Papua New Guinea going to the dogs

By REGINALD RENAGI

Papua New Guinea is now on the verge of going to the dogs as Parliament just made the Ombudsman Commission a mere 'paper tiger'.

Here is what today's reality is in PNG now.

The Parliament unfortunately has become dysfunctional, Opposition is powerless, the government is power hungry and is totally incompetent to govern PNG properly.

The civil service is ineffective in its implementation of government policy.

The law cannot really protect the people's human rights.

 It is only for the rich men to buy protection at the people's expense.

Crime is worsening with the law and order situation not improving with no effective crime fighting strategies in place.

The constitution seems to be another useless piece of paper as it is not readily available to all and is not clearly understood by the people.

The law-enforcement and security agencies are all under-resourced, under-funded, under-manned and demoralised to be able to effectively carry out its constitutional roles, and operational responsibilities to the best of its capacity.

There does not seem to be any one key authority in place who can stand up to what the government is doing wrong.

 It is time for people power strategies to be put in place by civil society, and other concerned stakeholders of the public and community.

The PNG government has gone worse.

It just makes stupid laws to keep itself in power.

 What is going to happen now is more political abuses will follow in the next two and half years to the next elections in 2012.

 More resources of the people will be squandered by the few political elites and other corrupt cronies of the ruling coalition.

If nothing is done quickly now to educate this government, PNG risks a country-wide revolt.

The people have suffered for many years while their half-wit politicians play silly games in Waigani and are running the country on a crisis-basis daily.

Can Australia help here?

Not really.

It still has its head in the sand and has yet to see a potential national security threat on its door-step.

There are many ways to do something to stop what is happening in PNG but for now I will not state them here for obvious reasons.

This may be history but still needs restating here in light of what is happening today in PNG.

 The then Australian government made a stupid decision to wash its hands off PNG (when it was not even a united country) in 1975 to give that country away to its self-appointed simpleton leaders.

Governments have pillaged the country's resources in broad daylight with transnational corporations and special interests in broad daylight.

The current regime is no exception and something must be done now to stop it.

Australia can not help because its aid programme has failed to make PNG a better managed independent country.

I call on the Australian government and people to not waste any more of if its taxpayers’ money on PNG.

One effective way now is to immediately cut down Australian aid to PNG.

 There must now be an increase trade between PNG and Australia with a fair balance of trade in favour of PNG products.

Failing this, China will fill in the gaps for what PNG perceives as not getting a fair deal from its mate down-under.

More Australian taxpayers’ money is not the solution here.

What is needed now is a complete regime change in 2012 to throw the bastards out of the spirit house: Haus Tambaran.

This evil house has become useless to safeguard the national interests of PNG for all time without comprise, come what may.

The people must outvote the current mob and put in some real quality leaders in 2012.

 A real sad ending for Somare who cannot now effectively run PNG and safeguard its national interests.

Can anyone hear our grand chief's swansong playing in the background?

What a wasted 42 years of playing political games, and I'm just crying for my beloved country as I lament with my countrymen and women as to what the future now holds for our children and grand children in the next generation.

PNG-Indonesia talks today

Caption: Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare chatting with Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono upon arrival at the Jackson International Airport, Port Moresby, yesterday afternoon for a two-day visit. Yudhoyono and his wife, Ani, later met with Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane at Government House. Today, the two leaders will hold bilateral talks before the Indonesian delegation leaves for home.

Sir Michael, Yudhoyono to discuss bilateral relations

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare and Indonesian president Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will hold bilateral discussions this morning to further existing relations.

This will be followed by the signing of two memoranda of understanding and exchange of letters at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The two countries will sign the Defence Coooperation Agreement, Double Taxation Agreement and Letters of Exchange in Agriculture.

Sir Michael and Dr Yudhoyono are also likely to touch on climate change and regional stability through groups such as Asean where Indonesia is supporting PNG’s move to become a full member.

The Garuda Airlines plane carrying the presidential delegation touched down at 3pm yesterday and Dr Yudhoyono and first lady Ani Bambang Yudhoyono were given red carpet treatment and traditional welcome by local dancers.

