PORT MORESBY: Ninety-nine percent of people who voted in an on-line poll think the government is not doing enough to tackle corruption.
The poll was conducted by the public interest group ACT NOW!
Effrey Dademo, Program Manager, says: “The message to the Prime Minister and the government is clear. The people want to see much more action on corruption. That has to include prosecuting white collar criminals in the public service and those they conspire with”.
ACT NOW! says corruption is the biggest single issue facing PNG as it takes vital funds away from the health sector, education and infrastructure maintenance.
“Why are our hospitals crumbling? Why do our kids go to schools with no books in the library? Why are our roads impassable? It is because our government is failing to stop corruption and the theft of public money”, Ms Dademo says.
ACT NOW! says the people of PNG have a right to know what the government is doing to give effect to the recommendations of various Commissions of Inquiry, including the very recent finance inquiry. Also, what steps have been taken to investigate allegations against government Ministers who have been linked to bank robberies committed by William Kapris?
“We hope the Prime Minister will listen to what the people are saying and take some immediate action.”
For further information and comment contact Effrey Dademo on (675) 7689 5266 and at effrey@actnowpng.org
World Environment Day celebrations in Papua New Guinea will take place on Friday, June 4, and not the internationally-designated day of June 5.
Department of Environment and Conservation will be hosting the official WED programme at VarirataNational Park, outside of Port Moresby, under the theme ‘Many Species, One Planet, One Future’.
DEC secretary Dr Wari Lea Iamo said PNG would join the international community to observe the event with a wide range of activities including song and dance by schools.
“WED is celebrated every year to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action,” he said.
“This year’s theme highlights biodiversity development and poverty alleviation.
“It is important for the public to be made aware of environmental issues, feeling responsible about protecting or conserving the diversity of life in our local environments.
“We are not alone, we share the environment with many species of living things either land life forms or marine life, we need to appreciate their existence.”
“We must also see the importance of protected areas like VarirataNational Park for instance, where, as individuals or families, we can come to be one with nature and get a glimpse of living things in their natural environment.
“For from the environment, we get our food and water.
“We must also remind ourselves that we cannot over-harvest, over-garden or even abuse natural things that we depend upon to sustain our life.
“Neither should we introduce new things that nature cannot absorb or eliminate by its own process of degradation.”
Dr Iamo thanked companies that demonstrated corporate social responsibility (CSR) towards the environment and invited all residents of Port Moresby to go to Varirata for WED celebrations, to be presided by Governor General Sir Paulias Matane.
“Perhaps,” he said, “someone may take the park to heart and help the department build it into an international tourist attraction.”
National AIDS Council chairman Sir Peter Barter says provision of ART drugs in Papua New Guinea will continue after August 2010.
He made this reassurance, particularly to people with HIV and AIDS, in response to news articles in The National on May 20 titled “Last three months before ART drug supply ceases” and “Government deadline to fund AIDS drugs looming”.
ART in PNG has been exclusively funded by the Global Fund since 2004 and current funding will expire at the end of August 2010.
“These new articles may cause unnecessary panic, anxiety and alarm in the public especially among the community of people living with HIV,” Sir Peter said.
“This misinformation needs to be corrected.”
He said the facts were:
There was stock of ART drugs in the country till December 2010.
A proposal to extend funding for treatment beyond August 2010 had been submitted under a ‘continuation clause’ to the Global Fund Secretariat by the PNG country coordination mechanism. The two-year proposal document is currently under review by the secretariat in Geneva;
The Prime Minister had verbally committed K6 million to fund treatment and testing programmes from September to the end of 2010. This was in response to the gaps created by the Round 9 HIV proposal which was not approved for funding; and
The CCM was in the process of developing a five-year HIV Global Fund Round 10 proposal. The funding proposal would cover treatment, care and support services.
“Whilst the National Aids Council is responsible for the coordination of the fight against HIV and AIDS, this is a shared responsibility involving the National Department of Health who are responsible for the treatment together with the procurement of ARTs,” Sir Peter said.
“The National Aids Secretariat is in close consultation with the Health Department and other donors, bilateral partners and stakeholders who are implementing the fight against HIV and AIDS and whilst emphasis is being given to treatment and care which is vital, the main objective is to prevent the spread through awareness, increase testing and to upscale this message throughout PNG.”
Questions have been raised about how public funds have been used as the first anniversary of the horrific Hiritano Highway accident is remembered on May 30.
