Umiversity of Goroka staff broaden linguistic knowledge by learning Japanese

In a positive step and continuing effort for the preservation of language and culture at the University of Goroka, a class of 21 staff members participated in the first Japanese language class held on Saturday, May 1, 2010 (pictured).

The class was conducted by Mr Hidemitsu Nakata, a JICA volunteer attached to the Language and Literature department, to teach staff members conversational Japanese until the end of first semester in July of this year.

The offering of Japanese language is part of the Language and Literature department’s recognition and support for the United Nation’s International Year of the Rapprochement of Cultures.

UNESCO has stated that languages “are the best vehicles of mutual understanding and tolerance. Respect for all cultures is a key factor for ensuring peaceful coexistence, without exclusion, of societies and all of their members”.

To recognise and celebrate the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures the Language and Literature department will also host two language seminars and two workshops on campus featuring experienced linguist and international translations expert Dr Ellis Deibler, who previously assisted UOG to compile and launch the Alekano language dictionary.

The seminars will be held on campus in the main quadrangle at 4.30pm on May 13 and 27 2010 respectively. Details of the workshops will be available at a later date.

Head of the Language and Literature department Ms Anne-Marie Wanamp said the idea of teaching Japanese to staff came about as “any dialogue requires basic knowledge about the ‘other’' including his or her history, language, heritage and religion, and we would like at least acknowledge that and promote this intercultural dialogue through the teaching of Japanese, French and Alekano”.

The Language and Literature department will also teach French and Alekano languages for beginners later in the year.

For further information on the seminars or to register your participation, please contact Mr Philip Tama on telephone: 5311 893 or email tamap@uog.ac.pg or Mr Lawrence K Gerry on telephone: 5311 747 or email gerryl@uog.ac.pg

A wake-up call for Lae

The iconic Lae Biscuit hard tack, long a symbol of the city
Politicians Luther Wenge, Bart Philemon and Theo Zurenuoc…increasing pressure from people to shape up or ship out
Landowner Kamkumung villagers, who freed up their customary land, performing at the opening of the Lae Biscuit Company factory
Lady Colette Chow and Sir Henry Chow with son Ian, Lae Biscuit Company managing director, with a Chinese guardian lion at the new factory in Lae


