Monday D-Day for prime minister

THE leadership tribunal enquiring into misconduct allegations against Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare is expected to hand down its decision on liability at 1.30pm on Monday or thereafter, chairman Roger Gyles' office said yesterday,The National reports.

The tribunal, enquiring for the first time into misconduct charges into a reigning prime minister, took four days to hear evidence.

It involved judges from three common law countries (United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand) who were given the unprecedented task of deciding whether or not to suspend Sir Michael while the tribunal was in progress.

The tribunal of eminent judges Gyles, Sir Bruce Robertson and Sir Robin Auld decided on Monday to not suspend him.

The tribunal was tasked to enquire into 25 charges relating to Sir Michael's annual returns from 1994 to 1997.

In the event that the tribunal finds shortcomings against Sir Michael, the question of penalty is already provided for under the law.

Under the Organic Law on Duties and Responsibilities of Leadership, if the tribunal finds the leader liable (or guilty) of the misconduct charges, "it shall recommend to the appropriate authority that:

lHe (the leader) be dismissed from office or position; or

lAs permitted: "firstly, that the penalties (under the Leadership Code [Alternative Penalties] Act 1976) that may be recommended and imposed under and for the purposes of section 28 (1A) of the constitution and section 27(5)(b) of the Organic Law on Duties and Responsibilities of Leadership are that the person found guilty of misconduct in office are:

a)Be fined a amount fixed by the tribunal, not exceeding K1,000;

b)Be ordered by the appropriate authority to enter into his recognisance in a reasonable amount, not exceeding K500, fixed by the tribunal that he will comply with division III.2 (leadership code) of the constitution and with the Organic Law during a period fixed by the tribunal, not exceeding 12 months from the date of the announcement, unders ection 27(6) of he Organic Law, of the decision of the tribunal;

c)Be suspended, without pay, from office or position from a period not exceeding three months from the date of commencement of the suspension; or

d)Be reprimanded."

Highlands Pacific Ltd: US$10m profit for 2010

HIGHLANDS Pacific Ltd, operator of the Frieda copper/gold project, posted a net profit of US$10.3 million last year, The National reports.

The figure was considered a significant increase from the previous year’s only US$1.1 million.

However, the company’s cash reserves dropped to US$21 million last year from the previous year’s US$24 million.

The key feature in last year’s performance was the gain of US$18 million on the Frieda project, which continued to make significant progress.

Last November, the project moved to the feasibility study stage and last month, the resource inventory increased substantially.

The amount carried in the accounts now reflected the full book value expended by Highlands.

Another contribution was foreign exchange gain of US$1.2 million due to the appreciation in the Australian dollar against the US currency.

The company holds approximately half of its reserves in Australian currency and these are re-valued to US dollars for reporting purposes.

The exploration, evaluation and development expenditure of US$4.3 million provided for expenditure on the Star Mountains programme and ownership costs for the company’s interest in the Ramu nickel cobalt project and the Frieda copper gold project also contributed..

HPL managing director John Gooding said 2010 had been an excellent year with respect to the Frieda project and the exploration programme at Star Mountains.

He said Frieda had made significant progress last year under the management of Xstrata and still had a lot more potential in terms of resource inventory.

“Highlands was one of few smaller market cap companies that has exposure to a tier one multi-decade copper mine of the near future.

“Our Star Mountains exploration programme had allowed Highlands to show its own expertise in exploration management with some very encouraging drilling results early in the programme,” Gooding said.

 

 

Huli of a show

The Huli Duna cultural group from PNG was the best, attracting the young and old, during the Kundu music at the World Music Festival in Adelaide, Australia, last weekend.

PAPUA New Guinea’s Huli wigmen stole the show at the international music festival in Adelaide last weekend. The PNG community and former residents took on board the Huli Duna cultural group despite customs and immigration preventing the Huli’s their traditional singsing gears into Australia.
Chairman Simon Bole said, with the strict restrictions, the group was denied performance on Friday and Saturday but with the intervention by organisers, the Australian government allowed the groups’ traditional gear.
Adelaide media stated in its reports that the festival has sold out a record 334,000 tickets over the weekend fest and the Huli group was the first from PNG to perform.

