Wartoto defends K10 million subsidy

caption: The 'K10 million' aircraft – Mangi Lo Peles ... Owner Eremas Wartoto yesterday admitted he had applied for and received government funding of K10 million following due process and denied any fraudulent dealings. The  money was used to buy five Fokker 50 aircraft.

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

A Kokopo-based businessman, who obtained K10 million under the development budget to set up an airline, said yesterday the money was a government budgeted subsidy and not a bogus claim, The National reports.

Eremas Wartoto, a successful Papua New Guinean businessman who has invested more than K100 million in the airline industry, and has bought five Fokker 50 aeroplanes, has several other business interests including travel services, hire cars, construction and hotel and shipping industries locally and abroad.

He said since venturing into the airline industry, he needed infrastructure to be in place and applied for a government grant as a citizen to get the buildings and "other necessary things" in place before the planes were flown into the country to begin operations.

He said the government had helped his company, Travel Air, with K10 million "which was just 10% of the K100 million investment over the next five years".

Wartoto said the government was shown the investment plan and approved the subsidy through the public-private partnership programme to help with setting up infrastructure to start operating his five Fokker 50 aeroplanes.

"I submitted the application on behalf of the company last year and went through the normal government screening procedures," he said.

"There was nothing sinister about the payment.   

"It was not a bogus claim as reported. It is a significant development that the government saw fit to support and I am grateful for the help.

 "We appreciate the government's vision to at least subsidise 10% of that investment.

"This investment will be based in Madang, replacing the Airlink ser­vice which was servicing much-needed air routes that are not currently serviced on a daily basis," Wartoto said.

He said his airline would open up air routes that had not been served by other airlines. These routes included Aitape, Kandrian and Aropa.

He said two of his planes were sitting in Maastricht, in the Netherlands, awaiting Casa PNG clearance at the end of this month for delivery early next month.

Wartoto said three other aircraft in Malaysia were being prepared to be delivered around the same time.

He said he had signed up on two additional aircraft in Maastricht that would be ready for delivery in October.

Meanwhile, another internationally known and established consultant company, David Consultants and Associates which received K4.1 million, denied receiving bogus payments.

Managing director David Pondoros, who was also named in the newspaper report, said his company was engaged to do two important national projects; the Abaca study and the diesel-free rural electrification programme.

He said the first payment of K500,000 was for the Abaca project, an important project that would be­-nefit the country while the other

K3.6 million was for the air compressor generator "to light up rural communities".

"Lawyer Philemon Korowi failed to do a proper research and had compiled a report based on the payment print to destroy my name and that of my company when everything, including the acquittals, was in place."

ISP, IT firms get operating licences

By ANCILLA WRAKUALE

 

PAPUA New Guinea’s internet and information technology providers were issued operating licences by the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (Nicta) yesterday, The National reports.

The licences covered the ISPs’ migration to Nicta of licences from the previous licencing agency Pangtel and the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission.

This was in line with reforms in the ICT sector under the national ICT Act 2009 and subsequent creation of Nicta last Octover.

As part of the reforms to make the sector competitive, Nicta was now the sole licencing and regulatory body and was spearheading the migration of licences issued by the  defunct Pangtel/ICCC.

Chief executive officer Charles Punaha said it had taken a while for Nicta to undertake the process due to ongoing consultation process with the ICT operators.

Telikom was issued   the individual network licence, the international gateway licence and the individual applications licence.

Daltron was issued an individual network licence and an individual applications licence.

The other ICT service providers like Daltron, Global internet, DataNets, MiCom and Comserve were also issued individual applications licences.

Punaha said Daltron was the only company that requested for the network licence apart from Telikom and Punaha.

He told other ICT operators to submit forms early so that they could work on their request.

Punaha also urged them to comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the licence.

He said the deadline for the consultation process with the ICT operators is Aug 5 and urged the operators to provide them with feedback as the information gathered would go towards setting conditions for the licence which would apply to them.

Census hiccup

Shortage of interview manuals and pads delay counting

 

By ALISON ANIS

 

COUNTING for the national population and housing census has faced hiccups since Monday, most notably the shortage of census pads for data entry, according to an official, The National reports.

Some officers yesterday claimed they were still to be paid their K40 daily allowances.

Kila Geberi, the census coordinator for the Southeast region which included Central, Northern, Milne Bay and NCD, said most census teams around the country had stopped working because there was a shortage of 5,000 census pads.