By MALUM NALU

For as long as I can remember, I have been eating the famous Lae Biscuit, whose packet is adorned by the trademark muscleman and the Tok Pisin catchphrase “Bikpela na Strongpela (Big and Strong)”.
Spread with butter, and then dipped into a cup of sweet tea, Lae Biscuit hard tacks were a breakfast favorite for many a child in those far-off pre-independence and immediate post-independence years.
They were also an essential commodity on those long rainy nights for which Lae is famous.
Lae Biscuit became an icon of Lae just like the Lae Botanical Gardens, Lae Airport, Cecil Hotel, China Town, Lae Bus Service, Jumi Cabco taxis, Theatre Lae, Huon Theatre, Lae Nius, Burns Philp and many more.
In those halcyon days, things like potholes, crime, squatter settlements, homebrew, marijuana, cholera and school fights involving guns and knives – the status quo of Lae – were unheard of.
The Bumbu River, which divides the city, was clean and unpolluted and we’d swim there for hours as well as dive and swim for prawns, fish and eels.
Lae was very much an interracial town in which little white, black and Chinese boys and girls mixed around together not knowing that our idyllic paradise would be destroyed in just one generation with the influx of people from the rural areas to the squatter settlements.
Glory day’s icons like Lae Botanical Gardens, Lae Airport, Lae Bus Service, Jumi Cabco Taxis, Theatre Lae, Huon Theatre, Lae Nius, Burns Philp and many more have gone.
Potholes, crime, squatter settlements, homebrew, marijuana and school fights involving guns and knives are now the new gods.
Little white, black and Chinese boys no longer mix around together in an interracial town as zombie-like youths –fueled by marijuana and homebrew – wander the streets of Lae armed with guns and knives in search of fresh prey.
“Baby tingting” (childish) politics is the order of the day in Lae and the people have long given up on politicians and public servants.
One icon, however, has survived this blitzkrieg of Lae and that is the Lae Biscuit of old with its trademark muscleman and the Tok Pisin catchphrase “Bikpela na Strongpela”.
For me, a Lae boy who is now 42, it was a privilege to be back home on Saturday, April 17, 2010, for the opening of the new K65 million Lae Biscuit Company factory at Kamkumung.
I have been away from Lae for 12 years now, having left with my late wife Hula in 1998 for the Highlands where we spent five years, and then Port Moresby for the last seven years, apart from the occasional work-related trip or holiday.
It was a joy to touch base again with many old friends, have a beer and reminisce about the good old days, as well as discuss the developments – or rather lack of them – over the last decade and our hopes and aspirations as we work for a better future for our children.
One common thread in our discussions was that the opening of the Lae Biscuit Company factory should be a wake-up call for Morobe politicians and publics servants from their Rip Van Winkle-like reverie.
So-called service providers like PNG Power, PNG Waterboard, Telikom PNG and Lae urban local level government really need to get off their haunches.
My cousin, Peter Kesu Sayama, is exactly the same age as me and we have been through primary school, high school, national high school and then university together.
Suffice to say, we grew up in Lae with so much hope for the future, and watched it destroyed in just one generation.
He now manages Butibam Progress Association for our people of Butibam village.
“Bro, constant blackouts everyday are part of everyday happenings here,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Apart from the economic boom in property development attributed to the LNG project, we are heading backwards in all aspects!
“Infrastructure and public services are falling apart with corrupt officials involved in getting rich while the rest suffer!
“The road maintenance and resealing are half done with never-ending potholes everywhere.
“ Angau Hospital and suburban clinics are rundown with no medicine, urban migration is leading to settlements cropping up everywhere, harassment of our woman and children in public areas by hooligans is prevalent , we are having to put with hold-ups, police are under-strength and unreliable, cost of food and services is sky high.
“Phew bro, we are struggling and living thru it all...in fact, this list is endless!
“Interestingly, our politicians don't give a damn about what's happening, just talk only and no action.
“Our beloved Lahi (Lae) is infested with 'animals’ and heading towards a major catastrophe!”
The long-suffering people of Lae – long disparaged as the ‘Pothole City’ of Papua New Guinea – saw a ray of sunshine with the opening of the new K65m Lae Biscuit Company factory by Governor General Sir Paulias Matane.
Hundreds of invited guests from PNG and overseas converged on Kamkumung for the opening.
The guest list read like a who’s who of PNG business, government and politics who were there to witness the opening of PNG’s largest single factory and the biggest stand-alone biscuit-making factory in the southern hemisphere.
Excitement ran high among the Lae business community and people as they saw this as an opportunity to shrug off some of the much-maligned ‘Pothole City’ tag and for the city to regain some of its lost glory.
This brand-new biscuit-manufacturing facility is a modern and functional one and is the biggest stand-alone biscuit-making factory in the Southern Hemisphere, comparable in standard with any similar factory in Australia.
It will provide employment to some 450 people and with some of the best-working conditions and remuneration packages in PNG.
It is a massive vote-of-confidence in Lae, Morobe province and PNG by a Chinese family which has come to call the country ‘home’.
Moreover, it is a shining example to the people of Lae, Morobe province and PNG of what can be achieved through singled-minded determination and sheer hard work, not the all-too-familiar time wasting that we are known for.
Longtime Lae Chamber of Commerce president Alan McLay had some good advice for the service providers.
“We issue this cautionary advice to the service providers - PNG Power, PNG Waterboard, Telikom PNG, and the Lae urban LLG - that whilst Lae Biscuits has shown confidence in Lae for this new development, they do, as indeed do all businesses, need good power, constant water, good communications and good roads so that they can continue to develop and produce quality yet competitive products,” he said.
“All these organisations have a responsibility to provide the services they are responsible for to a high quality standard.
“We do realise that these organisations have been working hard to upgrade their systems to reach the standards that are desired, but this has been hard to achieve because of the lack of past maintenance, and we hope that this maintenance will eventually catch up.”
It is my hope and prayer, and that of many of the mangi (boys) and meri (girls) Laes of my generation, that the opening of the Lae Biscuit Company is a loud wakeup call to everyone.
That like the phoenix, the mythical bird that rose from the ashes, will arise a new Lae which promises a better future for our children.

Morobe to fund new K1m research centre for NARI

Morobe Governor  Luther Wenge has pledged K1 million from the 2011 Morobe provincial budget for a new biotechnology centre to be built at the National Agriculture Research institute at Bubia outside Lae.

Mr Wenge said the centre would be named after NARI's current Director General Dr Raghunath Ghodake, who has been with the organisation since its inception in 1996.

"This biotechnology centre is a new initiative by NARI," he said at Bubia today.

"The centre will house general technology and specialised laboratories in the areas of pest and disease management and diagnostics, pathology and entomology laboratories, applied molecular biology including tissue culture and a post-harvest and food-processing laboratory.

"The biotechnology centre will house various offices for researchers.

