Thursday, November 25, 2010
Ahi Festival to bring together local Lae villages
By MALUM NALU
 |
|
Symbol of the Ahi
Festival
|
The inaugural Ahi Festival, a major cultural and sporting
event involving the six Ahi villages in and around Lae, will be held at the Sir
Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae from Dec 12-17.
It is an initiative of Riback Stevedores Ltd, the major
employer of Ahi men and women from the six Ahi villages of Wagang, Yanga, Butibam,
Hengali, Kamkumung and Yalu and has their full support.
 |
| Riback Stevedores staff modeling uniforms which will be worn by the six villages during the inaugural Ahi Festival next month.-Pictures courtesy of Riback Stevedores |
Sporting events include basketball, volleyball, netball,
soccer, touch rugby and a number of other fun games for the kids.
The Ahi Festival – with the theme Promoting Education Through Sports & Culture - is aimed at
raising funds for the establishment of an Ahi resource centre, an education
facility which will have a library, computer laboratory and conference and
workshop facilities.
“The Ahi Festival is an initiative of Riback Stevedores Ltd
and has the full support of the Ahi community,” explains Riback general manager
Peter Boyd.
“The company believes that the effects of the social
problems facing the Ahi community can be wide-ranging in size anywhere from
local effects on a family or a village to the Lae community and even the entire
society.
“The company therefore wants to do its part in helping the
Ahi community to help themselves to take a lead now in working towards addressing
some of their social problems.
“We hope other members and stakeholders of the Lae community
can also join in and help the people of Ahi in their endeavours to create an
educated and orderly community that can co exist peacefully with others in the
wider Lae community.”
Boyd said the social problems of the Ahi community could be
addressed only if the community could unite and work together in search of
solutions with the support of strategic partners.
“The Ahi Festival can be a powerful tool to unite the Ahi
community,” he added.
“It can also create awareness of the social issues and
promote a team approach with key stakeholders to address the socials problems
with the view to minimise its crippling effects on the people of Ahi – the
current generation and also the future generation.”
Some of the main objectives of the Ahi Festival include:
• Promoting
community unity;
• Promoting
and preserving Ahi culture;
• Creating
awareness on social Issues and assistance available; and
• Showcase
local talents in culture, sports, music and business.
The Ahi villages are all located within and around Lae – the
industrial city of Papua New
Guinea.
Along with the expansion and development of Lae, these
traditional villages are also being forced to accept new changes and influences
brought about by the changing socio-economic conditions.
The changing socioeconomic conditions have placed a high
demand for land on the Ahi communities.
This has seen most of the traditional land being taken away.
Land was taken
earlier by missionaries, then the colonial government and recently the state
and industry.
The attractions of
urban life along with government’s and industry’s demand for labour has
also attracted Papua New Guineans to migrate to Lae in search for work and
better living conditions.
This unfortunately
has created a need for more land.
Consequently,
customary land which used to be hunting and gardening land has all been
replaced with buildings, factories and urban settlements.
Without gardening or hunting land, most inhabitants of the
Ahi community are now forced to adopt and embrace the cash economy.
“Education of the children of Ahi is therefore important,”
Boyd said.
“Without land and other natural resources, the human
resources must be trained and developed if the Ahi community is to survive and
live in peaceful co-existence with every other Papua New Guinean and the wider
Lae community.”
The economic changes around Lae also bring with them many
tangible and intangible social problems which affect the Ahi communities.
Tangible social problems include unemployment; law and order
issues; drug abuse; alcohol problems; and school drop-out rate is high.
Intangible social problems include breakdown in moral
standards; lack of ethics in community leadership – a recipe for corruption
which affects the management of church groups, clans and businesses owned by
the people; community disharmony; and breakdown in the family unit
Elephants for 5-Mile
Now, with Christmas a month away, a convoy of “animals”, not normally seen in these parts, was seen being trucked yesterday to the Jack Pidik Park at 5-Mile.