They also needed another 1,000 manuals to guide interviewers.

“There is a shortfall of census pads throughout the country and we also need more interviewers’ guides or manual,’’ Geberi said. “We may have underestimated the workload and distances in earlier assessments of workload formation.”

Geberi said: “The number of people in the household has grown over the 10-year period and, because there are many small villages scattered across remote areas, most of our field officers are now facing that (problem) during their operations.”

He said the workload was spread between 40 and 50 families after considering the distance and the time needed by each provincial census coordinators.

“We are advised by Moore Printing that 5,000 copies of the census pad would be ready for delivery at the end of today (yesterday) or tomorrow (today),” Geberi said.

The census pad contains 65 census questionnaire forms and a single form can cater for seven people.

He said counting in some parts of Milne Bay, Northern and Central began on Monday while counting in other parts were held up because of the shortage of census pads.

Geberi said some interviewers and supervisors were still conducting their training this week.

“Counting in NCD started on Monday and is progressing well despite some minor setbacks.

“In some parts of Central, Northern and Milne Bay, counting may be delayed as some officers are doing their training.

“That means counting will begin on Saturday and throughout next week,” Geberi said.

He said he had been advised that Safia and Keva LLGs in remote Northern had not started counting because the field officers were still undergoing training.

He said there were some delays with funding for the training.

Meanwhile, some NCD field officers were still complaining yesterday about the non-payment of their K40 field allowances.

As of 5pm yesterday, there was no confirmation from the census coordinators in NCD that the officers had received their allowances.

The funds were still with the Department of Finance and Treasury.

Chief magistrate denies knowledge of bail bid

CHIEF Magistrate Jack August has denied media reports that he had directed a District Court magistrate to hear and approve bail for National Planning and Monitoring secretary Joseph Lelang, The National reports.

Lelang had been charged with breaking and entering into his former office, an offence he allegedly committed days before he was reinstated.

On Monday, The National had reported that Lelang’s lawyer, Philemon Korowi, had turned up at the Port Moresby court house early last Friday morning to pursue a bail application for his client.

The lawyer’s action, however, was contrary to a direction by magistrate Rossie Johnson for all parties to be at the Waigani District Court.

Korowi had claimed that he was directed by the chief magistrate to appear before magistrate Josephine Niduwe in town and successfully posted a K1,000 bail for Lelang.

However, August yesterday denied giving such directions for the matter tobe heard in town.

He said the claims by Korowi “may amount to a serious professional misconduct” and he could be referred to the PNG Law Society.

In a media statement, August said he did not direct any magistrate to hear Lelang’s bail application last Friday.

He said Niduwe had just joined the Magisterial Services and “Lelang’s lawyer may have taken advantage of her recent appointment to push his own agenda”.

“The counsel for Lelang has misled the Waigani Committal Court. This is totally false and unbecoming of a member of the legal fraternity and may amount to a serious professional misconduct.”

August said he was officially on tour to Kimbe and left last Thursday. He returned to Port Moresby on Monday.

He said it was impossible for him to sanction a bail hearing as he was in Kimbe last Friday.

 

 

Landslip leaves 200 homeless

By ZACHERY PER

 

MORE than 200 families from three major clans in Yongomugl, Chimbu, have been displaced by a major landslip, The National reports.

The Gena, Kindiku and Sunagaumo clans have lost homes, coffee trees, garden produce and animals in the landslip at the Porol Mountain.

The landslip started three weeks ago about a kilometre away from the major Gera landslip that occurred in 2008 and cut the Highlands Highway off, stopping the flow of basic services into the hinterlands of the highlands region for a month.

The National visited the displaced families last weekend and saw them covered in mud as a sign of mourning for their land, homes, gardens, ceremonial grounds, cemeteries, coffee trees and livestock.

The people are living in makeshift shelters.

A local, Naire Kawagle, who was one of the first to see the landslip, said it started on June 26 and, since then, the land had been slipping continuously.

He said it had destroyed property and homes worth thousands of kina.

Ward councillor Kuike Kowane, who spoke on behalf of the affected clans, said more than 200 families were now living in makeshift shelters.

He said there had been no response from the Chimbu provincial government and politicians after they were alerted.

“Our children cannot go to school and we are missing out on this coffee season.

