3 attacks on Hickey as 146 houses torched

By JAYNE SAFIHAO

 

MEMBER for Bogia John Hickey and his wife were attacked three times at Dylup in Madang in separate incidents while 146 houses, belonging to settlers, were razed following a delay in a compensation payment last weekend, The National reports.

Last Sunday morning, a group of youths confronted the Hickeys as they were driving through Bogia station.

“At Kumul River, another group of armed youths flagged us down but I did not stop.

“I drove straight at them and the youths dispersed,” Hickey said when relaying the incidents to The National yesterday.

“We approached Dylup only to be confronted again by armed youths who damaged my car with bush knives,” he said.

“We were nearly killed.”

Hickey said: “The road condition along the North Coast is so bad and the there are no police at Bogia.”

Police in the area, however, said homes of labourers and settlers at Dylup plantation were razed to the ground last weekend following an armed hold-up last Thursday.

Reports said Buskens-Dimer villagers travelling on a PMV to Madang town were held up and robbed at Dylup, with the robbers stealing K400 in cash and a tool box.

A passenger and the PMV crew were injured in the incident.

In retaliation, Buskens-Dimer villagers demanded that the Dylup people pay them K5, 000 in compensation and a pig worth K600.

The peace ceremony, scheduled for last Sunday, did not take place as there was no mediator.

Tired of waiting, Buskens-Dimer youths marched into the plantation and torched every house in sight.

This happened when the Hickeys were passing through, resulting in their car being damaged.

Hickey had blamed provincial police commander Anthony Wagambie Jnr for the breakdown in law and order in the province.

Talidik rural police commander Snr Sgt Francis Wullinga confirmed the raid on the plantation and said his men were investigating.

 

 

Kidu reminds MPs of reserved seats bill

By JUNIOR UKAHA

 

LONE woman politician and government minister Dame Carol Kidu is optimistic that parliament will pass the proposed Equality and Participation Bill to enact 22 reserved seats for women by an elective process, The National reports.

Dame Carol, who holds the community development portfolio, has been outspoken on women and children issues since entering politics. Among her main agendas had been women’s voice and representation in parliament.

“The prime minister has assured me that the matter will be entertained in parliament,” Dame Carol said yesterday.

In a media statement last Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare committed the government to tabling the proposed bill.

He said the bill was now on the notice paper of the parliamentary business and “the government will discuss it come Nov 16”.

“The government will elaborate on the proposed legislation during the coming parliament session to ensure women have a fair representation in the highest decision-making process,” Sir Michael said.

In reaffirming his ongoing commitment to PNG women, the prime minister also assured visiting US state secretary Hillary Clinton of “the government’s unwavering support to ensure women have a voice at the highest level”.

Dame Carol said women from as far as East New Britain and Manus had rang her and rallied their support for the government to allocate the proposed 22 seats for women in parliament.

The bill is expected to go before parliament this week.

However, it was understood that the supplementary and 2011 budgets would take precedence.

 

 

Australian youth envoy raped in Madang

By JAYNE SAFIHAO

 

AN Australian youth ambassador on a surfing break in Madang was raped at the weekend, The National reports.

The victim was with three other Australians who had travelled to Madang’s North Coast Road looking for surfing spots last Saturday.

Police said the four were carjacked, robbed and then taken to a secluded spot where they were bound to trees and the female raped.

The criminals then used the victims’ car and stole two other cars.

Police said the incident took place near the Bunabun Health Centre at Ivoro village.

According to reports, the four Australians had stopped at Bunabun to drop off their surf boards when they were set upon by four men armed with two guns, a pistol and a dagger.

The four were forced into their vehicle and stripped of all valuables including mobile phones and driven to a secluded area where they tied the other three and took off with the female hostage.

The three, who were tied up, freed themselves and proceeded on foot to Midibar where they used a phone to alert police.

Condemning the attack, Australian High Commission official John Poultar said the youths were in the country under the youth ambassador programme and it was a sad experience when they were out to enjoy a weekend.

“It is about developing a relationship as volunteers in their host country under this AusAID programme,” he said.

In-country programme manageress Julie Bengi had voiced her concern, saying that the project was supporting organisations in a significant way and this incident had created a negative impact.

According to police, three suspects had been apprehended and were in police custody.

Police are looking for another suspect.

Provincial police commander Anthony Wagambie Jnr could not be reached for comments.

Sir Mekere: Somare running scared

Opposition Leader Sir Mekere Morauta said today that the Somare Government is very scared of losing power. 

“It is clearly doing everything it can to make sure that the Opposition’s planned motion of no-confidence is killed,” he said.

“A band of royal visits to Cairns using the aerial PMV (Falcon Jet)which cost the public K130 million to buy – Somare is yet to disclose the operational costs of his PMV – has been going on over the last two weeks to court the Speaker.