There, they stood alongside the Christmas lights put up by PNG Gardener workmen this week as NCD Governor Powes Parkop officially switched them on yesterday evening.
The artificial animals, including giraffes, elephants and rhinoceros, drew quite a stir from the public as they made their way to their destinations yesterday. – Nationalpic by AURI EVA
Economy to grow 7.1% this year, says forecast
According to the Deloitte Touche 2011 budget alert, the economy was able to weather the global recession of last year reasonably well, with the financial sector remaining resilient due to relatively low exposure to overseas financial instruments and a strong domestic funding base.
However, the most heavily affected sectors were agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the manufacturing sectors due to declining overseas demand.
Themed Building the foundations for economic growth and prosperity, the 2011 budget in many ways can be described as a "steady as she goes" budget, which builds on planning done in previous years and takes advantage of the increased revenue stream expected to be available next year.
As in previous years, the government seeks to promote a stable macro economic and fiscal environment and to that end has announced a balanced budget.
The global recovery together with expected increased commodity prices and production will result in additional mineral revenue in 2011.
The government set out what it saw as a number of risks to the fiscal and economic outlook on which the budget is framed.
These include the fragility of the global economy in terms of its impact on PNG exports and commodity prices, delays to the PNG LNG and other resource projects, and the government diverting from fiscal discipline and adding to already strong inflationary pressures.
On the plus side, it was recognised that a number of mining and gas projects are under active consideration which would provide a boost to the PNG economy if they proceed.
As such, the government will fund its established framework, the national agriculture development plan 2007-2016 with K109 million, with support also going to other sectors of agriculture.
Fisheries will be receiving K55 million to foster investments in marine industrial zones and the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone in Madang.
It will also receive K15 million for the Coastal Fisheries Development Programme.
Forestry will be receiving support in terms of programmes aimed at, among others, support for forest research institute rehabilitation and support for sustainable forest management.
Vote notice ousted
House committee declares no-confidence motion defective
THE opposition suffered a double blow yesterday when its notice for a vote of no-confidence was declared defective, and three of its MPs moved to the government side, The National reports.
Parliament Speaker and chairman of the parliamentary Private Members Committee (PMC) Jeffrey Nape is expected to announce the committee’s decision, nullifying the notice, when parliament resumes at 10 o’clock this morning to deal with major government business including the women’s reserved bill.
The PMC members included Deputy Speaker Francis Marus, Usino-Bundi MP Sampson Kuli, Yangoru-Saussia MP and East Sepik Governor Peter Waranaka and Mendi MP Isaac Joseph.
They held their meeting to discuss the notice when parliament was adjourned yesterday morning.
The PMC’s main agenda was to consider the merit and the demerits of the notice of motion of no-confidence and whether it was of national importance or a parochial matter.
The PMC was also to consider, among other things, that some opposition MPs, who had initially signed the original notice of motion, had now joined the government ranks and withdrew their support for the motion.
Three MPs who had given their letter for the withdrawal of support included Simbu Governor Fr John Garia, Alotau MP Charles Abel and Kairuku-Hiri MP Paru Aihi.
Garia and Aihi were former PNG Party members who had pulled out since the change of leadership from Sir Mekere Morauta to Belden Namah.
The three MPs said in separate letters to the speaker that they had withdrawn their support as signatories.
Garia said the decision had been necessitated by his recent decision to be part of the United Resource Party following his release from PNG Party.
“Given the strong alignment that the URP has with the government and, more importantly, because URP is an integral part of the coalition government, I consider withdrawal of my support from the motion of no-confidence as in order and totally appropriate,” Garia said.
The opposition, learning that the PMC was meeting, urged it to take the vote of no-confidence motion as in the best interest of democracy and the people of PNG.
Speaking during a media conference yesterday after the parliament was adjourned, the opposition said the motion was in order and, therefore, should go ahead as submitted.
Members said that although the government might push for the motion to be thrown out on the grounds that several parties, who have been signatories to the motion, were with the government, there was nothing wrong as only the mover had the right to withdraw.
