Old and new come together in Vision City Mega Mall grand opening

Caption: Fireworks light up Vision City Mega Mall at last Friday's grand opening

 

PEOPLE at the Vision City Mega Mall on the opening day on Friday may be excused for thinking they had entered a time warp.

 Outside in the car park they were greeted by the Ovia Group singsing troupe from Hisiu dancing with kundu drums and grass skirts.

Inside, were the colourfully-attired and painted Huli dancers of the Southern Highlands.

Then the visitors stood, many with dropped jaw, to find the mall's three-storey atrium darkened space lit up to pounding techno music and the eyeball- splitting spectacle of laser beams slicing through the air to list the range of business and services provided by the Rimbunan Hijau PNG.

They range from forestery, shipping, airline, computer, supermarket and the newspaper business.

Pay-week shoppers already crowding the mall in the afternoon were joined by more throngs wanting to be part of this milestone in Port Moresby's growth, the opening of a retail presence with floor space the area of four football fields, dwarfing many of the present shopping spots.

This, in the words of one of the people there, is "a city in itself", self-sufficient, with shops, a medical centre, supermarket, ATMs, phone service centres, pharmacy and restaurants.

And at long last, there will be a cinema, taking us across time again to a fond Port Moresby memory, of the Wards Cinema and Skyline Drive-in movie place of the 1960s, which closed when public safety became an issue.

This shiny new mega mall will be even more complete over the next decade, when Vision City adds on a hotel and residential apartments.

All this on ground previously a dusty wasteland, a stone's throw from Parliament and down the road from the abandoned infamous "pineapple building".

We have a ways to go, however.

Consider the big splotch of red betelnut spit spotted in the corner of the pristine main ground floor walkway last Friday night. 

Sympathy to the team of cleaners.

Someone at least has yet to be accustomed to the civic conscious "new age".

Papua New Guinea is “place to be” for investors

Caption:Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal unveils a plaque to commemorate the opening of Vision City Mega Mall as RH Executive Director Tan Sri Datuk Tiong Hiew King (right) and RH PNG Managing Director James Lau look on.-Picture by AURI EVA

 

By MALUM NALU

 

Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal says Papua New Guinea has made a complete turnaround from previous years and is now "the place to be" for investors.

Abal said this when addressing guests at a dinner last night to celebrate the opening of Vision City Mega Mall as well as the 20^th anniversary of Rimbunan Hijau.

He had earlier unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the iconic Vision City Mega Mall owned by RH.

"Many things are happening in the country, thanks to the LNG," he said.

"We (government) have always been pro-investor and I think that will stay.

"We are looking at a turnaround of the country.

"We have grown from a minus 2% growth rate to 7-8% growth rate now.

"Good things are in store and Papua New Guinea is the place to be."

Abal said RH, unlike many other companies, didn't run away from the country.

"RH put trust in this country at a time when many others didn't," he said.

"PNG was not a good investment place but they stayed."

"I want to congratulate you (RH) and welcome investors in general."

Abal said PNG was blessed which resources which must be exploited for the benefit of the people.

"It's a blessing that PNG has all the resources it has," he said,

"It's important that these resources are exploited for the benefit of the people.

Opposition against Abal's actions

Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal's decision for a Commission of Inquiry into the Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABL) and subsequent suspension of logging permits under such leases has come under scathing attack from the Opposition.

Leader of PNG Party, Belden Namah is leading the onslaught with more stiff opposition expected from the stakeholders throughout Papua New Guinea.

Namah said under SABL, private funds were invested to establish important sustainable agriculture and forestry projects providing employment and business opportunities for thousands of people in rural parts of the country, where the national government has failed miserably.

"Land owners have power to obtain SABL to develop resources in their customary land in the absence of government initiated agriculture projects," he said.

"Land owners and private investors have taken the initiative to invest their resources in agriculture projects with private sector investors because the government has failed in the agriculture sector.

"An indicative of this is the miserable failure of the Government's controversial National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP).

"Mr Abal has no power whatsoever to stop or suspend agriculture projects operating under SABL.

"Stakeholders must not listen to the current government.

"Unless there are specific court orders, businesses should continue as usual.