A horrific head-on truck crash involving two passenger trucks from Gulf province killed 17 people, in what was Papua New Guinea’s worst-ever road accident, until the Jan 12 accident along the MarkhamValley this year in which more than 40 people were killed.
The trucks collided near Bereina in Central province, about 100km west of Port Moresby.
Fourteen passengers and the two drivers died instantly in the accident on the Saturday afternoon of May 30, 2009, while a young boy died later from severe internal injuries at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
Many survivors were taken to hospital, some with life-threatening injuries and others suffering broken arms and legs.
One passenger truck was heading to neighbouring Gulf province, while the other truck was heading for Port Moresby.
The vehicles were reportedly carrying 28 passengers each, many of whom were sleeping at the time of the crash.
After the accident, the Gulf provincial disaster task force committee was set up, especially to look after funds which were donated to assist victims
Committee member Jacob Ivaroa, who has been appointed new chairman after allegations of misuse of funds by the previous executive, said this was “blood money” for victims of the accident and should never have been misused.
He had a short meeting with members of the Gulf community at the OTC oval at Five-Mile on Saturday, at which it was decided that another meeting be held on Wednesday this week, to prepare for the anniversary.
Ivaroa said over K200, 000 was raised by the committee for the purpose of repatriating bodies, erecting memorials and various others.
“The balance of the money has disappeared,” he said.
“These are public funds and we must be accountable to the public.
“Unfortunately, we have no funds, despite the first anniversary being on May 30.
“We want to hold a small commemorative ceremony; we want to remind drivers of the dangers of not being responsible.
“We want to go back to the accident site, set up a plaque, maybe go to the Gulf villages and have some food, publish something in the newspaper, and wash our hands clean.
“We don’t want people to question us about how we have used the money.
“We want to be fair to the people, especially those who lost family members.”
Ward 8 councillor from Sepoe village, Vincent Aiere, said all concerned members of the Gulf community should attend Wednesday’s meeting.
“Today’s turnout is very poor and could have been influenced by the previous committee management,” he said.
Accident survivor Damien Feareka, 32, from Lese Oalai village, suffered serious physical injuries and is still going through psychological trauma.
A devout Catholic, Feareka was traveling home that weekend to be with his wife and son for a church festival for Mother Mary, however, ended in tragedy with many people including his brother-in-law Sylvester Auhava being killed.
He has taken a year off work from his job as a storeman with Airways Hotel because of the serious nature of his injuries.
“I’ve gone through a lot of pain and trauma,” Feareka said.
“Sometimes, when I sit down by myself, all those memories come back to haunt me.
“It also comes back to haunt me when I look at my bad legs.”
Feareka said while in hospital, committee members never visited him, and when he was discharged the previous chairman gave him a mere K200.
He and wife Sophia Auhava, as well as four-year-old son Colbert Ivosa Kovea, plan to travel to Lese Oala to remember the accident and brother-in-law Sylvester Auhava.
Sepik Highway and roads and bridges accounting and leadership plot have been uncovered by Public Accounts Committee.
Slowly Sepik people are probing leadership of Sepik and Papua New Guinea.
A group of senior Sepiks are questioning where trust funds for Sepik Highway, roads and bridges have gone to.
About K30 million were parked in the trust account controlled by public servants of Sepik.
Thaddeus Kambanei was the key trustee.
Very bad record and bookkeeping is at the root of the scam.
Public servants are taking leaders' directions without question.
This explains lack of accountability.
But the question is why has Somare as Regional Member for East Sepik not taken up this issue with appropriate authorities like Ombudsman Commission and police?
Central deputy administrator Mannasseh Rapila presents Jacklin Ravu from Yu Tok, a non-government organisation, with her certificate.-Pictures by MALUM NALU Central deputy administrator Mannasseh Rapaila presents Jerry Mekero, a business development officer from West Sepik province, with her certificate
Business development officers (BDOs) who attended a seminar conducted by the Small Business Development Corporation have been urged not hold back what they have learned.
Central deputy provincial administrator Mannasseh Rapila made the call in his keynote address at the graduation of BDOs from throughout Papua New Guinea from an International Labour Organisation – Start Improve Your Business training of trainers and refresher training of trainers seminar at the Granville Hotel in Port Moresby last Friday.
