NCD ends counting

By ALISON ANIS

 

Counting for the national population and housing census for the National Capital District and most parts of the country ended yesterday, The National reports.

The NCD coordinating team confirmed that officers in the district last Thursday received lump-sum payments of K280 for the K40 daily field allowances from July 11–17.

However, some officers in NCD, doing final evaluation of completed workload yesterday, admitted “not everyone living in the nation’s capital had been counted”.

Team leader for Waigani and Morata area in NCD’s zone two said his officers had not covered all the houses because the sketches from listings last year were unreliable and contained many errors, especially for the most dangerous suburbs in the city.

Jimmy Peter blamed security and the clash with the common roll update for the national elections, as “the two events which happened simultaneously and created a lot of confusion for the people”.

Peter claimed the sketches and listings for census units were inaccurate.

“When we did the actual census, we found out that some houses were not included and that certain areas on the map where it says there were no houses actually revealed there were houses and people living there.

“We found out that there were some ghost names on the listings and that the descriptions of the houses were made up,” Peter said.

He said this was evident for places like Morata 4, Baruni and some parts of Waigani.

He said in some places, the number of people living in one house was more than what was on the listings.

“Some of our officers were shouted at and chased by residents at Morata next to the swamp.

Other residents, including some of Asian origin, simply shut their doors in our face when we approached them.

“Some residents in Waigani have complained that the census people did not visit their house to get data and wanted to know why,” Peter said.

National Statistician Joseph Aka said last week they would introduce a mop-up exercise for units that were left out during counting week.

He said the mop-up would take place after results were submitted and evaluated by provincial census coordinators who would properly identify which census units had missed out.

Tiensten queries K26.2m

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

A GOVERNMENT minister has questioned how K26.2 million of the development budget was allocated when Joseph Lelang was reinstated as secretary of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring by the court early this year, The National reports.

Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Paul Tiensten said K26,287,777.75 was drawn from the development funds and paid to two organisations within three days after Lelang, who was on suspension, was reinstated by the court.

He said within two days, three separate cheques of K235,925.25 each were raised to be paid to the Korowi law firm as legal costs.

Altogether, K707,775.75 was paid to the law firm.

The cheques (000509 and 000512), for K235,925.25, were raised on June 23 this year.

A cheque (000514) for the same amount was raised the next day and addressed to Korowi Lawyers.

Tiensten said another cheque (000513) for K290,000 was paid to Vigilant Ltd for security services provided on June 24 this year.

Another cheque (000522), dated June 27, for the same amount was paid to the same company.

Tiensten also revealed a move to refer lawyer Philemon Korowi to the PNG Law Society for unprofessional conduct and for illegally obtaining development funds.

He said Korowi Lawyers was not engaged by the state, through the Department of Justice and Attorney-General, to provide legal services.

“No efforts will be spared by the government to recover all payments fraudulently paid to this Vigilant security firm and a company called Niugini Ltd belonging to Lelang and Jeffrey Yakopia,” he said.  

Tiensten said according to last year’s development budget expenditure report, two of Lelang’s political associates (named) had illegally obtained development funds totalling more than K25 million.

The matter is under investigation.

“I am of the view that Korowi Lawyers and its principal Philemon Korowi be referred to the police fraud squad and the law society for his unethical and unprofessional behaviour.

“Such actions by the government will minimise such practice by lawyers using the judiciary and court system to defraud the state,” Tiensten said.

However, Korowi yesterday welcomed Tiensten’s move to refer the matter to the police fraud squad and the law society.

He said he had no idea of three payments allegedly made to him.

“I only know of one cheque of the said amount and I do not know of the other two cheques.

“How can I be paid three times for the same amount?

“I was only owed one amount for legal fees and trying to get double payment is not my style.”

Lelang said Tiensten was trying to divert attention from the real issue of fraud of public funds by officers from his office and the department’s senior management.

He said the payment made to Korowi was in accordance with a court order in which the National Court ordered the state to pay for legal fees toget­her with the orders of his reinstatement.

Lelang said the payment made to Vigilant Ltd was done in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act, which allowed him to exercise his powers to make payments of less than K300,000.

He said the procurement processes were met and there was nothing sinister about the payments.

He said the security firm was picked because it gave the lowest quotation from the three received.

He also denied making any payments to the two people named.

Pregnant woman dies in accident

By YVONNE HAIP

 

A PREGNANT woman, a Pentecostal church pastor and another man reportedly died while others were injured during a road accident in Western Highlands yesterday, The National reports.

They were travelling in a 15-seater PMV bus to Mt Hagen from Chimbu at around midday when the accident occurred near the Nazarene Bible College at Wara Tuman along the Highlands Highway.

Police investigators were yet to confirm the details of the accident.

However, eyewitnesses, who were at the roadside, said the bus went off the road after a front tyre had burst.

