By MALUM NALU
Bank of Papua New Guinea governor Loi Bakani today warned of the effects of the dreaded ‘Dutch Disease’ on the PNG economy, particularly agriculture, in light of the liquefied natural gas project.
Bakani made the warning at a workshop focusing on the impact of LNG on the PNG economy, with particular reference to agriculture.
World Bank country manager, Laura Bailey, also warned of the dangers of ‘Dutch Disease’ as she gave an international perspective on this.
‘Dutch Disease’, or the ‘resource curse’, refers to an economic condition where a mineral boom leads to an appreciation of the real exchange rate, which in turn depresses output in the tradeable sector, in this case, agriculture.
“The export agriculture sector – such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, copra and forestry – will be harmed by the real appreciation or ‘Dutch Disease’,” Bakani warned.
“Our exports will be less competitive and so there will be a decline in the export of these commodities.
“This adverse effect can be more pronounced under the aggressive government spending scenario, because excessive government spending will add to the real exchange rate appreciation through increased liquidity and high inflation.”
Bakani said this adverse effect could be mitigated or minimised through the conservative government expenditure approach.
“Apart from strategic careful and prioritised spending, the government can also mitigate the ‘Dutch Disease’ effect on the tradeable agriculture sector by maintaining and reconstructing the existing road network of feeder roads, as well as all the social sector infrastructure of health, education and law and order,’ he said.
“This will aid the producers get their produce to buying points and sustain production and export.
“In other words, the resource sector scenario can be addressed through better and improved infrastructure network.”
Bakani said BPNG, on its part, could mitigate or minimise the ‘Dutch Disease’ effect through its management of the kina exchange rate, as well as encouraging macroeconomic stability as an important foundation for microeconomic development and improvement.
World Bank’s Bailey said the ‘Dutch Disease’ threat was for real.
“The risk of so-called ‘Dutch Disease’, inflation, shifting of all resources into the mineral sector and disadvantaging other sectors including agriculture, are real risks,” she saidafter her presentation.
“But there are three things we can do.
“We can make sensible choices about managing mineral resources.
“The next thing we can do is when we spend the money, we can make strategic expenditure policies, for example, infrastructure that supports agriculture.
“Thirdly, we need to be very transparent.”
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Air Niugini gets 3rd Dash8
By BOSORINA ROBBY
AIR Niugini has increased its fleet to 21 aircraft with the arrival of the third Dash8-Q400 Next Generation aircraft yesterday, The National reports.
The national flag carrier was expecting a Boeing 767 next month, which will replace the current Boeing 757 on its international routes.
ANG chief executive officer Wasantha Kumarasiri said they were confident that this additional aircraft would provide operational flexibility for both passenger and cargo movements.
He said this would also assist in providing more frequencies and capacities in the implementation of the new flight schedule which began this week.
Congratulating the ANG staff, management, board and the Q400 project team, State Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare said the arrival of the new aircraft was well-timed to assist ANG carry out its new flight schedule.
He explained that this schedule would now see a fourth weekly service to Singapore and a third weekly service to Honiara, Solomon Islands, Manila and Nadi, Fiji.
The fourth weekly service to Honiara and Nadi still to be approved, Somare said.
The international sector now sees double daily services to Cairns on Wednesdays and to Brisbane on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays on the Boeing 767, and on the Fokker 100 on the other days.
AIR Niugini has increased its fleet to 21 aircraft with the arrival of the third Dash8-Q400 Next Generation aircraft yesterday, The National reports.
The national flag carrier was expecting a Boeing 767 next month, which will replace the current Boeing 757 on its international routes.
ANG chief executive officer Wasantha Kumarasiri said they were confident that this additional aircraft would provide operational flexibility for both passenger and cargo movements.
He said this would also assist in providing more frequencies and capacities in the implementation of the new flight schedule which began this week.
Congratulating the ANG staff, management, board and the Q400 project team, State Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare said the arrival of the new aircraft was well-timed to assist ANG carry out its new flight schedule.
He explained that this schedule would now see a fourth weekly service to Singapore and a third weekly service to Honiara, Solomon Islands, Manila and Nadi, Fiji.
The fourth weekly service to Honiara and Nadi still to be approved, Somare said.
The international sector now sees double daily services to Cairns on Wednesdays and to Brisbane on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays on the Boeing 767, and on the Fokker 100 on the other days.
