Public servants challenged to implement Vision 2050

By JOHN SAMAR

Acting Prime Minister Don Polye has challenged senior public servants to implement the Papua New Guinea Vision 2050. 

Mr Polye (centre) flanked by acting chief secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc (left)

He was addressing heads of departments and provincial administrators at a two-day meeting held at the Institute of Public Administration in Port Moresby on Wednesday Sept 29, 2010.

The meeting was held to discuss ways in which all departments and provincial governments can work together to align their national and provincial development plans to the PNG Vision 2050 Vision.

The PNG Vision 2050 wants to make PNG become a smart, wise, fair, healthy, and happy society by 2050.

To be able to reach these goals, PNG has to introduce universal basic education, increase its literacy rates, reduce deaths from TB and HIV AIDS, empower small PNG businessmen and women, and improve delivery of basic services such as health, education, banking, transport, communications and other services to the 89 districts throughout the country.

“The Papua New Guineans of tomorrow cannot do the job we have been given to do for them today for a smart, wise, fair, healthy and happy society by 2050,” Polye said.

 “Our generation’s welfare, my friends, is squarely in our hands, and we must take on the challenge and do what we have to do like we have never done before.”

Polye told the senior public servants that they should critically analyse and translate the meaning of Vision 2050 so that it has an impact on the lives of ordinary people in the rural villages of PNG.

Polye said once the senior public servants understood the needs of the ordinary villager, then they could produce appropriate plans to provide priority projects such as schools, aid posts, and small businesses to provide income for the rural villagers.

The acting Prime Minister said people in the rural areas needed roads and bridges to connect them to market places, and also need protection from criminals and natural disasters.

“However,” Polye said, “when it comes to what needs to be done first, and how , we should partner with them to implement their wishes , all of us need to sit down, and listen to them.

“In that regard, go out and sell Vision 2050, and make them own it as much as you do.”

Polye emphasised that senior public servants should use the proven performance management system put in place by the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government to ensure that implementation was effectively undertaken and monitored.

He called on senior public servants to combine their efforts with other agencies through a public-private partnership to benefit local communities resulting in synergistic benefits for everyone.

Addressing the same conference, acting chief secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc called on the departmental heads and provincial administrators to cooperate in aligning their development plans with Vision 2050.

He told the senior officers that without effective collaboration and consultation between all central agencies of government, efforts to co-ordinate and monitor implementation would not be achieved.

Zurenuoc encouraged all senior public servants to work together in unity in “improving the delivery of services to the people of Papua New Guinea, especially to those who live in our rural communities”.

The Central provincial government and the Department of Health briefed the meeting on how their respective organisations had aligned their development plans with PNG Vision 2050.

Central provincial administrator Raphael Yipmaramba told the meeting that his province had adopted the “bottom up” planning approach from the ward level to the provincial level and national level, while the financial resources were planned to flow “from top down”.

 Secretary for Health Dr. Clement Malau told the conference that his department was accountable to the 6.5 million stakeholders of PNG.

He added that his department also brought in experienced people from the provinces to assist in planning its corporate plan.

He said for the health plan to succeed, his department ensured that stakeholders took ownership, consulted widely, and also created a communications strategy to sell the plan to make sure “Health is everybody’s business”.

Dr Malau stressed that the Health Department’s plan also took a “bottom up” approach where all districts and provincial governments worked with the national government in drafting the10-year national health plan that was launched in Port Moresby last month.

The two-day meeting ended on Thursday, Sept 30, 2010.

A draft agreement called the ‘Waigani Conference Accord’ is being prepared by the secretariat of the PNG Vision 2050 development centre and will signed by the departmental heads and provincial administrators once it is completed.

People smuggling discussed at Port Moresby meeting

International guests and members from the Papua New Guinea government and non-government sector gathered at the Workshop on People Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons Bill at the Hideaway Hotel on Wednesday, Sept 29, 2010.

Hosted by the Department of Justice & Attorney General (DJAG) in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the support of PNG Immigration & Citizenship Service (PNGICS), the workshop discussed the new draft bill to amend the Criminal Code to criminalise people smuggling and trafficking in persons.

The bill is the result of cooperative efforts made by members for DJAG, PNGICS and IOM, as well as the reflection of comments received by the agencies members of

the anti-trafficking committee.

 The draft bill was presented at the workshop where participants contributed many constructive comments on the bill highlighting key areas of concern.

