Artists meet for exhibition

One of the 20 artists who turned up yesterday showing off his paintings. – Nationalpic by AURI EVA

By JUNIOR UKAHA

ARTISTS from all parts of the country gathered in Port Moresby yesterday to witness the launching of the garden art exhibition, The National reports.

The event is part of preliminary celebrations and awareness towards the staging of the 7th international orchid spectacular at the National Parliament grounds on Oct 2-3.

Works of PNG artists will also be displayed there.

Yesterday’s gathering was also an opportunity to unite, commemorate and recognise the work of artists throughout the country.

NCD Governor Powes Parkop launched the exhibition.

He urged the artists to use their talents and help the city commission beautify the city.

“We must use art to capture the dream of transforming this city into a beautiful place to live,” Parkop said.

Tree crop exports net K2 billion in 2008

By JASON GIMA WURI

 

FOR the first time, export earnings from the country’s main tree crops – oil palm, coffee, cocoa, coconut, tea and rubber – reached the K2 billion mark in 2008.

From oil palm alone, earnings had surpassed the K1 billion mark in 2008.

This was disclosed by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare while giving a brief run down of the economic performance of the country in a speech during the 35th independence flag raising ceremony in Port Moresby last week.

“The tree crop subsector accounted for over 92% of the total agriculture export values and engaged the bulk of population in rural districts,” Sir Michael said.

“It also reduces poverty among rural people and lessens migration to towns.

“This leads me to mention briefly our economic performance.

“The economy has been able to navigate the negative impact of the global financial crisis and grew by 5.5% last year.”

He said business activities, especially in the construction and communication sectors, had been strong despite the weaker external environment.

Sir Michael said due to the country’s strong economic performance, employment levels had also risen in 2008 to 8.5%, but eased last year to 4.7%,

“Agriculture has always been our livelihood and will continue to be an important economic sector for us.

“We have this safety net that is our traditional way of life based on subsistence agriculture,” Sir Michael added.

He also acknowledged that other activities had picked up as a result of the early works by ExxonMobil.

He added the growth the growth this year was expected to be 7.5%, in which the non-mining sector  was expected to be at 7.6%.

“Despite the issues facing the government, we have not stopped looking at ways to bring about increased employment and development to our people,” Sir Michael said.

 

 

Wife chopped to death

Senior servant flees following son’s death

 

By JAMES APA GUMUNO

 

A MAN hacked his wife to death in Chimbu at the weekend as details surfaced yesterday that the 35th Independence Day anniversary celebrations in the Highlands pro-vinces were not as peaceful as what police made them out to be.

In Enga, a senior public servant is still on the run last night after his son was found dead at the back of their house.

Police, in the meantime, claimed that the consumption of homebrew and marijuana contributed to the increase in law and order problems along the Western Highlands Chimbu provincial boundary troubled spots.

In Kompiam, Enga, three people have been arrested for the killing of senior teacher James Mond and police are hunting for another seven suspects.

Detailing the Chimbu killing yesterday, police said the man, a known marijuana user, would be rounded up and questioned about his wife’s body which was chopped up.

The killing happened last Saturday at the husband’s Wenaga village at Kerowagi.

Chimbu police commander Supt Joseph Tondop described it as a “cold-blooded murder”.

He named the dead woman as Ulana Garai, 48, of Narku tribe in Kundiawa district.

Tondop said the husband and wife had separated for a while because of the husband’s drug problems but reunited with her and their eight children recently.

Last Saturday, Garai decided to visit her Kugame village but was attacked and chopped to death.

The husband, Garai Pius, was arrested the next day and charged with wilful murder.

Meanwhile, Enga police chief Supt Martin Lakari said a father was the prime suspect in eldest son’s death at Teremanda village in Wabag district.

Lakari said that four other family members were also wanted in relation to the death which followed the cutting down of some banana trees.

He said that the suspected killers had used axes, sticks and metal objects in the attack.

Lakari said that the body was released to the relatives on Saturday for burial after doctors conducted the postmortem.

Youth leader John Kawage, who lives close to where the killing happened, said that the consumption of marijuana and homebrew in his Kunabau area was going from bad to worse.

He said these contrabands were now sold openly at the local markets, like any other garden produce.

Kawage said this illegal business was booming and contributing to the escalating law and order problems in the area.

In Chimbu, provincial police commander Supt Joseph Tondop said that marijuana-induced activities were getting out of hand on the Chimbu-Western Highlands boundary.

He said that the Mindima section of the highway between Kundiawa and Kuglbal were problem areas.

Tondop said despite many attempts by police to reduce the problem, leaders were not cooperating with the police.

He said that he was planning another major awareness on drugs which would be carried out soon.

 

Hela boss wants gas revenue locked in

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

 

HELA Transitional Authority chairman James Marape has recommended the HTA embrace the Hela long-term development plan to lock in gas revenue to realise the proposed Hela province’s development aspirations, The National reports.

Marape said the LNG revenue must be locked in for development in line with the long-term plans and not controlled by politicians.

He said the next six months would be critical as HTA’s task was to have nationwide consultations with its people and stakeholders including the elite Hela working class, students, youths, churches, women and leaders on the long-term plan for Hela province.

The chairman of HTA and member for Tari-Pori said this when announcing that the HTA had passed a K23 million budget to ensure infrastructures were in place for a full provincial status for Hela province by 2012.

The K23 million was allocated by the national government in this year’s budget for physical infrastructure and public service structure in preparation for the provincial status.

Marape said the appropriation was to put in place structures for a new province by 2012 and to ensure that the province gets maximum benefit from the LNG project and not squandering the wealth created from their gas.

The break-up included K1 million to each for office rehabilitation in each of the three district offices, K200, 000 each to the 16 local level governments (LLGs) for the setting up of LLG assemblies, K250, 000 for a youth centre in Tari, K250, 000 to the Hela council of churches, K250, 000 to the council of women and K3 million for the construction of the HTA office complex in Tari.

 

 

Bombom confirms attack

By PEARSON KOLO

 

KEREMA Open MP Pitom Titus Bombom confirmed yesterday that some frustrated members of his electorate had attacked him at Kaintiba last Thursday where he had gone to celebrate the 35th Independence Day anniversary celebrations, The National reports.

Bombom said this in a statement after yesterday’s front page story in the two daily newspapers which said he was assaulted at the station.

“I was not seriously assaulted or ran away as claimed by the two daily newspapers,” he said.

“In fact, the incident actually happened and I only sustained a scratch on the right cheek caused by a bamboo which was thrown at me by a member of the public.”

Bombom said even after the attack, he stood and faced his people and addressed them.

He claimed that a small group of people who were supporters of the Kaintiba local level government, Jerry Yeninga, had tried to attack him.

Bombom said he had travelled to Kaintiba with one policeman and a Kerema district officer.

“My people want to see me more often then as been the case and I understand that but certain circumstances and situations have not allowed that,” he said.

The MP said he had been going in and out of his electorate, including Kaintiba, regularly, providing basic services since he was elected three years ago.

Bombom blamed Gulf Governor Havila Kavo for being assaulted.

He urged the Gulf government to assist the open electorates and district with service delivery.

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.