Doctors ordered to end all strikes
By JACOB POK
NATIONAL Court judge Justice Catherine Davani yesterday ordered the executives of the National Doctors Association (NDA) to follow last Friday’s court orders and cease all strike actions until the issues are dealt with in court, The National reports.
“The court order is very specific and very clear for the defendants to be restrained from carrying out further strike actions,” Davani said.
The court was told that the executives of the NDA had failed to comply with interim restraining orders that were obtained by state lawyers last Friday and served on the NDA executives at around 6.30pm the same day.
A contempt proceeding on the doctors’ failure to comply with the court order was filed by the state and would be heard today following a ruling on whether or not the restraining order remained.
State lawyer Sam Koim yesterday submitted that a memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed by the NDA and the departments of Health and Personnel Management (DPM) on Jan 12, 2007, over benefits for doctors throughout the country.
He said the matters relating to the MoA were addressed through a subsequent agreement signed between the parties under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Jan 11 last year.
Following that, all outstanding matters were implemented except for a new log of claims which were yet to be lodged with DPM which, effectively, was preventing formal negotiations from taking place.
In his submissions, Koim also highlighted the failure by the doctors’ executives to meet with the heads of DPM and Health when requested to prior to last Friday’s strike action.
He also pointed to the refusal by the industrial registrar early this month for a secret ballot on a proposed strike to be conducted by the NDA, simply because there was no dispute and no evidence of a fresh log of claims.
In addition, the state argued that a similar view was expressed by the Public Services Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration tribunal.
The doctors were now into their sixth day of strike.
Based on these arguments, Koim submitted that the restraining order should continue.
He also revealed to the court the verbal abuses and threats he allegedly encountered when serving the court order.
Defending counsel Tai Yai of Kange Lawyers argued in a brief submission for the restraining orders to be set aside.
Yai argued that the doctors had resorted to the strike action over frustrations and dissatisfaction aimed at their employer, who had failed to honour the January 2007 MoA.
He also pointed to a court order of Jan 4, 2007, which the DPM and Health had failed to satisfy.
NATIONAL Court judge Justice Catherine Davani yesterday ordered the executives of the National Doctors Association (NDA) to follow last Friday’s court orders and cease all strike actions until the issues are dealt with in court, The National reports.
“The court order is very specific and very clear for the defendants to be restrained from carrying out further strike actions,” Davani said.
The court was told that the executives of the NDA had failed to comply with interim restraining orders that were obtained by state lawyers last Friday and served on the NDA executives at around 6.30pm the same day.
A contempt proceeding on the doctors’ failure to comply with the court order was filed by the state and would be heard today following a ruling on whether or not the restraining order remained.
State lawyer Sam Koim yesterday submitted that a memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed by the NDA and the departments of Health and Personnel Management (DPM) on Jan 12, 2007, over benefits for doctors throughout the country.
He said the matters relating to the MoA were addressed through a subsequent agreement signed between the parties under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Jan 11 last year.
Following that, all outstanding matters were implemented except for a new log of claims which were yet to be lodged with DPM which, effectively, was preventing formal negotiations from taking place.
In his submissions, Koim also highlighted the failure by the doctors’ executives to meet with the heads of DPM and Health when requested to prior to last Friday’s strike action.
He also pointed to the refusal by the industrial registrar early this month for a secret ballot on a proposed strike to be conducted by the NDA, simply because there was no dispute and no evidence of a fresh log of claims.
In addition, the state argued that a similar view was expressed by the Public Services Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration tribunal.
The doctors were now into their sixth day of strike.
Based on these arguments, Koim submitted that the restraining order should continue.
He also revealed to the court the verbal abuses and threats he allegedly encountered when serving the court order.
Defending counsel Tai Yai of Kange Lawyers argued in a brief submission for the restraining orders to be set aside.
Yai argued that the doctors had resorted to the strike action over frustrations and dissatisfaction aimed at their employer, who had failed to honour the January 2007 MoA.
He also pointed to a court order of Jan 4, 2007, which the DPM and Health had failed to satisfy.
Breakthrough in doctors' strike
Zibe intervenes to end doctors’ strike
By JEFFREY ELAPA
HEALTH Minister Sasa Zibe has ironed out differences with the striking doctors, paving way for them to return to work today, The National reports.
Zibe personally took charge of the situation as National Court judge Justice Catherine Davani reminded the doctors of her court order last Friday not to strike while she heard substantive matters on their revised log of claims yesterday.
She is due to make a ruling today.