In his welcoming remarks, IOM chief of mission in Port Moresby Giuseppe

Crocetti noted that “people smuggling and trafficking in persons are issues which are complex and transnational” and stressed the “urgent need in PNG for this groundbreaking Bill to be passed”.

The keynote speech was given by the Minister of Justice& Attorney General, Ano Pala and opening remarks were given by Joseph Nobetau, acting chief migration officer of PNGICS.

The challenges in monitoring and managing movement across PNG’s land and sea borders with lack of resources and funding, were highlighted through presentations by representatives from the border provinces: Paul Nengai, executive officer of Sandaun provincial government;  Patrick Koles, deputy administrator (operations), Autonomous Bougainville Government;  and Willie Kokoba, deputy administrator (policy) of Fly River provincial government.

International and Pacific regional responses to people smuggling and trafficking were demonstrated in presentations given by international guests Reginald Sanday, head of secretariat of the Pacific Immigration Directors’ Conference and Nemani Vuniwaqa, director of immigration for the Fiji Islands.

The launch of a two-year counter-trafficking programme funded by the United States government was announced at the workshop by Paul Berg, deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of the United States of America in PNG.

The programme will be implemented by the IOM in partnership with DJAG and with the support of ICS and other relevant government and non-government counterparts.

This project holds the primary goal of supporting the efforts of the PNG government to prosecute traffickers and protect victims of trafficking through training, data collection, and awareness campaign, both at the central and provincial levels, in the areas of:

• Criminalisation and prosecution;
•  Legislation and policy;
• Protection; and
• Prevention.

Hidden Valley gold mine officially commisioned

MMJV seeks to invest K1.25b over 10 years

MOROBE Mining Joint Venture (MMJV), the operator of the newly commissioned Hidden Valley (HV) gold mine in the Wau-Bulolo district in the Morobe, will invest a total of K1.25 billion over a 10-year period, The National reports.

The outlay will go partly to wages and salaries (K800 million), royalty payments (K200 million) and revenue for the provincial and national government (K250 million).

The Hidden Valley mine is projected to produce an estimated 2.9 million ounces of gold.

The mine was officially commissioned on Wednesday night by Governor General Sir Paulias Matane at a ceremony which also marked its opening.

The new gold project is a joint venture between South African miner Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining Ltd, the largest gold miner in Asia-Pacific.

Harmony chief executive officer Graham Briggs told JV partners, government ministers, shareholders, landowner representatives and the media that MMJV was committed to further exploration and investment in the country particularly Morobe, which, in earlier times, was the source of most PNG’s gold production.

Briggs said PNG remained highly-prospective in modern mining era while recent exploration increased the prospect of a mining development at Wafi/Golpu also in Morobe.

“The mine has introduced and will continue to introduce innovation, quality mining technology and expertise,” Briggs said.

“A 4.5km overland ore conveyor is the most visible symbol of this innovative technology enabling separate ore bodies to be economically delivered to the processing mill.

“Extensive use of landowners and local business development contracts is already spreading economic benefits to the Wau/Bulolo region and elsewhere in the province,” Briggs said.

LNG project to be targetted in 2012 elections

By PATRICK TALU

 

THE 2012 national general elections will be riddled with violence in the Southern Highlands, a regional police commander has warned, The National reports.

Gulf provincial police chief Snr Insp Reuben Giusu has warned his superiors in Port Moresby that there is a strong arms build-up in the province.

Giusu reaffirmed an earlier election-related report that violence would also sabotage the multi-billion kina PNG LNG project.

Part of his intelligence security brief, provided to the PNG liquefied natural gas project operator Esso Highlands Ltd, the police headquarters and the National Intelligence Organisation after his assessment on security situation in Gulf, bordering Southern Highlands, said: “My assumption is that from the past experience in the national election, there is a very high possibility of violence during the election in SHP.

“The use of firearms and explosives in tribal fights will increase because people have excess to such weapons.

 “I was actively involved in the Koroba-Lake Kopiago and Tari-Pori elections in 2002 when armed violence resulted in fresh election in 2003.”

Yesterday, it was claimed that the destruction of Curtain Clough Joint Venture (CCJV) heavy machineries and attack on its workers last week by disgruntled people from Kikori villages had been caused by the government’s delay in paying the appropriate business development grants.

Landowners had blamed the Department of Commerce for the delay.

They had also issued a 14-day ultimatum in a petition to Esso Highlands Ltd to address two main concerns.

They wanted the developer to give their two umbrella companies contracts for construction work and to immediately pay them their business development grants.