"National Government does not have the right.

"Landowners have the absolute right over the use of their land."

Namah warned the government to consider seriously the effects of such bad decisions on the livelihood of hundreds of thousands people and its ramifications.

As well, he said the government was sending wrong signals to the private sector and businesses that had made enormous sacrifices and contributions to PNG's agriculture industry.

"Agriculture has always been the livelihood of Papua New Guineans," Namah said.

"No Government or Prime Minister will stop that.

"I strongly discourage landowners through Lands Department not to sell any customary land to foreigners.

"We should encourage partnership with foreign investors instead."

Papua New Guinea a ‘star performer’ with 7.1% GDP growth

 

By BOSORINA ROBBY

 

PAPUA New Guinea has been identified in a United Nation-sponsored survey to be the star performer among the Pacific Islands' economies with a 7.1% GDP growth last year, compared to 5.5% in 2009, The National reports.

The report titled "Asia-Pacific economies face fresh challenges to sustaining dynamic growth of 2010" , which was launched yesterday, was conducted by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

It stated that PNG was one of three economies in the Asia-Pacific region to record improved GDP growth performance, with most of the other islands virtually stagnating.

UN resident coordinator Dr Bertrand Desmoulins, who presented the report to the Bank of PNG's acting governor Benny Popoitai, highlighted other results of the survey, including challenges the region would face this year.

With 8.8% growth last year, the economies of Asia-Pacific recovered strongly from the global financial crisis in 2008-09 but challenges facing them now include the return of the food and fuel price crises, sluggish recovery in the advanced economies and a deluge of short term capital flows leading to volatility in capital markets, asset bubbles and appreciating exchange rates.

The report stated that PNG's strong economic growth was a result of good higher commodity prices from strong demands of oil, gold, copper, coffee, cocoa and palm oil, and also from the LNG project.

It, however, warned of the high inflation rates that would occur.

Desmoulins said while overall, there was deceleration in inflation in some major Pacific Islands' developing economies, PNG recorded the highest inflation rate in this region at 6% last year.

The report further revealed that PNG was expected to lead the growth of the Pacific Islands' economies of 2.4% with an 8% growth this year, boosted by rising commodity prices and growth in domestic demand coupled with acceleration in investment in the LNG and several mining projects.

However, the resource boom needed to be well managed so that rapid economic expansion does not translate into continuously high inflation.

Desmoulins stated that the government was encouraged to translate the funds from the resource boom into social benefits, especially for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable population groups.

The report identified that the ever-present challenge for the Pacific Island developing economies, including PNG, was to diversify their economies, having been seen now as the growth driver and anchor of stability of the global economy.

‘Inmates were forced out’

By JUNIOR UKAHA

 

THE 90 escapees who were "forced to escape under the gun-barrel" from the Bui-Iebi prison in Mendi, Southern Highlands, by an armed gang in the early hours of Wednesday morning were believed to be heading in two separate directions, Correctional Services Commissioner Richard Sikani said, The National reports.

He said one group, allegedly led by Paul Rambo, a local from upper Mendi and the inmate who stole a police vehicle, was heading towards upper Mendi and further towards Tari, Koroba, Margarima and Kutubu in the Hela region.

He said the other group was led by Peter Hena from Pangia, who was jailed for murder, and was heading towards the eastern end of Mendi, aiming for Kagua, Pangia and Mt Hagen.

Sikani said the group led by Rambo were suspected to be keeping all the arms and ammunition that had been stolen from the CS armoury in Bui-Iebi.

A source from Bui-Iebi jail said the CS jail commander, Felix Namane, and PPC Teddy Tei went on-air on radio at 7pm on Wednesday to appeal to the people of Mendi and Southern Highlands not to harbour these criminals and to report them to police.

Supt Tei gave a seven-day ultimatum to the gang to return all the stolen weapons and for the escapees to voluntarily surrender to police and CS officers.

Sikani said no escapees had been recaptured except the one who was picked up by his men and police near Kiburu Lodge Junction in Mendi.

He said no arms had been recovered thus far and he appealed to the community leaders to help recover the weapons.

He said around 60 men were engaged in the recapture operation, with 15 men from the local CS command and 40 officers from the Mendi riot police.

