Government is fragmented: Basil

There are strong signs that the Government is fragmented and there are cracks appearing in the coalition despite the prime minister’s efforts to hold his government together, says outspoken Bulolo MP, Sam Basil.

Mr Basil said yesterday that the confusion surrounding the appointments of new Ministers to the Somare-Polye Cabinet is frustrating to the public and especially to foreign investors. He said in the last three days, senior cabinet ministers have been making conflicting public statements and bickering among themselves over ministerial portfolios.

Mr Basil said, “It is obvious that the Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare is not in charge of his Cabinet as young aspiring Turks are lobbying intensively among themselves to curry favor and also aspire for the top job.

“This is not good and shows a lack of leadership and contrary to what Sir Michael is saying to raise public confidence, he has totally lost control of his cabinet and needs to move aside and hand over the day to day running of the government to a strong and decisive leader like his deputy, Don Polye.

“The Opposition will support a strong leader like Don Polye as he is willing to make tough decisions and not back away as was the case when he was acting prime minister last week. The time is right for this country to see a young, articulate and vibrant leader take the helms of the political leadership of our country and I will back him to the hilt as I believe this it is time for us to change the old guard.

“The people of Papua New Guinea demand change and they will get it. I strongly urge young leaders from both sides of the house to throw their party allegiance aside and work together to build a grand coalition government that represents the interests of all Papua New Guineans and not just certain ethnic or regional groups in the country as is the case with the current government.”

Mr Basil says Mr Polye is a well-educated and articulate leader and is able to represent the country well on bilateral, multilateral and global issues that are of significant interest to PNG’s national interest.

“For instance, the prime minister’s latest junket to Fiji is farcical and his close association to Fiji and the so-called ‘Melanesian Brotherhood’ is outdated and has no relevance for a modern and globalised Papua New Guinea. And Don Polye will not stand up to these parochial Melanesian grandstanding tactics.

“The Fiji Government is run by a military dictator. We should not be dealing with military dictators one way or another. PNG is a signatory to various bilateral and multilateral organisations that promote democracy and good governance and we should adhere to these international protocols. Therefore, the Prime Minister should not use the shroud of ‘Melanesian Brotherhood’ to confuse our diplomatic relations in the region and on the global arena.

“The days of ‘Sulu diplomacy’ are over and the Prime Minister should not use PNG for his own private grandstanding ‘big-man’ type ruse.

“The deputy prime minister has all the credentials to lead our country and I am sure he will not confuse his own political agenda with that of our national interest. I will support him in his ambition to become Prime Minister.”

Democracy- Does it exist in Papua New Guinea?

From PAUL OATES

 (The following quotes in Italics are taken from the Wikipedia site.)

Having just returned from the original birth place of democracy, in the light of a fellow commentator's postulations, it seemed appropriate to reflect on whether true democracy does or did ever exit in Papua New Guinea. So firstly, what is democracy?

'Democracy is a political form of government where governing power is derived from the people, either by direct referendum (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people (representative democracy). The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία - (dēmokratía) "rule of the people", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (krátos) "power", in the middle of the fifth-fourth century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of 'democracy', equality and freedom have been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient times. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power. For example, in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no restrictions can apply to anyone wanting to become a representative, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution.'

Well that seems fairly clear. Democracy exists when:

1. all citizens are equal before the law and their votes are of equal value, and
2. legitimized rights and liberties are protected by a constitution.

However George Orwell in his book, 'Animal Farm', highlighted the concept that when some of the animals took over the farm, "some were more equal then others". So are all PNG citizens 'equal before the law' one is given to ask? In many so called modern democracies, it seems the way law is applied depends on a citizen's relative wealth. Given the opportunity, wealth seems to affect the way the law can be applied as expensive legal assistance can often affect the outcome of a court case. Yet even expensive legal assistance can still only be a factor IF a case goes to court. In PNG these days it seems like any legal action involving PNG politicians ever actually gets to court. If the case doesn't get to court, how can there be any justice decided? So it seems not all PNG citizens are 'equal before the law'.

