Coffee pulpers and sewing machines donation

By SAM BASIL
Bulolo MP

Testing coffee pulpers with some coffee beans while Yapleh Gilimbing looks on

Well, the coffee beans look OK!

See for yourself!

Handing out the sewing machines to the Bundun women's group

Bundun is a small village alongside the Bulolo National Highway, Ward 2,  of the Mumeng local level government headed by LLG president Mathias Phillip.
Yapleh Gilimbing,  a local leader from Bundun village, took ownership of a rundown coffee plantation with his clansmen some 15 years ago and needed coffee pulpers to process wet beans.
Through the district's district support improvement programme (DSIP) funds,  I have made available coffee pulpers for men and sewing machines for women.
The sewing machines can be used by the women’s group to raise their own funds  by sewing  uniforms or mending villagers' clothes while coffee pulpers will process the coffee much quickly to generate more income by a man as head of the family.
The Bundun ceremony was brief but I really admired the job done by the building team of erecting the pulpers.
The ceremony ended and we had to proceed down the hill to open the Omalai footbridge project.

Omolai footbridge opening

By SAM BASIL
Bulolo MP

Bulolo MP Sam Basil opening the Omolai footbridge

Being a businessman from Bulolo district I have been engaged with the people from my district since 1996 in terms of providing essential community projects such as water supply, footbridge and other donations such as sewing machines to women’s groups, coffee pulpers to community groups and sporting gear to local sporting organisations at local level government level.

Singsing towards the footbridge project site

The Omalai footbridge was originally built by Armsec’s maintenance team in 2001 just before the 2002 national elections, which I contested, and lost.
I can remember back in 2001 we opened the old Omalai footbridge with the same bamboo band style and the great local people we met.

Receiving bilums from Omalai mothers, their apreciation for the project second time around

Many little children back then in 2001 are all over eight years old or older this very day.
The original Omalai footbridge got washed out four months ago and it was very timely for me now as their local MP to take charge to get the bridge back in order.

Villagers trying out the new Omolai footbridge

The new footbridge is two metres taller than the old washed-out footbridge to avoid another wash-out.
We were welcomed by the locals and accompanied by the Mumeng LLG president Mathias Phillip and Watut LLG president Waka Daman.

Kek Riggers & Footbridges contractors packing and ready to move to the next project site.

This included the press group.
The singsing group led us to the project site followed by their one and only bamboo band.

Couldn't sit down have to eat my kaukau while watching the Omalai Bamboo Band hammering out its tunes

Band members have to hammer chords out of the soft ground to produce each chord required by the band master, armed with his flutes.
Each chord consists of five or less bamboos tuned and stringed together to produce specific chords.
I believe this style is unique to PNG among many other undiscovered musical cultures of the country.
The local pastor conducted the dedication service with prayers followed by speeches by Mumeng and Watut LLG presidents,  who supported the programme and urged the people to take care of this important investment.
The footbridge will serve over 300 people who will use it for transporting their alluvial gold, vegetables for Lae and roadside markets and also to access schools, aid posts and other essential services.
During my speech,  I  urged villagers to take care of the bridge for another eight years or so.

A sewing machine and a coffee pulper were handed out to the women's and men's group during the bridge ceremony

I reminded them that this was my second footbridge project as a person and first as an MP and would be committed to continue to come back and fix the footbridge whenever required.
A sewing machine for the Omalai women’s group and a coffee pulpers for Omalai community were presented after the footbridge ceremony.
The event finished off with some local dishes to the tune of the local bamboo band which I later joined, playing the bass chord.

Finally joined the band with the bass bamboo tubes

Mona from Morobe National Broadcasting Commission did some recordings and re-played it over Radio Morobe during the independence weekend.

MMV donates to Mumeng police barracks

Members of the police force and the new houses against a panoramic Mumeng background

By SAM BASIL
Bulolo MP

Bulolo MP Sam Basil talks about the need to make his electorate a better and safer place to live and work in

The new Mumeng station will be one of the fastest-developing stations in Bulolo district after its re-location from its old location which was devastated by the Kumalu River some six years ago.
The station will in the future serve the population of Mumeng, Buang and parts of Wampar local level government in terms of court circuits, lock-ups, shops, post office, service stations and other essential services that a small township can offer.
Landowners of Wafi have shown interest in having some spin-offs from the Wafi mine development to be directed towards the station and is supported by my office.
In late 2007, Morobe Tutumang,  of which I am a member,  approved K500, 000 from the Morobe provincial government 2010 for the construction of those five houses for police in Mumeng station.

