Al Wahda thump Hekari United in opener

Reigning UAE Pro League champions advance to quarter-finals of Fifa Club World Cup

 

UAE’s reigning Pro League champions Al Wahda overcame a nervy start to beat Hekari United from Papua New Guinea 3-0 in the opening match of the Fifa Club World Cup presented by Toyota at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night, Emirates 24/7 reports.

It was a historic win for the Abu Dhabi-based side on the world stage, banishing bitter memories of last year’s tournament for the host nation when Al Ahli of Dubai suffered a shock defeat at the hands of another side from Oceania Auckland City.

Fifa president Joseph Sepp Blatter graced the ceremonial opening of this annual tournament being held in UAE for the second time turning the attention of football fans once again to the region which is celebrating the awarding of organising the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

Al Wahda did not disappoint with a clinical performance on the field against a motley group of amateur footballers from the Pacific islands representing Oceania confederation in this six-team competition.

Brazilians Hugo and Fernando Baiano struck within the space of four minutes before the interval to virtually seal the fate of Hekari in this playoff match while substitute Abdulraheem Jumaa added the icing to their victory with his 71st minute goal to the delight of the nearly 24,000 mostly Wahdawi fans who created a lively atmosphere to this momentous occasion.

Al Wahda qualified to meet Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma FC of South Korea in a quarter-final on Saturday.

Hekari United surprised the hosts when they threatened to score off the first corner of the match in the fifth minute. Fahad Masoud stood in the way of a pin point header at the near post from Pita Bolatoga.

But this was the only sight of goal the visitors had thereafter until a fine left-footed drive was stopped by a diving Adel Al Hosani in the 81st minute.

Al Wahda controlled the pace and pattern of the game without having to actually step on the accelerator although national star Ismael Matar must be kicking himself after failing to get on the scoresheet being wide of the target on at least two occasions.

Hekari stopper Simione Tamanisau denied Baiano twice in quick succession after 15 minutes. The gaunt Brazilian shot straight to him after doing well to control a lobbed pass from Magrao in the first instance while a minute later a thundering drive from the edge of the box following a fine break by Hugo was blocked by Tamanisau.

On the half hour, a lovely move initiated by midfielder Mahmoud Al Hammadi saw Matar making a dummy run before put clear by Baiano but the UAE striker’s effort only managed to clear the far post.

Al Hammadi who along with Masoud weaved through the Hekari defence time and again, combined beautifully to break the ice for Al Wahda in the 40th minute.

Masood crossed to Al Hammadi who played it back for Hugo to drill it into the right corner with a left-footed strike from outside the box.

Four minutes later, Baiano deservedly found the net when he rifled in from close range between the keeper and the near post after Masood split the defence with a perfect through ball which gave Al Wahda a 2-0 lead at the break.

After the turn around, Baiano triggered another scoring opportunity by providing a long ball to Masoud who put Matar through. But his effort trickled wide of the far post despite a desperate lunge by Baiano.

Hekari stopper Tamanisau parried away a fine left foot volley from Al Hammadi in the 55th minute.

Hugo masterminded Al Wahda’s third goal when his cross across the face of goal beat a diving Tamanisau for Jumaa to bundle it home. Jumaa, who came in for Masood, fluffed a chance two minutes later when his chip over the keeper was off target.

Baiano and Matar were taken off late in the game while substitute Modibi Diarra going close twice in the last ten minutes of the game.

Inability to account is a big issue

By JAMES WANJIK

 

 Papua New Guinea leaders, both elected and appointed, have accountability problem.

 Sovereignty of PNG is at risk.

Politicians and bureaucrats are lost and confused.

 They run our country but they operate as raskols.

 They keep telling us to wait till 2050 to be wealthy.

 Making money and cargo their priority, leaders work for big businesses with deep pockets.

It is no coincidence leaders do not want to account.

 Look at Somare’s case.

He has gone to court to nullify an investigation by the Ombudsman Commission.

 Though leaders are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, no leader has paid attention to the role of the Ombudsman Commission.

 Is it a Public Prosecutor?

No.

 So, why is it that, it is the Ombudsman Commission that has taken on the leaders, even after it has referred its findings to the Public Prosecutor?

 In recent times, the courts have taken the fray.

They have played politics on the bench.

 Time and again we read in the print media about judges making observations about politicians.

It shows bias.

 Many leaders are gutless to take on the judges.

 Judges are lawyers with high ethical and moral code of conduct but are they now?