“Our gardens are destroyed and we are without food and are severely affected,” Kowane said.

Speaking on behalf of the women, Esther Andy said all their food gardens had been destroyed and they did not know who to turn to for help.

 “When the landslips were occurring, we ran off with our children and left our gardens, houses and properties to be destroyed,” she said.

Spokesman John Aina called on the National Disaster Centre, Chimbu provincial government and local MP Jeffery Nape to step in and help.

Opposition concerned about controversies against Abal

The opposition today expressed serious concern about the accumulating controversies against the acting prime minister Sam Abal which he seems to ignore in pursuit of the nation’s top post.

Deputy leader of opposition Sam Basil said that the people have had enough of controversies, legal blunders and ill-repute against the top post.

“They deserve a government led by a prime minister they can depend on and have confidence in,” Basil said.

“In any other country, any impropriety by a member of an acting prime minister is sufficient cause for resignation to protect the integrity of the public office.

“In PNG, we describe it as a police matter and refuse the perception that if a leader cannot manage and mentor those in his household to be good citizens, what qualification does he have to lead a nation?”

Basil, who is also Bulolo MP, slammed the latest revelations of questionable funding management in relation to the acting prime minister’s district funds.

“The integrity with which a leader handles district finances indicates his qualification to handle national finances,” he said.

“ An acting prime minister,  regardless of who is in that post and especially one who is actively pursuing a permanent election into that position of prime minister,  should be squeaky clean.

“Sacking cabinet ministers like Don Polye and William Duma because they are likely contenders for the prime minister’s post demonstrate insecurity and an unhealthy early hint on the attitude to wielding of power by Mr Abal.

“The Opposition is calling on all right-thinking MPs – in Government and in our ranks – to completely halt the Somare era and the negative leadership legacy that has tarnished our leadership quality and capability.

“Now is the time to act.

“Let’s mobilise; align aright and begin the re-alignment process of leadership before it is too late.”

 

Singapore’s off limits

Sir Michael's doctor has no practising rights in Singapore

 

By FRANK SENGE KOLMA

 

THE legal process, which began two weeks ago to determine the medical fitness of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, has hit a snag, The National reports.

Sir Michael's long-time physician, Dr Isi Kevau, who was scheduled to fly to Singapore today, does not have jurisdiction to perform any medical examination on the ailing prime minister, a medical doctor claimed yesterday.

Specialist surgeon Dr Kristoffa Robert Ninkama said from Australia that Kevau, or any other PNG doctor, could not produce a legally binding report on the prime minister because none of them were registered on the Singapore Medical Council and, so, they have "no practising right of whatever kind at any Singaporean health facilities".

Moreover, Kevau discharged his responsibilities of care over Sir Michael when he referred him to the doctors at the Singapore hospital who accepted him.

Doctor-patient confidentiality forbid that Kevau can just charge in there and return with a report.

Ninkama said: "This effectively means he has no jurisdiction of care to Sir Michael as a doctor in Singapore other than an ongoing interest of his care as a second or third party.

"This means Kevau cannot perform a physical examination on Sir Michael while in Singapore for it will be deemed illegal.

 "He, therefore, cannot produce an independent primary medical report and make recommendations on the health status of Sir Michael from any Singaporean hospital because he ceases to exist as a doctor within Singaporean jurisdiction," Ninkama said.

"Any primary report from Kevau from Singapore would be deemed illegal and may not be legally-binding."

Kevau had himself cited jurisdictional and doctor-patient confidentiality issues when he addressed the National Executive Council last week and reported that he would not be able to produce a medical report as directed by cabinet.

Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal revealed on Sunday that Kevau was due to fly to Singapore today to see the PM.

Ninkama said this must follow set processes to avoid unnecessary ethical and legal repercussions.

He suggested getting the chief physician in charge of Sir Michael in Singapore, or his delegate, to write a fully informed interim medical report and recommendations on his patient to Kevau.

"This primary report, and what is observed at ground zero in Singapore of Sir Michael's physical state of health, together with his personal and family's wishes, will form the basis for Kevau and another PNG colleague to formulate an informed and independent secondary report and recommendations for the acting PM, NEC and PNG," Ninkama said.

A medical report from two recognised medical practitioners is a requirement under section 142 of the Constitution to remove any sitting prime minister for reasons of physical or mental incapacity to carry out the duties of their office.