In an unprecedented move, the health minister, who had blamed the bureaucracy for dragging its feet in the doctors’ claim, met with the NDA executives at the PNG Trade Union Congress headquarters to agree on a compromise.
Zibe announced after the meeting that a memorandum of understanding would be signed today by the relevant parties although he did not disclose the content of the MoU.
In a complementary move, Public Service Minister Moses Maladina also met with NDA executives but the outcome of that meeting was not immediately known.
NDA president Dr Kauve Pomat was jubilant last night, saying he welcomed Zibe’s decision to sign an MoU.
Since last Friday, the NDA executive had refused to meet with Health secretary Dr Clement Malau and his Personnel Management counterpart John Kali for further dialogue on their revised log of claims which, they claimed, should have been concluded last September.
Malau and Kali maintained that the 2007-09 MoA had been fully implemented and the doctors were paid more than K10 million in backdated claims.
The NDA wanted a new agreement to revise the 2007-10 awards relating to, among others, medical officers’ salary classifications and progression, medical/dental officer classification, domestic market allowance, consolidated clinical overtime and on-call allowances.
In a separate statement, Malau said he had done all he could to address the doctors’ concerns, adding that a transitional arrangement was made which led to the MoU signed between the state and NDA.
He said this was done to fully implement the 2007-09 MoA while waiting for a new agreement to be signed by the two parties for a new log of claims.
Malau said under the MoU, the Heath Department was to implement a number of key commitments, which included the appointment of a chief medical officer under the new structure, work value study and appropriate remuneration for doctors.
They were fully implemented by the department, he said, adding that Health then worked on its own restructure and alignment of the work value study to restructure doctors’ remuneration packages.
Malau said this package was provided to the NDA to use as part of the new log of claims to be submitted to Personnel Management Department for negotiations to take place.
By JEFFREY ELAPA
HEALTH Minister Sasa Zibe has ironed out differences with the striking doctors, paving way for them to return to work today, The National reports.
Zibe personally took charge of the situation as National Court judge Justice Catherine Davani reminded the doctors of her court order last Friday not to strike while she heard substantive matters on their revised log of claims yesterday.
She is due to make a ruling today.
In an unprecedented move, the health minister, who had blamed the bureaucracy for dragging its feet in the doctors’ claim, met with the NDA executives at the PNG Trade Union Congress headquarters to agree on a compromise.
Zibe announced after the meeting that a memorandum of understanding would be signed today by the relevant parties although he did not disclose the content of the MoU.
In a complementary move, Public Service Minister Moses Maladina also met with NDA executives but the outcome of that meeting was not immediately known.
NDA president Dr Kauve Pomat was jubilant last night, saying he welcomed Zibe’s decision to sign an MoU.
Since last Friday, the NDA executive had refused to meet with Health secretary Dr Clement Malau and his Personnel Management counterpart John Kali for further dialogue on their revised log of claims which, they claimed, should have been concluded last September.
Malau and Kali maintained that the 2007-09 MoA had been fully implemented and the doctors were paid more than K10 million in backdated claims.
The NDA wanted a new agreement to revise the 2007-10 awards relating to, among others, medical officers’ salary classifications and progression, medical/dental officer classification, domestic market allowance, consolidated clinical overtime and on-call allowances.
In a separate statement, Malau said he had done all he could to address the doctors’ concerns, adding that a transitional arrangement was made which led to the MoU signed between the state and NDA.
He said this was done to fully implement the 2007-09 MoA while waiting for a new agreement to be signed by the two parties for a new log of claims.
Malau said under the MoU, the Heath Department was to implement a number of key commitments, which included the appointment of a chief medical officer under the new structure, work value study and appropriate remuneration for doctors.
They were fully implemented by the department, he said, adding that Health then worked on its own restructure and alignment of the work value study to restructure doctors’ remuneration packages.
Malau said this package was provided to the NDA to use as part of the new log of claims to be submitted to Personnel Management Department for negotiations to take place.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Danaya: Coward’s way out of problem
FORMER doctor and Western Governor Dr Bob Danaya said yesterday that taking a court injunction to stop doctors from striking “was a coward’s way out and will only add fuel to the fire”, The National reports.
Danaya, who led another doctors strike in 1999-2000, said: “The national doctors current industrial strike could have been averted had the Department of Personnel Management and the Health Department addressed the outstanding log of claims amicably and in a sensible manner.