"In addition, it will provide offices/rooms for the Geographic information Systems (GIS) and National Agriculture Information System (NAIS)."

Mr Wenge said applications of this centre included, among others, utilisation of modern technologies for faster and more-reliable identification of potentially-damaging pest and diseases and faster development of improved crop varieties, improved conservation and utilisation of plant and animal genetic resources in the country, and improved opportunities for value addition of food crops.

"Overall, this central facility will greatly enhance NARI's research for development capacity and provide support services to the agriculture sector in the country," he said.

NARI Council Chairman Dr John Kola gave a big vote of thanks to Mr Wenge for his support over the years, starting from 1997 when he fought tooth and nail against NARI's abolition.

"Thank you for your support since the beginning," he told Mr Wenge.

"When the Government wanted to abolish NARI, you, Governor Wenge, fought against it."    

NARI drought resource centre launched

Morobe Governor Luther Wenge today (Wednesday, May 05, 2010) launched the National Agriculture Research Institute's model resource centre as Papua New Guinea prepares for the next big El Nino-induced drought in 2010

This is part of NARI's plan to prepare rural communities in PNG for frequent and prolonged El Nino-induced drought events.

The National Government has provided Public Investment Programme (PIP) funding of K2.5 million to equip a network of resource centres throughout the country – operated by government, non-government and church organisations – with the information and resources to help communities cope with recurring drought events.

The most-imminent risk to PNG posed by climate change is the increased frequency of strong El Nino events and the severe drought conditions they bring to much of the country.

Following the drought of 1997, NARI developed a series of strategies to help communities adapt their traditional food production systems to cope with the effects of drought.

These strategies have since been publicised at NARI field events and open days in various parts of the highlands and lowlands.

Notwithstanding this, most rural communities in the highlands, lowlands and islands regions still do not have good access to the necessary information and resources to cope with prolonged drought conditions.

Mr Wenge, when launching the model resource centre, said he was proud to have fought against NARI's abolition by the National Government in 1997 and had now shown its true value to everyone in PNG.

This fact was earlier acknowledged by NARI director general Dr Raghunath Ghodake and council chairman Dr John Kola.

Mr Wenge said that in 1997, after only one year in existence, the Government wanted to do away with NARI but founding council chairman Sir Alkan Tololo, founding director general Valentine Kambori and himself dissuaded the Government from this.

"Today is a very important day for NARI, especially after the Government wanted to do away with it in 1998," he said.

"With God's help, the Government listened to us.

"NARI has come a long way since then and NARI has achieved a lot of things."

Mr Wenge said he had full confidence in the NARI team to help carry PNG through the expected 2012 drought.

"I'm confident that NARI has the scientific team to carry us through the expected 2010 drought," he said.

Drought plan launched in Lae

Chief Secretary to Government Manasupe Zurenuoc today (Wednesday, May 05, 2010) launched a major drought preparedness plan at the National Agriculture Research Institute at Bubia outside Lae.

The plan, appropriately titled, "Preparing Rural Communities in PNG for Drought and Climate Change", involves NARI as Papua New Guinea prepares for the next major expected drought in 2012 after the havoc caused by the last El Nino-induced drought in 1997.

Mr Zurenuoc said the launching of the project was very timely and relevant to the lives of PNG's farming and rural communities as the effects of climate change were all too real in these areas.

He said the changes taking place in the country's rainfall patterns had been much more sudden and unexpected due to variations in the strength and frequency of El Nino events in the tropical Pacific.

"These events are triggering severe dought conditions in PNG once every 10 to 12 years," Mr Zurenuoc told a stakeholder forum at Bubia.

"There are two major concerns with these El Nino events: the associated drought conditions they bring have been getting progressively more severe and causing ever-greater food and water security problems; and because they only happen sporadically, every 10-12 years, the necessity to put contingency measures in place to help them cope with these problems."

He commended NARI for taking the initiative over the past three years and campaigning to prepare PNG for drought, and indeed another mega-drought in the near future, particularly principal scientist Dr John Bailey.

Mr Zurenuoc said the PNG Government recognised the importance of what NARI was doing and was pleased to provide funding for this initiative under its Public Investment Programme (PIP).

"This will be a long-term investment to assist NARI and its partners in equipping a network of resource centres throughout the drought-vulnerable parts of the country," he said.

"It is envisaged that these resource centres – possibly 50 in total – will be located at existing stations or bases owned and operated by various extension or outreach organisations including the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, divisions of primary industry, non-government organisations, community-based organisations, schools and church-based organisations.

"I understand that NARI will work in partnership with all of these organisations to ensure that our communities are well prepared to cope with drought events in the foreseeable future."