The speaker also asked the opposition to inform the house, when it sits today, who the opposition leader is and who are the members in the opposition.
Chimbu's five sum up fight for reserved seats
SYLIA Gonapa, Bepi Dom Apa, Schola Yauma, Jilla Kaupa and Dawa Sandra Terence each spent K40 this week to travel by road from Kundiawa to Lae and fly from there to Port Moresby, The National reports.
The mothers, from Sinasina-Yongomugl, came to give their support for the bill for the 22 reserved seats in parliament for women and, more importantly, to ensure their local member and speaker of parliament Jeffrey Nape did likewise.
Nape is the key man in parliamentary deliberations, they said.
They wanted to witness him supporting and passing the bill through the first reading so that they can go back and tell the women of Sinasina-Yongomugl that their MP did the right thing by them.
The mothers said: “For 35 years, we (women) have been observers and labourers while men made decisions affecting our lives,” Gonapa said.
“Now, we want to support this bill so that we can also help make decisions.
“Now, we have come to see this bill passed. We have used our own money to make sure this bill is passed.”
Schola Yauma said: “Man cannot work alone. We produce children together.
“We must make decisions affecting the child’s welfare together.
“We are not after money. We want to participate in decision-making for the betterment of our children.
“We want our MP and speaker to support this bill.”
Bepi Apa said: “We see in the newspapers the good work that Dame Carol Kidu is doing.
“She is making good decisions, but there is only one of her.
“What good we could do in this country if there were another 20 Kidus.”
Gonapa added: “In a home, both man and woman make decisions for the welfare of their family. So far, we have only seen man making the decisions.
“Decision-making in PNG is like a plane flying on one wing.”
There was another, slightly dark aspect, to this which the women said they were aware of.
Presently, only a few women were taking up the fight for reserved seats but, when the law is passed, businesswomen and educated women, who were now passive observers, would take centre stage in trying to vie for the seat, they said.
The Sinasina women said women leadership must be about bringing real change and not about wealth, power and ego trips.
They said they had seen enough of that already and that the push to get women into parliament was really to make a difference, and not to bask in personal glory.
The women went to parliament yesterday along with truckloads of other women who had also flown, trucked or sailed in from different parts of the country on the promise that the bill would be presented, but, parliament adjourned to today to do so.
Word on the bill was that cabinet had made the necessary adjustments and it was ready for presentation.
Dame Carol will present the bill to amend section 101 of the constitution, which has the personal support and blessing of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.
Deputy Prime Minister lauds budget
DEPUTY Prime Minister Don Polye believes the 2011 budget provides the essential tools for the people to become active participants not just in the local economy, but also the regional and global economy, The National reports.
He said PNG was fast becoming an integrated economy, in line with international obligations and commitments.
Polye said PNG was part of regional Asia-Pacific economy that was growing faster than other global economies, and was part of the Apec economy that must achieve the
“Whether we like it or not, a vigorous wave of change is sweeping across the regional economy and our survival depends on our self-empowerment and enlightment, our preparedness to change to capitalise on the dynamics of progress,” he said.
He said the 2011 budget identified targets and provided the resources to achieve these goals.
He said the huge funding appropriated to education, for tertiary as well as trade and TVET education, funding of agriculture credit support and support for micro- and medium-scale enterprises were examples of the government’s commitment to achieving these goals.
He said it was right for the budget to target the medium-income class, and provide the resource for industry development and SMEs.
He said it was important to develop entrepreneurial skills and create avenues for exposure to international trade and investments.
He praised the K50 million allocation to develop economic corridors in least developed areas, and reforming of the tariff regime to attract more investment and open up trade with reciprocating economies.
Polye said the prime minister’s championing of the fight to reduce emissions of the green house gasses on the global stage provided PNG the opportunity to tap into energy project less dependent on fossil fuel.
In this regard, the government is exploring potential for thermal power projects in various locations in the country, and the
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)