“The last thing that any doctor would do is to walk away from their patients in the hospital because of the hypocratic oath they all have taken as doctors to serve their patients with dedication and commitment.
“All responsible governments in the world would know this and the important role that doctors play in patient care in the health system,” he said.
In the 1999-2000 doctors strike, the undertaking that all parties took legally was that the state must do all things possible to address national doctors grievances in the industrial dispute to avert any strike action as the role played by doctors was an essential function as they dealt with human lives.
The state, through its institutions, had failed to adhere to this undertaking and must now face the consequences, he added.
“The time for negotiations is before any industrial action takes place. This is what we did in 1999 and all parties were satisfied.
“It is very sad that proper negotiations have not taken place.
“To take out a court injunction is a coward’s way out and will only add fuel to the fire.
“Those who have failed to do their job should not take part in the negotiations,” Danaya said.
Danaya, who led another doctors strike in 1999-2000, said: “The national doctors current industrial strike could have been averted had the Department of Personnel Management and the Health Department addressed the outstanding log of claims amicably and in a sensible manner.
“The last thing that any doctor would do is to walk away from their patients in the hospital because of the hypocratic oath they all have taken as doctors to serve their patients with dedication and commitment.
“All responsible governments in the world would know this and the important role that doctors play in patient care in the health system,” he said.
In the 1999-2000 doctors strike, the undertaking that all parties took legally was that the state must do all things possible to address national doctors grievances in the industrial dispute to avert any strike action as the role played by doctors was an essential function as they dealt with human lives.
The state, through its institutions, had failed to adhere to this undertaking and must now face the consequences, he added.
“The time for negotiations is before any industrial action takes place. This is what we did in 1999 and all parties were satisfied.
“It is very sad that proper negotiations have not taken place.
“To take out a court injunction is a coward’s way out and will only add fuel to the fire.
“Those who have failed to do their job should not take part in the negotiations,” Danaya said.
Court to rule
More talks ahead for striking doctors
NATIONAL Court judge Justice Catherine Davani will decide today what course the nationwide doctors’ five-day strike should take, The National reports.
She will hear the ex parte (one party) application from the state on the status of the failed negotiations between the Health and Personnel Management departments and the National Doctors Association prior to last Friday’s walkout.
Secondly, Davani will hear an application by state lawyers that the NDA executives should be held in contempt for defying her orders last Friday not to order their members to strike.
In related developments yesterday, as most of the 500 doctors throughout the country stayed away from work indefinitely:
*Deputy Prime Minister Sam Abal met with Health Minister Sasa Zibe and Public Service Minister Moses Madalina to discuss the urgency of resolving the dispute;
*Health secretary Dr Clement Malau and Personnel Management secretary John Kali announced that they were ready to meet with the NDA executives to discuss their claims for pay rise and improved working conditions;
*The disputing parties snubbed a compulsory roundtable conference called by the Public Service Conciliation and Arbitration Tribunal at 10am;
*Provincial doctors claimed they were not being updated regularly on the developments by their NDA executives in Port Moresby;
*Heath secretary refuted claims of double dipping and embezzlement of public funds by six senior executive managers of the Health Department;
*Several private clinics recorded higher than normal daily patients being treated since the weekend; and
*More than six trade unions, affiliated to the umbrella PNG Trade Union Congress, maintained their support for the NDA.
Davani’s rulings at 9.30am today would set the stage on where the dispute would be heading.
NATIONAL Court judge Justice Catherine Davani will decide today what course the nationwide doctors’ five-day strike should take, The National reports.
She will hear the ex parte (one party) application from the state on the status of the failed negotiations between the Health and Personnel Management departments and the National Doctors Association prior to last Friday’s walkout.
Secondly, Davani will hear an application by state lawyers that the NDA executives should be held in contempt for defying her orders last Friday not to order their members to strike.
In related developments yesterday, as most of the 500 doctors throughout the country stayed away from work indefinitely:
*Deputy Prime Minister Sam Abal met with Health Minister Sasa Zibe and Public Service Minister Moses Madalina to discuss the urgency of resolving the dispute;
*Health secretary Dr Clement Malau and Personnel Management secretary John Kali announced that they were ready to meet with the NDA executives to discuss their claims for pay rise and improved working conditions;
*The disputing parties snubbed a compulsory roundtable conference called by the Public Service Conciliation and Arbitration Tribunal at 10am;
*Provincial doctors claimed they were not being updated regularly on the developments by their NDA executives in Port Moresby;
*Heath secretary refuted claims of double dipping and embezzlement of public funds by six senior executive managers of the Health Department;
*Several private clinics recorded higher than normal daily patients being treated since the weekend; and
*More than six trade unions, affiliated to the umbrella PNG Trade Union Congress, maintained their support for the NDA.