The model resource centre, launched by Morobe Governor Luther Wenge, will be built at strategic points around the country.

"The model resource centre, on show here today with its poster displays, food-processing demonstrations and indoor technology displays, illustrates the types of information and resources that need to be made available to out rural communities," Mr Zurenuoc said.

"They have shown us how to alter the ways in which we manage and use our food and water resources in order to minimise the risks to food and water security during crisis."

Preparing Papua New Guinea for drought and climate change

From MALUM NALU in Lae

Hundreds of people are expected to converge on the National Agricultural Research Institute at Bubia outside Lae tomorrow (Wednesday, May 5) for the annual Agricultural Innovations Show for 2010 to be staged at its Sir Alkan Tololo Research Centre.
The programme starts at 8.30am and continues for the whole day.
This will be the fourth year of this ‘information exchange and knowledge sharing’ event in which partner and collaborating organisations in agricultural and rural development will display and exhibit their innovations and improved technologies and interact with farmers and the general public.
Over the past four years, NARI has been spearheading a campaign to prepare Papua New Guinea for recurring periods of prolonged drought linked to changes in the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
In recognition of the urgent need to prepare PNG for such a scenario, the theme of NARI’s innovation show this year is: “Preparing PNG for Drought and Climate Change”.
As an integral component of the event, NARI is also hosting a major stakeholder forum under the banner: “Preparing PNG for Drought”.
This aim of this forum is to raise awareness on drought nationally and to debate how best to prepare rural communities for drought conditions.
NARI has invited representatives from all the major international and national aid agencies and government institutions concerned with food and agriculture, environment and water security issues in PNG.
Guests will include Acting Chief Secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge, National Planning and Monitoring Secretary Joseph Lelang, John Malai from PNG Red Cross, Andrew Kalai from Salvation Army, Merilyn Gairo from Adventist Development and Research Agency, Dr Siddhartha Datta from World Health Organisation as well as NARI Director General Dr Raghunath Ghodake and scientists Dr Pikah Kohun, Dr John Bailey, Dr Akkinapally Ramakrishna and Dr Workneh Ayalew
Local NGOs, churches, community-based organisations and rural farming communities have also been invited to participate in this forum.

Papua New Guinea in African tube

By JAMES WANJIK

 

When Ghana gained independence Africa celebrated. Colonialism could be removed. The celebration was short lived. Then new form of colonialism crept in. It was neocolonialism. It was colonialism by Africans against Africans.
South Africa had apartheid till 1990. Congo had no government for years. Somalia has no government with pirates running riot in Somali waters. Nigeria has civil war in the Niger delta where oil is produced and exported.
Many African countries are mineral dependent economies. They rely on mineral receipts for keeping respective national economies alive.
The resource law and policy favoured the outsiders. Land and resources were hard to get in former colonising countries.
Recent oil spill in Gulf of Mexico jostled President Obama's plan to allow oil and gas drilling in offshore of USA. No such action would be possible in Africa.
Africa is a black continent. War rages on in many black nations of Africa. Politics of oil, minerals and money power is the source, means and end of many of these wars.
Papua New Guinea is now well positioned to follow African tube way. Panguna mine led the onslaught. Ok Tedi mine destroyed the Fly. Misima closed leaders' eyes. Ramu is waking up people of Madang. Nautilus is moving people of New Britain and New Ireland. Liquefied Natural Gas will let all hell break lose in Hela.
So many leaders are working for money. It is the reason for bad leadership and corrupt governance in PNG.
PNG is vulnerable now more than ever before. Only true national professionals will tell truth and advocate truth for change. Change where PNG people become source, means and end of development.
PNG is now a nation of resource abundance. It is a land of milk and honey. No leader is leading people for people. Money and more of it has made many leaders arrogant. Arrogance leads leaders astray. Many of them are on the way to being exposed and deposed.
Any leader who is worth his or her salt will make PNG a place for all PNG people. Where leaders use money and position to dictate what, for who and where development should take place is leadership of position power play PNG must reject.
PNG needs leadership of development where all people of PNG will share in the spoils of development. This will land power playing leaders without power.
Tunnel Vision 2050 is a dangerous plot. Never have we been openly lied to as we are with Vision 2050. National Alliance Party has been systematically manipulating leaders, advisers and institutions to stay in power. More and more leaders are realising it and exposing it. No way and no more will they continue without people making a stand.
Our leaders are only opening their eyes from deep slumber. People have political power and it will be leaders who will politicise leadership for leadership of development. Sun and rain leaders will be removed and replaced with all weather leaders. Only then will PNG get out of African tube.