Guests taking a tour of the new houses

Construction started in late 2008 and finished early 2010.
The houses were vacant for at least a year until my joint district planning and budget prioritees committee (JDP&BPC) approved the K2m law and order programme.

Guests led by Bulolo MP Sam Basil finish in specting one of the new houses

Part of the funding covered the new police station of Mumeng including furniture , computers and networking software.
JDP&BPC also funded fencing and white goods.
There is a pavement from the driveway into the house and EMTV broadcasting systems for the station.
Law and order is of a concern to all stake holders in the district and the district must be seen to work hand-in-hand with all stake holders.
Morobe Mining Joint Ventures (MMJV) stepped in with the purchase of six new Tuffa tanks, six electric water pumps and plumbing to help fasttrack the development.

Representatives from MMJV

MMJV community affairs manager Stanley Komunt spoke on behalf of the company and stressed that MMJV was keen on being a partner in such projects.
He said the company's donation showed its commitment to the district and the government of Papua New Guinea.

Morobe PPC Peter Guiness makes a point at the gathering

He officially handed over MMJV’s donations.
Morobe provincial police commander Supt Peter Guiness praised MMJV for its timely donation and assured the district and MMJV that he would source policemen for the rural police programmes to come to Mumeng and reside there to conduct their duties.
It is planned that under the K2m budget, a police vehicle including annual running costs, driver's allowances, 10 community police uniforms and monthly allowances, three firearms (a bolt action high powered rifle, pump action shot gun and a gas gun) and ammunition.
The police station will be under the command of a regular senior constable who will be based in Mumeng.
A total of seven areas have been targeted:

• Wau Rural LLG (Biaru-based);
• Wau Town (markets and shop-based);
• Bulolo Town (market and shopping area-based);
• Upper Watut LLG (Manianda-based);
• Buang LLG;
• Mumeng LLG (Mumeng-based); and
• Mumeng Station command (Mumeng-based).

From a call out there will be more than 70 men armed with 21 firearms ready to take on any problems before reinforcements arrive,  all for K2m with annual funding to sustain operational costs.

2010 Hiri Hanenamo queen

And, the winner is ... Kaia Morea Hila, 22, from Hanuabada representing Poreporena Lahara, is the 2010 Hiri Hanenamo queen.
She was announced winner by Justice Minister Ano Pala at the Sir Hubert Murray stadium during the final day of the Hiri Moale festival yesterday. 
Hila is a final-year diploma in business accounting student at the Port Moresby Business College. 
With tears of joy, she said: “I owe it to my parents, my family and loved ones. I can’t believe it, it is a dream come true.”-Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

Kerema MP bashed in rural Kaintiba

By PEARSON KOLO

 

KEREMA MP Pitom Titus Bombom is nursing a bruised body after his constituents in the Kainteba district attacked him when he flew there last Thursday to celebrate the 35th Independence Day anniversary, The National reports.

More than 300 men, women and children were at the airstrip to welcome him but a group set upon him with sticks and stones as he stepped off the plane.

Last night, Bombom, a first-term MP, was nursing a cut to the right upper chin and a bamboo spear wound on his back.

According to eyewitnesses, police security and others who had escorted the MP on the chartered flight fled as soon as the attack started.

Bombom ran into a makeshift shelter but a group from the crowd followed him there and continued attacking him with sticks and stones, they said, adding that he could have been beaten unconscious.

Someone from the crowd threw a bamboo spear at the member, hitting him on the back

Luckily for Bombom, police officers, who had travelled separately to Kaintiba with Gulf Governor Havila Kavo earlier, intervened and chased away the violent mob, saving him from further attacks.

The Kaintiba, or Kanabea people, who live in the mountains bordering Gulf, Eastern Highlands and Morobe, are part of the Kerema Open electorate and they are culturally different from the coastal constituents.

They said Bombom had not visited them since winning the Kerema seat in the 2007 general elections.

Kaintiba local level government president Jerry Yeninga was evidently angry with the MP who, he claimed, had continuously lied to his people about providing them basic services.

“No one has organised the people to bash up the member, it was unplanned,” Yeninga said at the weekend.

“They have shown their frustration on the member for continuously lying to them and not even visiting them or providing a single project or development in Kaintiba.”

