now realising that we are doing our best to serve these orphans, making the most of what we got here so they are again letting their kids to come back and have food from our soup kitchen.

Hayward, 34, is the chairman of the Tembari Children’s Care (TCC) Inc, an orphanage looking after at least 78 children who reside with respective parent-guardians at ATS Oro Settlement at Seven-Mile outside of Port Moresby.

Since 2003 when there were only 35 orphans under its care, TCC has been giving lunch meal to the settlement orphans at least four times a week, including a Saturday feeding session.

The past seven years were crunch years as they had spent their own money to pay for orphans’ food. These days, however, they are better off with some modest funding help from two foundations, a private vessel towing company and kind-hearted individuals.

But two Saturdays ago, the feeding attendance dropped to 45. Hayward knew why.

 “You see,” he told me after a feeding session last Saturday: “We are having problems with some people in the settlement. They are spreading wrong information to parents and guardians of those orphans about TCC.

 “I feel that they are out to ruin our program for these kids and I know their motives.”

“They” are those individuals who, after failing in politics, have recently started their own “feeding programme” at the settlement.

But the trouble is that they are trying to ‘pirate’ the kids from TCC’s so they could gather as much children as they could and use the statistics for funding proposals to foundations and funding institutions.

And this has upset Hayward. In their attempt to steal his wards, he said individuals are also allegedly spreading lies.

One such lie is that TCC is just holding feeding sessions to get funds and pocket them, an allegation which he vehemently denied.

He explained: As a community-based organisation (CBO) registered with the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA), TCC is governed by laws and by its own constitution, with counter-checks from officers for transparency in all its activities, including its spending.

“But what is worst is that they are telling settlement parents that our kids are orphans of people who died from HIV/AIDS and that these kids are infected or HIV-positive, this is, of course, untrue!”

Such misinformation, says Hayward, has scared many parents and guardians that they prevented the orphans – about 28 -- from coming to read books at TCC’s learning center and to have lunch meals.

The fact is, Hayward and his wife Penny know more about HIV/AIDS than anybody else in the settlement, their being certified HIV/AIDS councilors.

Hayward is a full-time HIV/AIDS councilor with Simon of Cyrene VCT based at Hohola, while Penny is a technical officer for sexual health at the Save the Children, Inc, an NGO based in Boroko.

“Those parents, being ignorant that they are, are getting confused of the information fed to them by TCC’s rival groups, because if these were true, how come TCC is getting full support from foundations like WeCare and Digicel Foundation?”

Just to think that WeCare just spent more than K7, 000 in school fees on TCC’s 42 school-age children who are now enrolled in 17 preparatory and elementary schools around Port Moresby.

Aside from that, WeCare and a Port Moresby-based vessel towing company Pacific Towing Ltd led by its general manager, John Whitfield, are each giving a monthly grant of K400 to pay for the cost of TCC’s four times-a-week feeding program and related expenses.

And because of the consistency in the way Hayward, Penny, who is the TCC founder and coordinator and the volunteer mothers have pursued their services to the kids, kind-hearted individuals are now volunteering to sponsor TCC’s Saturday feeding where the orphans are given especially-cooked lunch.

Marina van der Vlies, chief executive of Digicel Foundation, a TCC benefactor, earlier described Penny as “visionary” for the great things she and her volunteers have done to look after the orphans’ education.

To neutralise the negative effects of misinformation, its volunteer-mothers went around the settlement, and are still doing so these days, explaining to guardian parents TCC’s welfare programme.

Finally, doubting parents have seen the light, having been convinced of TCC’s earnestness in helping the kids.

Hayward said that being community-based, Tembari Children’s Care Inc, has its resources right in ATS Oro Settlement, and these resources are the children under their care.

“We are right here in their midst, we see each child’s problem at once and we try to deal with such and we have instilled in the minds of well-meaning parent-guardians that they should own TCC and support it. They should consider TCC as their own because it’s the one that will take care of orphans left to them by their deceased parents.”

While TCC sits right in the settlement, other social-oriented groups trying to operate at ATS Oro Settlement are Port Moresby-based. The settlement is home to 9,000 people of whom 3,000 are children.

“They are all based in Port Moresby … they come to the settlement to interview local people, gather facts and stats, submit their funding grant proposals to relevant institutions, and disappear for good once the cheques are released,” Hayward said.

“Their supposed resources – the poor people, particularly the children who are supposed to benefit from such grants, are here in the settlement but these groups are operating away from them, with no contact at all their only link is the fact that they had been used to obtain such funding grants.

“I think this is not right.”

Because TCC is blind to churches’ denominations, it effectively serves the nutritional, education and parental needs of its children who are from 10 different religious groups.

But in the case of churches providing social services at the settlement, which Hayward declined to identify, the situation is “ridiculous”.

“Their delivery of services is ineffective, because not everyone gets the benefit from money these churches receive from donors, including the Government. Government funds should not discriminate anyone.”

“If you belong to a particular denomination, you are not welcome to receive the benefits, say medical or educational, and you don’t get fed, as in a feeding program despite your hunger because you don’t belong to their church. How could this happen to our people who are all children of one God?”