“The worse thing you can do to your people is to withhold all the good things you have learned in the ILO-SIYB training of trainers and refresher training of trainers seminar,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the losers will be your own people whose interests brought you to attend this seminar.
“Your provincial administrator thought that you would provide the type of advice required for the betterment of local businessmen and women, therefore, you were selected to attend this seminar away from your province.
“By the same token, in acceptance of this selection, you have made a commitment with your provincial administrator to return well-equipped to do what is required of you as business development officer of the province.”
Mr Rapila further urged participants to return to their respective provinces and take stock of local business entrepreneurs.
“How can you assist these local businessmen and women with the new, modern methods that you have been provided with over the past two weeks?” he said.
Mr Rapila said small and medium enterprises (SMEs) provided employment for local people; hence, their survival should be the concern of the BDOs.
“One of the visions of Somare/Temu government as enshrined in Vision 2050, which was recently launched, is the empowerment of people in the rural areas economically and your training this week has been timely,” he said.
“In order to achieve this vision, you as business development officers in your respective provinces, play a very-important role.
“While the government is advocating and strategising policies to enhance and improve standards of living in the rural areas, this vision cannot be achieved without properly equipping our local businessmen and women with better and improved methods and systems of operations.
“They need your expert advice in order to do well in their businesses; otherwise, they will be spectators while more-established foreign companies grab all the business activities from them.
“You make it your business to ensure that these local entrepreneurs are competitive.
“Given this scenario, you as the key agents in the provinces in promoting and growing the SME sector, play a very important role for these small SME entrepreneurs.
“The SME sector empowers PNG businessmen and women by providing better methods and ways to carry out businesses.
“In doing so, you play a very-important role in the achievement of this development vision.”
Participants and trainers are all smiles after the graduation.-Pictures by MALUM NALU Central provincial administration business development officerVictor Aite receives his certificate from SBDC managing director Diri Kobla East New Britain provincial administration business development officer Pauline Wamoi receives her certificate from SBDC managing director Diri Kobla Manus provincial administration business development officer Ikanau Posanau (with her baby) receives her certificate from SBDC managing director Diri Kobla
Small Business Development Corporation managing director Diri Kobla has admitted that business management training in Papua New Guinea is “non-existent”.
Mr Kobla made the admission at the graduation of business development officers (BDOs) from throughout PNG from an International Labour Organisation – Start Improve Your Business training of trainers and refresher training of trainers seminar at the Granville Hotel in Port Moresby last Friday.
ILO’s internationally-recognised SIYB is one of the few internationally-recognised business courses in PNG and is run by SBDC.
“Skilled business management training is non-existent,” Mr Kobla said.
He said many Papua New Guineans did not know very basic business skills such as simple bookkeeping and cash flow.
Furthermore, Mr Kobla added, after 35 years of independence and in line with its Vision 2050, the government was looking at ways to “create wealth”.
“How are we going to create wealth?” he posed to graduands.
“We want to follow the current government policy by following an established network.
“We want to upskill you with business training skills.
“The skills that you have learned are very important skills.
“The government has realised the importance of small business after 35 years of independence.”
Mr Kobla said ILO’s SIYB programme was recognised in 48 countries, including PNG, which had the benefit of four internationally-recognised master trainers who conducted the two-week seminar.
He appealed to provincial administrators to contribute by way of providing computers and other necessary items.
SIYB acting manager Peter Piawu described the two weeks as “very intense but very satisfying”.
“That is the key for any capacity building.”
Participant’ representative Medley Koito, who represents a non-government organisation from Arawa on Bougainville, said the challenge was now on them to deliver business training to rural areas of PNG.
“SBDC has left us with a challenge,” he said.
“We must go out and deliver what we have gained over the last two weeks: that is the challenge to all of us participants.
“People in the rural areas, the SMEs (small medium enterprises) need our efforts.”
The seminar was a capacity building training programme for provincial and district BDOs.
A total of over 30 provincial and district BDOs attended.
This seminar was a result of findings from the 2009 provincial commerce advisors conference in Alotau that identified many impediments that incapacitate BDOs in respective provinces to provide and deliver services for the development and growth of the SME sector in the provinces.
SBDC, as the lead implementing agency for SME development and growth in the country, took this initiative to up-skill the BDOs to:
• Effectively provide assistance to small business women and men to start and improve small-scale businesses;
• Participate actively in economic development projects; and
• Businesses and spin-off activities created by the large resource development projects.