Tamate's last appeal for more funding

By JULIA DAIA BORE

 

ACTING Public Prosecutor Jim Wala Tamate, who will vacate his job today, has called on the government to improve funding for the office of the public prosecutor, The National reports.

He said improved funding would greatly assist state lawyers execute their responsibilities in court and effectively uphold the laws of PNG.

“Adequate government funding was vital for the effective running of the office of the public prosecutor, whose major role is to ensure law and order is upheld.”

He made specific reference to the day-to-day running of the office and sending public prosecutors (state lawyers) to the provinces to prosecute court matters.

Tamate said another option to improve public prosecutor performance was to set up provincial offices, adequately manned by public prosecutors on the ground.

He said the staff ceiling requirement at the office of the public prosecutor was more than 100 personnel.

“However, what we have now is just over half that number.”

He said over the years, the public prosecutor had been running back and forth to Treasury to seek additional funding, even after the budget had been handed down.

On his future plans, Tamate said he would stay on in the office as a senior state lawyer.

His colleague Camillus Sambua will take over as acting public prosecutor.

 

 

Doctors to strike

Four major hospitals to be targeted over outstanding claims

 

By KARI TOTONA

 

DOCTORS yesterday decided to go on a nationwide strike starting next Friday, The National reports.

The National Doctors Association (NDA) yesterday confirmed the industrial action, saying this was because the departments of Health and Personnel Management had failed to honour commitments they reached in agreements and understandings last year to improve doctors’ work conditions.

The doctors were supported by the Nurses Association, which was also considering its options.

Trade Union Congress (TUC) secretary-general John Paska, who met with the doctors’ executive committee, condemned the inaction and called for the sacking of the departmental heads.

NDA president Dr Kauve Pomat said the strike could have been averted and expressed bitter disappointment at learning that the DPM had no knowledge of the NDA negotiations and the memorandum of agreement with draft awards signed in 2007.

The MoA draft agreement was for 2007-09 after the NDA came up with a job value study which resulted in two outcomes; the salary structure and the incentive packages.

“DPM has always been a party in the MoA signing and, so, we have gathered all regional representatives today to get their views.

“From today’s (yesterday) executive meeting, we have come up with the resolution to go on an industrial strike nationwide,” he said.

The president told the media that they would meet with the industrial registry office today to set the ball rolling.

“This is an indication of inefficiency of the employer (Health) and they have been known for signing MoU and MoA and not implementing them,” he said.

Another member Dr Thomas Vinit said that doctors had been considerate but the MoA had lapsed and there was no more agreement in place.

“The government of the day and the employer has to decide for the public what’s best for them and everyone else who will be affected by this,” he said.

Emergency cases would be attended upon advice during the strike.

Pomat also revealed that 68 doctors had left the industry to look for greener pastures while four hospitals remained closed.

About 20% of national doctors are not members of the NDA.

Paska said doctors in PNG should not be forced to walk out of their jobs.

“This is a huge disgrace to the country and those incompetent heads in the Health and Personnel Management departments should be sacked for their inaction,” he said.

He stressed that doctors could not continue to work under stress when the terms and conditions that go with their employment were sub-standard.

“Doctors are not the same as others because they deal with people’s lives and for the DPM to play marbles with them is injustice,” he said.

Paska said, if in the event that the doctors go on strike and any life or lives are lost, those concerned should sue Health and Personnel Management.

Nurses Association (NA) president Eimi Kaptigau said many doctors and nurses were either aged or sick and those able had to work twice as hard under poor conditions.

“Aren’t they concerned about the situation?” she asked.

She said doctors and nurses work for the same employer and that they were in this together.

Kaptigau said doctors and nurses “cannot be treated like this”.