Davani’s rulings at 9.30am today would set the stage on where the dispute would be heading.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Agriculture extension project recruits specialists
By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL
The Smallholder Support Services Expansion Project (SSSEP), implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, has now commenced in two additional provinces.
The expansion phase has been made possible by a K3 million grant provided by the New Zealand government through its aid agency, NZAid.
It will now be expanded to the Chimbu and Central provinces.
The agriculture smallholder extension concept was successfully trialled in the Eastern Highlands and Morobe provinces previously through funding from the Asian Development Bank.
The extension concept has been well received and has improved agriculture extension and agriculture productivity in the two provinces.
Other districts in the two provinces are now implementing the programme.
The main activities carried out under the expansion phase include training of provincial and district agriculture extension officers on the new extension process, project appraisals, capacity building and awareness.
One of the sustainability issues being addressed is development of on-going opportunities for farmers to access extension services once SSSEP is institutionalised in the target provinces.
An important outcome to address sustainability has been the establishment of a national service providers’ association (NSPA).
Plans are underway to establish a national association for service providers.
A domestic consultant, Arilla Haro, has been recruited to oversee this task.
Another important goal for the concept is to improve the status of women in agriculture by focusing support services on food crop production, income generation and market access.
Given the critical role that women play in the agriculture sector and in contributing to family livelihoods and wellbeing, it is vital that the SSSEP adopts a gender mainstreaming approach to ensure gender responsiveness of the project.
This will ensure that the concept promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women as an integral aspect for a positive outcome.
Bernadette Haro has been recruited as a gender analyst specialist to conduct a gender analysis and develop strategies to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Dr John Duguman has been recruited as a monitoring and evaluation specialist who will provide short-term inputs to assist SSSEP to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to monitor implementation progress and to evaluate the economic and financial impact of the project.
DAL’s acting secretary Anton Benjamin, whilst signing their contract agreements, thanked the New Zealand government for its funding support towards the expansion phase.
He said with two additional provinces and the recruitment of the domestic consultants, this complemented the final phase of the programme and he expected it to run smoothly.
 |
| DAL acting secretary Anton Benjamin (second from right) congratulates the three domestic consultants recruited by SSSEP after signing their contracts. From left are Bernadette Haro, Arilla Haro and Dr John Duguman. |
The expansion phase has been made possible by a K3 million grant provided by the New Zealand government through its aid agency, NZAid.
It will now be expanded to the Chimbu and Central provinces.
The agriculture smallholder extension concept was successfully trialled in the Eastern Highlands and Morobe provinces previously through funding from the Asian Development Bank.
The extension concept has been well received and has improved agriculture extension and agriculture productivity in the two provinces.
Other districts in the two provinces are now implementing the programme.
The main activities carried out under the expansion phase include training of provincial and district agriculture extension officers on the new extension process, project appraisals, capacity building and awareness.
One of the sustainability issues being addressed is development of on-going opportunities for farmers to access extension services once SSSEP is institutionalised in the target provinces.
An important outcome to address sustainability has been the establishment of a national service providers’ association (NSPA).
Plans are underway to establish a national association for service providers.
A domestic consultant, Arilla Haro, has been recruited to oversee this task.
Another important goal for the concept is to improve the status of women in agriculture by focusing support services on food crop production, income generation and market access.
Given the critical role that women play in the agriculture sector and in contributing to family livelihoods and wellbeing, it is vital that the SSSEP adopts a gender mainstreaming approach to ensure gender responsiveness of the project.
This will ensure that the concept promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women as an integral aspect for a positive outcome.
Bernadette Haro has been recruited as a gender analyst specialist to conduct a gender analysis and develop strategies to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Dr John Duguman has been recruited as a monitoring and evaluation specialist who will provide short-term inputs to assist SSSEP to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to monitor implementation progress and to evaluate the economic and financial impact of the project.
DAL’s acting secretary Anton Benjamin, whilst signing their contract agreements, thanked the New Zealand government for its funding support towards the expansion phase.
He said with two additional provinces and the recruitment of the domestic consultants, this complemented the final phase of the programme and he expected it to run smoothly.
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