They warned that a no-response would mean a stop-work on segment seven of the LNG project.

 

Web-based SMS comes to town

A NEW website will be launched to revolutionise the way SMS text messaging will be delivered in PNG for businesses and individuals alike, The National reports.

The company website, called www.kundulink.com.au  will allow users who are registered on the site to send individual or bulk messages to any mobile telephone in PNG or anywhere else in the world within seconds from the website at a fraction of the time and cost of a voice call.

This will enable businesses and individuals alike to save time – and costs – that will have been spent punching in characters in their mobile phones to send text messages to customers, clients or friends.

When launched, Kundu Link will be the first and only web-based SMS service in PNG.

The website’s homepage declared that Kundu Link was designed to improve the productivity and mobility of businesses in the country by improving the way they communicate with their staff, customers and clients.

It will also give businesses the freedom to engage in communications that are highly personal, immediate and have a high reach at just a fraction of the time and cost spent on voice communications.

“Businesses are seeking simplified communication solutions to remain competitive in an increasingly mobile and technologically advancing world,” the website’s homepage stated.

“Kundu Link enables your business to send individual or bulk messages within seconds from your desk at a fraction of the time and cost of a voice call.

“With a large percentage of business telephone communications costs being landline to mobile phone charges, SMS is the perfect way to dramatically reduce your telecommunications costs.”

And, all you have to do is visit the website, register and start sending SMS from your computer.

Web-based SMS has been a big hit with individuals and major businesses in Australia and the rest of the world for many years, but this would be the first time it is made available to Papua New Guineans.

“Big businesses in Australia that have used web-based SMS to improve their business and business communications include Coca-Cola, Quantas, chocolate maker Cadbury, technology company Hewlett Packard and many others,” the company website stated.

 

 

Gulf leaders give 14-day ultimatum

By WALLACE KIALA

KIKORI landowners and the West Kikori local level government in Gulf have petitioned Esso Highlands Ltd to engage their umbrella company in contract work and to immediately release all business development grants earmarked under segment seven of the LNG project, The National reports.

In their petition, addressed to Esso

Highlands’ Peter Graham, the landowners stated that the company’s failure to do so would result in a stop-work of construction activities within the Kaiam ferry crossing to the Omati landfall.

They have given the company 14 days to respond to their demands.

In their two-point petition, the landowners wanted Esso Highlands to immediately:

• Engage Greenfield Resources Investment Ltd in contract works with the LNG pipeline construction; and
• Release all business development grants, earmarked under segment seven of the LNG project, to Greenfield Resources Investment Ltd.

Meanwhile, Kikori Oil Pipeline Landowners Association (KOPLA) chairman Bomsy Boviro yesterday claimed that the destruction caused to Curtain Clough Joint Venture (CCJV) heavy machineries and the attack on its workers last week was due to the government’s delay in paying landowners their business development grants.

He said although the Department of Petroleum and Energy had allocated funds, the facilitating government agency, Department of Commerce, had not release of the payments.

“With the full construction of the LNG project set to begin next month, there is a lot of uncertainty causing anxiety among the people; the people want to get their business activities off the ground,” Boviro said.

Police, in the meantime, are still looking for the suspects involved in torching CCJV’s truck and machineries.

Gulf provincial police commander Snr Insp Reuben Giusu said although no arrests had been made, the situation on the ground had been contained.

Finschhafen fight claims three

FIERCE gun fighting in Finschhafen early yesterday morning left at least three men dead, The National reports.

The first two from the coastal village of Kwalansam were killed by the hinterland Gaweng Labu.

In retaliation, the Kwalansam villages later in the day rallied and attacked Gaweng Labu and razed several homes.

Police source did not identify the site of the killings but said the deaths were caused by high- powered guns.

All three dead are in the morgue at the Lutheran church-run Braun Hospital.

The source also said there were reports of at least five other deaths before yesterday.

The source said both villagers were using high-powered guns, adding that police going into the area yesterday were warned to take “extraordinary precautions”.

The fighting was said to have started after independence over a land ownership issue.

The source said there had been intermittent clashes in the past two weeks with unconfirmed reports of deaths.

The source said more than 3,000 people from the neighbouring coastal villages of Kasanga and Ngasingalatuc and Bugem had stopped going to their gardens for fear of attacks. 

Residents at the district headquarters of Gagidu said the town was tense.

They warned that the fighting could seriously affect the start of classes at the neighbouring Dregerhafen Technical Secondary School, which will be starting its Grade 10 examinations next Tuesday.