“With the government’s Vision 2050, where is the human resource attraction in the health sector?” she asked.

The National understands that responses from provinces would come out in a scheduled executive meeting next week. 

 

 

East New Britain farmers target corn

By ELIZABETH MELCHIOR of FPDA

FARMERS in inland Baining area of East New Britain province are targeting corn as the major income earner to sustain their livelihoods.

Corn specialist Elizabeth Melchior with farmers during a corn-harvesting demonstration at Gaulim.

Already, over 100 farmers from four different wards in inland Baining are involved in the production and marketing of corn.
These wards include Gaulim, Kainagunan, Ivere and Ivongi.
The demand for the corn production follows a partnership pilot project between Fresh Produce Development Agency and Gazelle district.
FPDA is facilitating the training aspect of it.
FPDA is a semi-autonomous government agency established under the PNG Companies Act to develop a commercially-viable and sustainable horticulture industry for PNG.
The initiative by these two organisations is to encourage farmers to explore alternative means of earning an income.
In 2010, farmers from the vicinity of the four wards were searching for alternative means of earning an income when FPDA came to their aid and started providing technical trainings on producing vegetables.
Farmers in this location and other parts of East New Britain have lost most of their income from cocoa, which has been the main income earning commodity.
The loss was due to a major pest attack caused by cocoa pod borer that devastated the whole industry in East New Britain.
Introducing vegetable production in parts of inland Baining area has been an eye-opener for many farmers that have given up hope.
The farmers are now undergoing a series of trainings that is developing them to become more semi-commercial farmers.
The training covers vegetable production to marketing, gender and budgeting.
Currently, farmers are into their second crop with the assistance of FPDA and are now enjoying the benefits.
With the vast land areas of the inland Baining, farmers are fortunate to open huge areas for food production

Port Moresby farmer trainees graduate

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL
The Port Moresby Farmer Training Centre was established 10 years ago by a former secondary school agriculture teacher John Mebil.



Asseneth Tugiau, superintendent vocational education, Department of Education, presenting certificate to Natasha Noah, while John Mebil looks on.


Located at 12-Mile outside Port Moresby, the centre with about 30ha of land, provides agricultural training courses for school leavers, unemployed youths and interested people. Last week, five young men and women graduated with certificates in integrated farming after successfully completing a 12-months course.
The group was sponsored by Foundation for People and Community Development Inc. (FPCD) under its youth mental health programme funded by AusAid.
Mebil, the principal director, said the graduation also marked the centre’s 10th anniversary.
He said the turnout was small but everyone was happy and enjoyed the feast of cow, sheep and pig meat after the event.
The former Laloki secondary school teacher said he started the centre with the aim of continuing to teach and train young Papua New Guineans in agricultural farming for a sustainable livelihood.
Mebil said agriculture was the mainstay of our economy and provided the best opportunity for young people to participate in rural development.
Mebil said the five youths - who learned basic skills in livestock, food crops, rural engineering as well as eco-tourism and human spiritual development - did very well.
One of the incentives provided was in the form of savings with the PNG Microfinance bank.
Whatever the trainees produced and marketed during the training programme was saved in the bank and the accumulated savings was given back to them on graduation day.
The centre has the capacity to take up to 60 trainees and Mebil has appealed to the government, non-government organisations, donor agencies and private sector to provide more support to encourage young people to be trained in agriculture.



The five graduands sitting in front flanked by official guests during the ceremony.

 He said with major developments such as the LNG coming up there were more opportunities now for people in and around Central province to venture into food security activities.
“Young people should be encouraged to go into agriculture farming as there is a big demand for fresh produce, livestock and other agricultural industries,” Mebil said.
He thanked the agencies that either sponsored the centre or sent representatives to the graduation including FPCD, Education Department, Central provincial government, PNG Microfinance and Fresh Produce Development Agency.
He was disappointed that Department of Agriculture and Livestock did not send anyone.