Wikipedia goes on:

'There are several varieties of democracy, some of which provide better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than others. However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated – through the use of balances – to avoid an uneven distribution of political power, such as the separation of powers, then a branch of the system of rule could accumulate power and become harmful to the democracy itself.'

So has a 'branch of the PNG system of government' achieved an 'uneven distribution of power'? Given the performance of the current Somare government where Parliamentary government has effectively been sidelined, the answer would appear to be a resounding "Yes!" It therefore seems that some in the PNG political system have 'accumulated power and become harmful to democracy itself.'

'The "majority rule" is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government or constitutional protections of individual liberties from democratic power, it is possible for dissenting individuals to be oppressed by the "tyranny of the majority". An essential process in representative democracies is competitive elections that are fair both substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests.'

So are 'dissenting individuals' being oppressed in PNG? Given the recent arrangements the Somare government has made concerning local mining and timber industries, many would say 'You bet!'

Are PNG elections 'fair both substantially and procedurally'? Well with the extra financial resources from foreign sources claimed by the Opposition and available to the Somare government and the ability to use all government facilities including publically funded aircraft, it would seem PNG elections are anything but 'fair'.

So has democracy ever existed in PNG? Well that is in the eye of the beholder. What is clear however is that under the definitions listed in Wikipedia, PNG is not currently a democracy and hasn't been for some time.

Why then is Australia still supporting the current PNG government? Elsewhere in the world including Melanesia, leaders of countries who have deposed Parliamentary rule and effectively instituted a dictatorship are sidelined and denounced.

Why then hasn't this happened with the current Somare regime?

 

Weekly coffee price

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Heart for marine life

With a heart for marine life and the protection of their environment, Miss BSP 2010 Rachel Sapery James is encouraging coastal communities to love and protect natural barriers such as coral reefs and mangrove forests, The National reports.

 To get her point home, she was caught scuba diving off the coast of Kimbe in West New Britain last weekend after doing some humanitarian work in the township. James is an advocate for marine conservation activities and as part of her task in the Miss PNG Red Cross Quest, she will be visiting her home province, New Ireland, to conduct awareness on climate change and issues affecting the environment.

 At BSP, she is employed as social and environmental management systems officer.

James has a masters in science and a degree in international studies of aquatic tropical ecology and conservation, obtained from the Bremen University in Germany.

Sex crimes up

Police say young, even grannies, targeted

 

SEXUAL assault is definitely on the increase in Papua New Guinea with even minors falling victim, The National reports.

Even grandmothers had fallen prey to sadistic behaviours.

And, one in every two women had been sexually assaulted, police said at a workshop in Lae on sexual violence. They fear the percentage could be higher.

This included married women who were forced to have sex with their husbands against their will.

Officer-in-charge of the sexual offences squad in Port Moresby, Det-Sgt Tinol Pakiapon made the comments during the first of a series of sexual offences workshop at the Bumbu barracks in Lae.

Pakiapon was, last year, recognised by the Australasian Council of Women and Policing in its annual excellence in policing awards for his commitment towards improving the response to victims of sexual assault.

In an incident in the National Capital District five years ago, a man was charged with forcing his penis into the mouth of a six-month-old child. The offender was charged with sexual penetration.

Even men and boys were victims of sexual offences but, according to Pakiapon, because of societal norms that gave rise to the notion “men must be men”, most men do not speak out for fear of being stigmatised.

Very young boys were also forced to take part in or were sodomised and, out of fear, many kept quiet about their ordeal and did not speak up.

Many of the victims, both male and female, were traumatised by these experiences and, just having to go through the process of police interviews and appearing in court, made them re-live these traumas.

According to Pakiapon, the three-day meeting on sexual offences provided police prosecutors, magistrates, public solicitors, health care workers, community-based corrections and medical practitioners with a comprehensive overview of the importance of a coordinated response to victims of sexual assault and a greater understanding of legislative requirements.