Hundreds of people gathered at the airport to catch a glimpse of the Indonesian leader while school children lined the airport area waving PNG and Indonesian flags.

Dr Yudhoyono, on his first visit to PNG, was greeted with a 21-gun salute as soon as his foot touched PNG soil, arriving from Sydney, Australia, after a three-day visit there.

The president and Mrs Yudhoyono were met by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Abal, Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi, Defence Minister Bob Dadae, Provincial Affairs Minister Job Pomat and Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma.

Dr Yudhoyono was then invited by PNG Defence Force commander Brig-Gen Francis Augwi to inspect a PNGDF guard of honour before leaving for Airways Hotel.

The president and his wife later paid a courtesy call on Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane and Lady Kaludia at Government House.

The delegation included 13 government ministers and three members of parliament. Last night, there was a formal dinner at Crowne Plaza for the economic and trade ministers and officials attended by Commerce Minister Gabriel Kapris.

The official visit ends today when the 200-member delegation leaves at 12.30pm for Indonesia.

Seifline helps abused women

ABOUT 200 physically abused women were saved from “living hell” through calls to crisis hotline Famili Seif in the past 11 months, The National reports.

National Capital District Commission’s Yumi Lukautim Mosbi (YLM) project coordinator Rabura Aiga said calls to the hotline enabled YLM and police to rescue the distressed women from the clutches of violence.

The Famili Seif line is a safety and crime prevention initiative by YLM and G4S (Protect Security) with mobile phone company Digicel providing the communications infrastructure.

Mrs Aiga said the hotline received 37,992 calls between last April and March.

“Of the total calls, 18,172 were abusive calls from men,” she told participants at a seminar organised by Soroptimtist International (SI) to mark International Women’s Day.

She said prompt responses to 240 of the calls helped the women to flee to a more secured environment.

SI PNG Chapter president Bubby Mohan said the organisation’s goal this year was to set up a Soroptimtist Haus to provide vocational training, counselling and literacy classes to abused women and girls.

A charity event titled Bollywood Night, scheduled for April 7, will be hosted with the aim of raising funds for the Haus.

British High Commissioner to PNG David Dunn noted that the large number of abusive calls from men showed that a lot of work was needed to tackle the problem.

The commission had, over the last three years, supported the Port Moresby-based Haus Ruth women refuge centre and joined the Meri Seif Ples initiative last August.

 

 

PM pays tribute to Narokobi

THE death of former diplomat, politician, lawyer and author Bernard Narokobi is a loss of one of the country’s exemplary leader who never lost touch with the aspirations of the Melanesian people, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has said, The National reports.

“Mr Narokobi was a humble man who dedicated his life to the development of a legal regime that incorporates Melanesian values.

“His life work was to ensure that our values are entrenched in all aspects of modern PNG life.

“His service to PNG was outstanding and is reflected in the offices that he held throughout his professional life.

“Mr Narokobi was a lawyer, writer and philosopher, Member of Parliament, and for the most part, was party leader of the Melanesian Alliance Party.

“Even before becoming an MP, Mr Narokobi played a significant part in the Constitutional Planning Committee that put together PNG’s National Constitution,” Sir Michael said.

He said Mr Narokobi held important positions such as speaker, leader of the opposition, and attorney-general.

“He also played a role in the Bougainville talks against secession in 1975 and later during the crisis in 1989.

“In 1996, Mr Narokobi joined me and a small group of parliamentarians to go into Bougainville at the height of the crisis to negotiate the release of hostages in Laguai.

“He was an exemplary leader and took his role as an elected representative of the people literally and seriously.

“He was a humble man who did not lose touch with the aspirations of the Melanesian people.

“I first met Mr Narokobi in Brandi Intermediate Primary School.

“He was the second intake of students when he attended my class.

“Even then, I could see that he had a great appetite for learning and showed great potential.

“I am pleased to have been a part of his life and will always remember him and his contributions to this country.”