 PNG had a very good start at Independence in 1975.

 Only a mere 35 years on our courts have become a place for leaders playing politics.

 Supreme Court is worse.

 Making laws under the guise of interpreting them have been the biggest blunder.

 A very good example is Patrick Pruaitch’s case.

A judge of the Supreme Court made it his business to raise an issue that was not an issue before the lower court or even the Leadership Tribunal.

He took it upon himself to make law on the bench.

That is, other leaders, whose Leadership Tribunals have been appointed prior, are still in office, performing leadership duties, while Patrick Pruaitch had been ordered by the Supreme Court to refrain from performing official duties.

 Which law did Patrick Pruaitch breach to be treated differently from other leaders?

 Why have not the Ombudsman Commission and the Supreme Court been consistent and fair?

 Leaders are not accountable.

 Bureaucrats are not accountable.

And if judges are going to follow suit, then we, the people, must wake up and demand, all our leaders, both elected and appointed, to account.

 May God bless PNG.

 

 

James Wanjik

Port Moresby

 08^th December 2010

 

K5 per photoshoot

Just for K5 per villager, visitors or tourists can take pictures of the remains of a light Cessna 210 that now adorns the shores of Lelegwagwa village in Milne Bay. The aircraft crash-landed about 50m off the shores of Lelegwagwa in late September and was towed ashore by the villagers who decided to make some money from the wreck.
Five Australians escaped the Sept 26 accident unhurt.
The villagers have even put up a notice about the K5-per-caretaker fee at the roadside. – Nationalpic by JULIA DAIA BORE

Prime minister referred to leadership tribunal

Abal to be acting PM if Sir Michael steps aside

 

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

 

PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare will be referred to a leadership tribunal for breaching the Leadership Code, effectively requiring him to step aside as head of government, The National reports.

Acting Public Prosecutor Jim Wala Tamate said yesterday he had served notice on Sir Michael about his intention to request the Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia to appoint a leadership tribunal to hear Ombudsman Commission charges that the prime minister had failed to submit his annual returns since 1996.

The announcement came 24 hours after a snap reshuffle with the National Alliance cabinet seats in the government in which Sir Michael elevated Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Abal to be the new deputy prime minister in place of Don Polye, meaning Abal will be acting prime minister, should Sir Michael steps aside.

Tamate confirmed late yesterday that a letter was served on Sir Michael, the regional member for East Sepik, and his lawyer Kerenga Kua yesterday morning.

“The letter was a notice to the prime minister advising him that, in three days time, a request will be made to the chief justice to appoint a leadership tribunal.”

However, sources said the letter was not served on the prime minister in person but left at the gates of his Mirigini House residence at Waigani.

Sir Michael was referred by the Ombudsman Commission in 2008 after finding that he had failed to submit his annual returns dating back to 1996.

However, the prime minister appealed to the National Court but, last week, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal.

The dismissal did not affect a Supreme Court reference that is still pending, or Sir Michael’s position as a leader, allowing him to still pursue the substantive matter.

The prime minister is likely to be suspended as per the Supreme Court decision on the case of former treasurer and finance minister Patrick Pruaitch if a tribunal was established.

Sir Michael is understood to have briefed his cabinet ministers and NA party executives yesterday afternoon.

The National understood that his snap reshuffle of NA ministers on Tuesday was to cater for a worse-case scenario, in which he preferred Abal to be in charge of government, rather than fellow Engan Polye.

Although there was no official confirmation last night from the government, sources claimed the changes would be effected by the prime minister before the end of the week.

The NA changes were Sir Arnold Amet as attorney-general and justice minister; Ano Pala – Agriculture and Livestock; Mark Maipakai – Labour and Industrial Relations; and Puri Ruing – Internal Security.

Axed from cabinet were Sani Rambi and John Hickey.

 

 

Lost K1 million found

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

THE K1 million cheque belonging to the Telefomin people in West Sepik, which was lost in a taxi in Port Moresby, has been found, The National reports.

Telefomin MP Peter Iwei had allegedly left the cheque in a cab on his way home from parliament last month.

He said the cheque was returned to his parliament office following widespread publicity and public appeal.

Iwei said he had so far received K16 million in district support improvement programme (DSIP) funds from the national government.

However, he said due to the remoteness of his isolated and disadvantaged district, more funds were needed for his people to really participate in the country’s development.

He said over the years, Telefomin had been neglected with only a handful of people having access to vital services, usually accessed by flying in and out of the district.