The Lae Family Support Centre reported receiving between 30 and 50 cases of sexual assaults a month and attending to more than 5,000 patients since 2007.

Police said they were only seeing the tip of the iceberg, about 10% who reported these matters to them but they believed 90% of cases went unreported.

Officer-in-charge of administration with the office of the public prosecutor Nicholas Miviri said the number of sexual offences was increasing because of its prevalence and prominence on the courts criminal listing alongside murder, wilful murder and robbery.

The focus of the meeting was also to provide better services for victims and to help them to settle back into their communities.

Pakiapon said police attitudes in handling such cases “also need to change” so that more people, who are sexually abused, could come out and seek retribution in the courts.

 

Treasurer O'Neill focuses on fiscal discipline, growth

NEW Finance and Treasury Minister Peter O’Neill has assured the people that the government’s priority is to maintain fiscal discipline and sustain economic growth.., The National reports.

O’Neill, who is the Public Service Minister, had been given an added responsibility as Finance and Treasury Minister.

He said his immediate priority was to ensure spending was maintained within the budget level and important government programmes were prioritised.

“Key issues that are of government concern are education, health, infrastructure and law and order. These are key areas that the government will prioritise over the remaining part of the year,” he said.

O’Neill said the government’s district service improvement programme would continue as well as other key programmes aimed at empowering and transforming the rural economy.

“We want to maintain stability so that the business sector and investors have confidence in the government,” he added.

“The government will ensure economic growth continues to prosper, creating an environment for growth in the employment sector.”

O’Neill said economic growth was expected to continue at 8%, largely driven by the start of construction of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project and other new mines.

“The government is mindful of past experiences when uncontrolled government spending caused major economic hardships,” he said.

O’Neill said the budget was framed against the government’s medium-term fiscal strategy (MTFS), the medium-term development strategy (MTDS) and the medium-term debt strategy supported by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA).

He said the government’s adoption and adherence to these strategies underpinned the prudent economic and fiscal management of the economy.

O’Neill, the leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC) party and member for Ialibu-Pangia, is a second-term MP.

Treasury and Finance was left vacant when Aitape-Lumi MP Patrick Pruaitch was suspended by the Supreme Court in May on allegations of leadership breaches.

O’Neill has an honour’s degree in accounting from the University of Papua New Guinea and had served various senior positions in the private sector including being president of the PNG Institute of Certified Practising Accountants, partner in Pratley & O’Neill accounting firm, executive chairman of PNGBC, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Pacific MMI Insurance, Finance Pacific Ltd, Port Moresby Private Hospital Ltd and Remington Technologies Ltd.

He also served in various portfolios when he entered parliament in 2002, including public service and leader of government business and opposition leader.

 

 

Historic MoU signed

PAPUA New Guinea yesterday signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a feasibility study to pipe water resources into Australia from Southern Highlands, The National reports.

The project is valued at A$30 billion (K72 billion).

The feasibility study alone is expected to cost A$20 million (K480 million).

The feasibility project was approved by the National Executive Council in 2008.

The MoU for the feasibility study was signed between the Cairns-based project developer Might and Power Australia Pty Ltd chairman Fred Ariel, Department of Environment and Conservation chief legal adviser Ben Pasigan on behalf of the state and Imbonggu MP Francis Awesa on behalf of Southern Highlands government.

Awesa said: “It’s a historic occasion for the project with a billion kina magnitude.

“It’s indeed the single biggest sustainable and economically viable project involving clean energy, especially water resources in the province and PNG as a whole, apart from oil, gas and other mineral and non-mineral projects.

“Oil and the so-called LNG will deplete in the next 30 years, but water will continue to sustain both Australia and PNG as long as this world exists.”

The opposition stalwart said he had discussed with the Australian federal government and the opposition as well as the Queensland, Victoria and South Australian state governments.

“They are very supportive and that makes this project significant,” Awesa said.

Ariel told the respective stakeholders and reporters that the plan to pipe water into Australia was not an overnight thought.