Yeninga said the people were equally frustrated with Bombom’s recent involvement in the Gulf provincial politics where a vote of no-confidence was taken to depose Kavo and name him as alternate governor until the courts intervened to restore Kavo as head of the province.

He said the Kaintiba leaders had urged their MP to make peace with Kavo in Kaintiba and demanded that he delivered on his failed promises.

“It is almost four years and Bombom has not provided a single service to Kaintiba,” Yeninga said.

The attack disrupted the Independence Day programme in Kaintiba but Kavo, who went to the area separately, restored order and addressed the people.

Bombom, still shocked but recovered from the attack, was given time to address the crowd but did not say much and left soon after with his delegation.

 

Kapris applauds Chinese investments

By BOSORINA ROBBY in Shanghai

 

EXCELLENT trade and foreign relationships between PNG and China over the years have culminated in many good investments and business initiatives, a government minister visiting China has said, The National reports.

Commerce and Industry Minister Gabriel Kapris said last Friday that this was evident in the grants that the Chinese government had set aside for PNG and other Pacific Island countries to build the Pacific joint pavilion to showcase their country and products in their respective booths.

Kapris told reporters at a gathering to mark PNG’s 35th independence anniversary that assistance like this had strengthened the relationship between PNG, the Pacific and the Chinese people.

Papua New Guineans working and studying Shanghai turned up to celebrate the day with a flag-raising ceremony, witnessed by visitors to the Shanghai 2010 exposition at the Expo Cultural Centre.

Kapris said in the 35 years of independence, the country had continued to grow, standing the test of time and challenges with significant achievements.

He said Vision 2050 was the guideline for PNG to be a smart, wise, happy and wealthy country.

He said China had assisted PNG in developing so many projects, the largest being the Ramu nickel mine in Madang.

 

 

Armed PNGDF troops harass Lae security

ARMED Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldiers last Friday drove around Lae and intimidated all Guard Dog security personnel in Top Town forcing shops and offices within the vicinity and elsewhere around the city to close for the morning, The National reports.

The convoy of six vehicles did not attack any member of the public other than those trying to take photographs.

More than 30 soldiers, dressed in combat fatigues and camouflaged for jungle warfare, arrived in Top Town at about 9am with their commanding officer, Lt-Col Mark Keru, face swollen and bruised, and wearing a red floral calypso shirt and accompanied by his wife, and went straight for the Guard Dogs sentinels.

The soldiers’ convoy was not arranged in an offensive formation as the point guard, a white Toyota Landcruiser pick-up utility was placed in the rear – a defensive tactic.

It had an M60 machine gun mounted on the top of the driver’s cabin and another in the trailer with only the nozzle visible.

In the lead was the juniper green-coloured escort sports utility vehicle (SUV) with the commandant of the Defence Academy, Lt-Col John Bagme and guards followed by the Engineer Battalion commanding officer Keru in his white SUV.

Other juniper green vehicles, an SUV and a troop carrier, followed. Behind them a bus loaded with soldiers was tailed by the white utility.

They went to all commercial banks, Bank South Pacific, Westpac and ANZ, around Top Town and ordered all guards off their posts.

At BSP, a guard refused to leave his posting and was lashed with a rubber hose at the branch at the corner of 6th Street and Central Avenue branch.

Guards at the neighbouring ANZ on Central Avenue and Westpac, on the other side of 6th Street, were chased into the banks while others removed their brown overalls and melted into the crowd.

The soldiers then turned to Food Mart on 7th Street as they were cheered by the public. Opportunists tried to hurl stones into shops but were discouraged at gun-point by the soldiers.

They told the crowd that they “were upholding law and order against thugs like security guards”.

By 11am, they were stationed near the Lae Central police station at the foot of the driveway up to the governor’s official residence.

They were approached by police task force officers and then taken to the station where they laid a complaint of assault against Guard Dog security guards.

No details were available but it is understood the Guard Dog security men at the Lae International Hotel had attacked Keru after the 35th Independence Day anniversary dinner hosted by the Lae city council last Thursday.

Other soldiers who did not take part in the incident said that this was the second incident involving attack by Guard Dog security.

Last year, a commissioned officer was entering the Foodmart Supermarket with a sports back pack.

He refused to remove it at the entrance and was consequently attacked.

The soldiers demanded and were compensated with a pig and K7, 000.