Iwei said Sepiks had produced the country’s prime minister for a number of years but there was little to show for it.

Consequently, he said the people of Telefomin had sought vital health and education services elsewhere such as going to Tabubil in Western or crossing over the border into Indonesia.

Telefomin has a population of about 40,000 people who share a common border with Indonesia.

Iwei said his recent action to pay K10, 000 into a private bank account was necessitated by the government’s lack of interest in seriously addressing and developing least developed areas in the country.

 

 

Polye insists that he is still deputy prime minister

By JEFFREY ELAPA 

 

NATIONAL Alliance deputy leader Don Polye claims he is still deputy prime minister, brushing aside media speculations that he was demoted in a snap reshuffle among the NA ranks of cabinet on Tuesday, The National reports.

NA national secretary Joyce Grant added weight when she went on radio last night to deny that there was a reshuffle, saying Polye was still deputy prime minister and also transport and works minister.

Polye told The National yesterday that he had not received instruments from Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane, who was holidaying in Rabaul, East New Britain, to effect the change.

Government House officials, who were in Rabaul to witness Madang Governor Sir Arnold Amet sworn in as attorney-general and justice minister, said Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare had verbally confirmed Abal as the new deputy prime minister, replacing Polye.

This confirmed that although the instruments for the change in the deputy prime minister and other cabinet ministers had not been signed by Sir Paulias, the prime minister indicated that he would sign instruments for the reshuffle by the end of this week.

This had been confirmed independently by a third source.

Polye, who had to cut short his electorate duties to return to Port Moresby, said he was addressed as “deputy prime minister” when he met with Sir Michael yesterday morning.

“I believe I am still the deputy prime minister and deputy party leader,” he added.

However, sources said Sir Michael was just being diplomatic until the instruments for the changes were signed for gazettal.

According to political observers, the prime minister’s move came at a time when a notice was issued to him by the public prosecutor advising him of his referral to a leadership tribunal within three days.

Abal could not be reached for comments as he had returned to Sydney for today’s closing of a three-day mining and petroleum conference.

A reshuffle with Abal taking over as deputy prime minister

Abal takes over as deputy PM

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA and ISAAC NICHOLAS

 

PRIME Minister Sir Michael has made a snap cabinet reshuffle, replacing his deputy Don Polye and decommissioning two other ministers.

The changes, within portfolios held by his National Alliance party, were made yesterday and widely reported by the national radio, although there had been no official confirmation from the prime minister’s office.

New faces in cabinet were Madang Governor Sir Arnold Amet and United Resources Party stalwart Puri Ruing (Dei MP).

The reshuffle came hours after Sir Michael gave a keynote address at the mining and petroleum conference in Sydney, Australia, cancelled his onward trip to Cancun, Mexico, for the UN climate change conference and returned to Port Moresby with Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Abal, whom he had elevated as the new deputy prime minister.

It followed a minor reshuffle last month in which Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill was appointed Finance and Treasury Minister and brought back Esa’ala MP Moses Maladina as public service minister.

According to sources last night, confirming the radio reports, the reshuffle affected Polye, who is now foreign affairs minister; Ano Pala, who is agriculture and livestock minister; and Mark Maipakai, who is now industrial relations minister.

Dropped from cabinet were Bogia MP John Hickey, who lost his agriculture and livestock portfolio and Mul-Baiyer MP Sani Rambi, who lost his internal security ministry.

New ministers Sir Arnold takes charge of justice and attorney-general while Ruing takes over internal security.

While the changes had all been done within National Alliance, the URP was the only coalition partner allocated an extra ministry.

Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane, who was on holiday in his village, signed the instruments yesterday to effect the reshuffle.

Polye, when contacted in his Kandep electorate yesterday, said he was not aware of the reshuffle.

He declined to comment further.

The prime minister’s media liaison officer, Betha Somare, said she was unable to reach Sir Michael from Sydney yesterday and, therefore, could not comment on the reshuffle.

The NA was meeting in Port Moresby yesterday but no details were available.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister’s office and NA had denied reports of an impending reshuffle.

NA spokesperson Joyce Grant said: “That is the prerogative of the prime minister to reshuffle the cabinet.

“The prime minister has been talking of reshuffling cabinet for a long time now and, when that happens, it happens.”

Meanwhile, government sources said on Monday that a special NEC meeting had appointed Paul Tiensten as acting governor-general while Sir Paulias was on holiday.

It was understood that the instruments to effect the appointment were yet to be made official.