A source said Highway Patrol 17 of Kaupena, in Ialibu, had been notified of the escape and were monitoring the highway along Western Highlands-Southern Highlands border at Kaupena.

The source said the escapees were dangerous criminals and included men who were serving time for robbery and rape.

One of them was jailed for attempting to set fire to a company's helicopter.  

Price war on rice begins

By BOSORINA ROBBY

 

DESPITE 19 brands of rice being available locally, the price of this staple has not fallen, the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission said, The National reports.

It said, instead, rice prices had risen in most urban and semi-urban households, which, in most cases, was rice supplied by Trukai Industries Ltd, the main distributor and miller.

An ICCC report stated that the declaration of Trukai's Roots Rice to be price-monitored was because that brand "is traditionally consumed by low to middle income earners and is currently the leading brand in the market".

"Any price changes would lead to price increases on other rice brands."

The report said the setup of other companies had not led to a fall in prices of the Trukai brand.

It said prices had increased to match the price imposed by Trukai.

ICCC commissioner and chief executive officer Dr Billy Manoka told the Ekonomics Society forum that the increasing competition in the rice market had not translated into falling retail prices for consumers in recent years.

He said the ICCC "is maintaining a vigilant eye for collusion among wholesalers and importers".

He said the ICCC moved away from direct price control to factory gate price monitoring of rice, flour and sugar in the mid-2000s as there was some sort of competition.

"However, competition does not appear to be working as we view that retail prices have continued to increase over recent years not withstanding falling factory gate prices for some of these products".

"The commission has commenced monitoring the wholesale and retail prices of all brands apart from the factory gate prices of the products that are milled in PNG," he said.

An online survey into 32 consumers' buying power revealed that despite being expensive, Trukai has always been the trusted brand for them (12/32) and they kept on buying it, preferring its taste and quality.

Nine respondents preferred the Trukai Jasmine rice because it is cheaper than the other Trukai brands and tasted better, offering a healthier choice to Roots Rice (8/32) while three chose to buy Brown Rice and other rice brands.

Showtime tomorrow as NARI celebrates 14th birthday

Caption: School children being shown analytical services provided by NARI at last year's innovation show.

 

By JAMES LARAKI of NARI

 

The PNG National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) turned 14 years old on Monday.

Fourteen years on, NARI has been in the forefront, promoting and undertaking agricultural research for sustainable development.

The institute has made dedicated contribution to innovative agricultural development in the country through scientific research, knowledge creation and information exchange.

During this short period, the institute has been recognised nationally and internationally as the leading research organisation of high development relevance to Papua New Guinea.

To commemorate its 14^th anniversary, the institute is hosting an 'Agricultural Innovations Show' at the Sir Alkan Tololo Research Centre, 10 Mile – Bubia, outside Lae, tomorrow.

Director-General Dr Raghunath Ghodake said the event was organised around the theme "Investing in Innovative Agriculture for Prosperity".

Dr Gohdake said the theme reaffirmed NARI's view that progress through innovative agricultural development was essential if PNG was to realise Vision 2050 and become a wealthy and prosperous nation.

"The nation has the need, great potential and vast opportunity to prosper through innovative agriculture, and hence the focus on investing in innovative agriculture," he said.

"The theme is in line with NARI's efforts in encouraging consistent investment in agriculture, particularly in research, to develop technologies and innovations which are crucial agents in innovative agriculture and rural development.

"With the economy projected to grow at 8.5 % and the LNG and other related projects coming on stream, PNG has a more favourable environment and opportunities now than ever before for all stakeholders to make positive contribution to innovative agricultural development in general, and to research, science and technology, in particular."

Since its inception in 2007, the agricultural innovations show has become a popular annual event to recognise and value the importance of innovations in agricultural development, and create and promote awareness on the significant role of research, science and technology in innovative agricultural and rural development.

Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Paru Aihi will be the chief guest while the guest of honour will be Morobe Governor Luther Wenge.

On the occasion of the 14^th anniversary, Dr Ghodake acknowledged the invaluable support from the government of PNG, AusAID, European Union, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (AVIAR) and key collaborators and partners locally and abroad.