“The visits were led by Father Somare and concluded by Son Somare.”

The Opposition Leader said that he was sure the Speaker was fully aware of his duty and obligation under the Constitution to process the motion and let the people’s representatives decide by voting, democratically, as provided for in PNG’s laws.

“I urge the Speaker to withstand the onslaught of rogues who are asking him to disobey the Constitution.”

Sir Mekere has called on Members of Parliament in the current Government ranks and the public to speak out and urge the Speaker to allow the motion to be tabled.

“The Opposition intends to re-submit the motion on Tuesday and expects the Speaker to table it and to adjourn Parliament for a week,” he said.

“PNG Party will lead the march to oust this evil arrogant Government.”

Authorised for Release by:

Mekere Morauta KCMG MP                              

Leader of the Opposition and                                           

Member for Moresby North-West 

Why do we put up with this?

From PAUL OATES

"Why do we put up with this?"
Statement by Sir Mekere Morauta KCMG MP, Leader of the Opposition and Member for Moresby North-West, Sunday 14 November, referring to the actions of current PNG's Prime Minister.
So will a 'No Confidence' motion be allowed to be debated by the Speaker and voted on and if so, will it succeed?
The answer should not be long in forthcoming when this week's expected reconvening of Parliament takes place.
But what if there is yet another adjournment of Parliamentary rule?
What can the PNG Opposition do if the successful muzzling tactics of the Somare government over last two years are repeated yet again?
If the freely-elected representatives of the PNG people are again prevented from meeting and deliberating about where their country is heading, why not meet elsewhere?
If the Speaker's Mace is not available, does that automatically remove the right of elected members to meet? Does the absence of a Mace automatically silence the voices of those who need to speak?
If prevented from speaking in Parliament, those PNG elected representatives of the people should merely hire a public hall and conduct their deliberations in full view of the public.
If a hall is not available, hire a sports oval and invite all the people along.
Members have been elected by their voters to do just this, irrespective of whether the debates are held in Parliament House or not. T
he media should be invited to record all that goes on and what is said and by whom.
Is not Papua New Guinea still a free country?
"Wake up Papua New Guinean elected representatives!"

Marching for justice

 Residents in Wabag town, Enga, took to the streets last Friday to demand that resident court judge, Justice Graham Ellis, remain in the province. Public servants also joined the peaceful march, led by women’s groups, who made their views known in a six-page petition signed by 250 people and presented to National Court officials in Wabag. The march stemmed from reports that Ellis’ two-year term was up and he was leaving Enga. The petitioners claimed they saw “true justice without fear or favour” with the arrival of Ellis and wanted him to stay on.– Nationalpic by JAMES APA GUMUNO

Much at stake in ouster bid

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

THE coalition government is confident of beating a looming vote of no-confidence mooted by the opposition during this session of parliament, The National reports.

The government is so confident that both Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his deputy Don Polye are out of the country attending to international commitments while the opposition is busy lobbying for numbers to move the vote this week.

Sir Michael and Polye will return today for the budget session tomorrow and facing a possible vote this week.

However, sources claimed that the government, in a move to avoid the vote, would adjourn parliament straight after Treasury and Finance Minister Peter O’Neill hands down his first supplementary and 2011 budgets and return for the opposition reply a week later.

The opposition had claimed that a notice paper on the vote had been given to Speaker Jeffrey Nape, and it was incumbent on Nape to carry out his duties with fairness and impartiality.

The deputy prime minister said in a media briefing, before leaving for Japan at the weekend, that the vote of no-confidence would do more harm than good for the country.

Polye said it was in the country’s interest that the current coalition remained in office until 2012.

Good government policies like the district service improvement programme, treasury roll-out, rural electrification and the transport infrastructure programme under the ADB multi-tranche finance facility were some projects most likely to be affected with a change of government.

Polye said a change would create confusion and uncertainty in the current healthy investment climate.

Of biggest concern was a change would affect the positive growth in foreign investment which, he claimed, was the result of favourable economic conditions created by government.

“A change now will make vulnerable the level of focus and certainty that the private sector has in the economy.

“We cannot afford to jeopardise mega projects that the government has brought on board, particularly in the gas and mineral sectors.”

He also said not much would be achieve by a new government, given the time remaining before the next elections in 2012.

Polye said experience had shown that, in PNG, a new government required at least three years to settle in office before getting on in its prime business of implementing its policies, programmes and strategies.

He said it would require another two years for effective and proper implementation, hence a full five years to effectively deliver.

“Any new government formed now will not achieve much for the people, given that only 12 months remain before the general elections.”

He also dismissed reports that there was a split within the ruling National Alliance party, although there appeared to be some cracks over the leadership issues of New Guinea Islands and Southern regions, when pledging the NA Highlands bloc’s loyalty and support for the government.