Well, there are many more “anomalous” situations floating around but TCC, through Hayward and Penny, and their volunteer-mothers, are determined to rise above them, for the sake of the 78 orphans.

Oh yes, last Saturday, two new guardian parents came to see Hayward and Penny to ‘enroll’ with TCC five newly-orphaned kids who were left to their care.

Five more mouths to feed add to TCC’s burden, but it’s all right. Hayward and Penny have always believed God will provide.

 

(If you wish to sponsor the special Saturday lunch meal for the 83 orphans and abandoned kids, which costs at least K150, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. After buying all the ingredients, I do the cooking myself. One reader of this column, Mr John Whitfield, GM for Pacific Towing Ltd, Port Moresby, has bought at Brian Bell two huge cast aluminum cooking pots (30 liter-pot) to make it easy for us to cook the food. The specially-prepared Saturday food would give the kids a decent, nutritious lunch meal, which they don’t get on weekday feeding sessions. Weekday lunch meals consist only of bread and a thin slice of cheap meat loaf or black tuna meat or a combination of kaukau and boiled veggies as the budget for each meal is only limited to K40. So, nothing much when it comes to nutrition.)

Email the writer: jarahdz500@online.net.pg  or alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg

 

No interruption of ARV treatment in Papua New Guinea

Port Moresby – The Global Fund is ethically committed to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment to more than 6,000 people living with HIV in Papua New Guinea (PNG) at least till September 2012 despite the expiry of the current grant to the country.

Papua New Guinea’s existing HIV grant agreement, which provides for ARV treatment, expires on 31 August 2010 and a new grant application in 2009 was rejected by the Global Fund’s Board after it failed to receive a positive recommendation from an independent international panel of global health and development experts. As a result there have been concerns within Papua New Guinea regarding approximately 6,300 individuals currently receiving treatment.
The Global Fund wishes to allay the significant anxiety in Papua New Guinea among individuals receiving anti-retroviral therapy and their families and friends. The Global Fund has a clear policy regarding the continuation of life-extending critical treatment when a grant comes to an end. PNG is eligible to apply for up to two years of funding to pay for the products and services that are directly related to the continuation of treatment for existing patients.  Papua New Guinea’s Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) submitted the application for Continuity of Services (COS) on 15 February 2010.

The Global Fund will review the application closely during the next twelve weeks and request clarifications, particularly regarding the confirmed number of individuals registered and receiving ART.  While the Global Fund has an internal review process and the final decision is subject to Board approval, there is an ethical commitment to ensuring a steady flow of life-saving treatment. 

The final number of patients eligible will be based on the total number of patients receiving treatment and registered on 31 August 2010, when the current HIV/AIDS grant between NDOH and the Global Fund ends.  The Continuity of Services does not cover any new patients enrolling on ART after 31 August 2010.  The Global Fund understands, however, that the Government is committed to finding ways to treat new patients, including children, and stepping up prevention of parent to child transmission and continuing important counseling and testing services that it has been offering.

A two-member team from the Global Fund, led by Dr Swarup Sarkar, Asia Director, and Chrishan Thuraisingham, Fund Portfolio Manager, has been in Papua New Guinea since 14 February to work with the Government and Development Partners to review the need for additional services and co-financing from the Government of PNG in the HIV and AIDS response. 

 

The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organisations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programmes to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 18.4 billion for more than 600 programmes in 144 countries. To date, programmes supported by the Global Fund have saved 4.9 million lives through providing AIDS treatment for 2.5 million people, ant-ituberculosis treatment for 6 million people and the distribution of 104 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria.

 

Information on the work of the Global Fund is available at www.theglobalfund.org

K3.7 million from New Zealand to support smallholder farmers

The New Zealand Government will provide K3.7 million over the next two and a half years to the Smallholder Support Services Expansion Project (SSSEP) in Papua New Guinea.

 

This joint project between New Zealand and the Government of PNG aims to help improve the quality of life for smallholder farmers and their families by increasing their access to agriculture support services and technical assistance through the National Department of Agriculture and Livestock.

 

“More than 80% of PNG’s population lives in rural areas and they largely rely on agriculture for their livelihoods,” New Zealand’s High Commissioner to PNG Niels Holm said today.

 

“Many small farmers have limited access to technical knowledge to improve their agricultural practices and engage in markets.

 

“The assistance that the SSSEP provides is aimed at addressing this issue and contributing to increased household income and standards of living.” 

 

“The SSSEP builds on a pilot project in Eastern Highlands and Morobe provinces.

 

“The majority of the funding comes from the Government of Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand’s funding will help extend the programme to the Central and Simbu provinces, institutionalise the project’s processes and systems, and support involvement by women in the scheme.

 

“Strengthening and expanding the project will ensure that it continues in the years to come and reaches more people in PNG,” Mr Holm said.

 

New Zealand works to support sustainable development in PNG, and contributes to improving service delivery in health and education, and improving livelihood opportunities for rural people. 

 

In addition to supporting the SSSEP, the NZAID programme supports a number of other economic development initiatives which focus on the rural population.