 

 

 

Oro oil palm growers to hike output

By SHEILA LASIBORI

OIL Palm growers in Oro province aim to produce 180,000 tonnes of fruit this year, following last year's low output, according to the Popondetta Oil Palm Industries Corp (Opic), The National reports.
Last year, the growers harvested only 130,000 tonnes out of the targeted 170,000 tonnes, mainly due to the devastation caused by Cyclone Guba in 2007 where about 98ha of oil palm land was lost, Graydon Hanguru, field manager for Opic, said.
He said another reason for the low harvest was the non-distribution of fertilisers to growers since 2007.
That year, about a third of the growers were supplied fertilisers, then there was nothing for both 2008 and last year.
This year, they have restarted distributing fertilisers where three divisions (Sorovi, Igora, and Ilimo) have been covered with the remaining two divisions to be supplied soon.
The price per tonne of the harvest this year has been: January, K191.90/t; February, K194.58/t; and this month, K211.33/t.
Mr Hanguru said the way in which growers were paid their cheques had been changed to avoid long queues at the only bank (Bank South Pacific).
There was an inflow of people into Popondetta who emptied shelves in shops, he said.
"This was a big change we did to reschedule the harvest time and the day for issuing cheques to the growers," he said yesterday.
The growers were grouped into two zones: Zone one consisted of Sorovi, Saiho, and Ilimo which started the first harvest on Jan 4 and got their cheques the following Friday.
Zone Two (Igora and Aeka) followed suit which harvested on Jan 11 and received their cheques the following Friday.
"So what is happening now is that we are trying to get them to harvest according to their schedules ... we are paying them every Friday," Mr Hanguru said.
He also said the Asian Development Bank -funded smallholder agriculture development project (SADP), or the in-filling project, was two years behind schedule.
"It is an in-filling project and not a new development," he said, adding they were preparing for SADP.
So far, it had recruited lands and environment officers who were currently undergoing basic training at Hoskins in West New Britain province.

Gas project 'enormous challenge'

BEING a massive project in a small economy, the PNG liquefied natural gas concern has become an enormous challenge.

And the usual trouble with a big resource project for a small economy is that if the revenue is not carefully managed, the project could end up giving very little to boost the domestic economy’s growth, Roger Donnelly, chief economist of EFIC said on Wednesday.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has estimated that the project would increase gross domestic product (GDP) by 15% to 20% and the national income by 6%.

Mr Donnelly was speaking in  Port Moresby during the economic outlook seminar.

The event is  part of a series of activities marking the Australia week 2010.

Also present was Bank of PNG Governor Loi Bakani and Australian High Commissioner to PNG Ian Kemish.

Mr Donnelly, who claimed to have been watching the changes in the PNG economy over a decade, said PNG’s record showed it did not have a good track record for growth despite having some of the biggest resource projects.

“Now, there is no reason in principle why resource wealth should keep you poor,” he said this as he acknowledged that the PNG Government was aware of those issues and responded with the medium-term fiscal strategy.

During his opening remarks, Mr Kemish called on the Australian government to keep attuned to the changes that were happening in PNG especially in line with the many resource projects.

He said the societies of both countries changed over time but while they evolved, it was important to maintain the relationship between them.

“This is a good time at the time when Australian businesses are showing interest for PNG particularly the State of Queensland … the contacts on both sides are also positive.”

Mr Kemish said Australia would support PNG and restated the A$500 million (K1,213 million) loan from EFIC announced last December towards the costs of the US$15 billion (K40 billion) LNG project.

Digicel offers cheap handset

DIGICEL PNG has introduced another model of its Coral cell phone brand into the PNG market.

In a statement, Digicel said the latest Coral 640 (picture) , now selling at K49, was a new line of sleek cell phone handsets accessible to all consumers exclusive to Digicel.

Digicel chief executive officer John Mangos said: “Digicel strives to provide innovative and better products and services that encourage affordable and effective communication for all.

“Cheaper phones and call rates now mean that more people will enjoy the true beauty of affordable communications both within the country and overseas.

“With the introduction of the Coral range of handsets, we take communications a stage further, thus making cell phone technology even more accessible to the most ordinary Papua New Guinean back in the village.”

He said Digicel would continue to bring the best communications in terms of better coverage, new products and services to the most remote parts of PNG.

Coral 640 is available in a combination of glossy-black and maroon colours.