The Kudjip and Mt Hagen hospitals received the victims and confirmed that three had died while others were being hospitalised.

Mourners who turned up the hospital, including a female pastor who had been travelling in the same bus but got dropped off earlier at her village in Kumbal, near the Chimbu and Western Highlands border, said they were returning from a religious gathering in Chimbu.

Gabriel Kuk, who helped health workers transfer the injured from the bus to a waiting ambulance, claimed the bus had been travelling at high speed when one of its front tyres burst.

He said the vehicle ended up in a nearby drain.

Kuk said there were 12 passengers and most of them were taken to the Kudjip Hospital for treatment. Two were transported in an ambulance to Mt Hagen.

Hospital staff transporting the injured told The National that a pregnant woman, a church pastor and another man had died during the accident.

Staff at the accidents and emergency ward at the Mt Hagen Hospital said the pastor died on arrival while the bus driver was in critical condition.

In Kudjip, more patients were being treated. A church pastor and a youth were in critical condition.

Lutheran church in rural development

Caption: A motivator under Yangpela Didiman Wokabaut in Alkena, Hagen ELC-PNG district, displaying her piggery project. - Picture by JACOB SIMINGING of YANGPELA DIDIMAN

 

By MALUM NALU

 

As the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG) celebrated 125 years of the Miti (Word of God) on Tuesday this week, so too did Lutheran Development Service (LDS), an ELC-PNG department whose emphasis is on sustainable livelihood of the people, especially the marginal in many rural Lutheran communities.

“LDS believes people need not just motivation, but opportunities and knowledge,” says acting LDS Secretary Bonnie Keoka.

“It embraces God’s teaching in Hosea 4:6:  ‘My people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge’.

“Food security and basic necessities are the focus in the role of LDS. 

“Therefore, LDS ensures in its programmes to empower people to seek, find and live in the Kingdom of God.” 

Outreach programme content of LDS is classed in three areas:  Yangpela Didiman (agriculture); financial literacy (managing and living within financial means); and basic infrastructure support (water supply, sanitation facilities).

“Agriculture, as the core of all LDS programmes, promotes sustainable agricultural activities and community development through Yangpela Didiman or basic agricultural projects, as well as chicken, poultry and cash cropping in cocoa,” Keoka explains.

“This programme caters for the growing population, the uncertainty of weather in climate change, and land potential to support the people’s demands. 

“This programme has reached over 20,000 farmers in the last 10 years.

“It has expanded into remote areas of Kabwum, Finschhafen, and Boana in Morobe province; Rai Coast, Amele and Begesin in Madang and the highlands provinces of Western Highlands, Chimbu and Eastern Highlands, along with a savings of over K115,000 with a loan portfolio of over K60,000.

“The Yangpela Didiman or agriculture programmes are carried out through efforts of 40 staff. 

“Twenty are scattered in Morobe, Eastern Highlands, and Western Highlands. 

“Chimbu branch was recently closed for shortage in funding and expertise.”

Keoka said over 5, 000 people in the marginal community were enabled to access savings facilities through the financial literacy programme also in the last 10 years.

“LDS has, within the last years, witnessed a different perspective of funding rural development projects with people’s participation,” he said.

“Infrastructure was lately introduced to LDS activities because of people’s needs.

“Over 100 water supply projects in Morobe province are now accessed by over 1,000 people in rural communities for clean water and sanitation aspects.”

LDS operates out of its main office at Malahang in Lae, Morobe province, about 2km from ELC-PNG head office at Ampo.

“With a staff of 16, six are water and sanitation officers who are on ongoing travel to implement these projects,” Keoka said.

“Ten other LDS staff made up of ancillary staff and management including a department secretary as the head, technical expertise and consultants are drawn locally and assisted through funding and expertise by Lutheran Overseas Church partners of ELC-PNG in Europe, America and Australia.

“The community projects are managed and supervised from four regional bases for the Highlands in Banz and Jiwaka; Lae is out of Malahang; Madang at Amron; and FISIKA for Finschhafen, Siassi, and Kabwum areas is coordinated from Finschhafen.”

Keoka said last December, LDS began the process of restructuring and revitalising its functions to fit the demands in this changing time.

“Such changes are necessary to accommodate requirements of the church’s strategic plan in the Vision 2020 with a household focus in achieving the church’s vision in ‘revisioning, renewing and re-vitalising the church to become missional’,” he said.

“We call on prayers, support and understanding by all Lutheran members, stakeholders and partners to walk with us in this transition into another 125 years for a better and effective service to the marginal in many disadvantaged areas of our beautiful country.

“We are grateful to the financial backing in making a difference in people’s lives by our donors – EED, Bread for the World, Lutheran overseas church partners and back donors, European Union, AusAID and the PNG government.”

Sir Mekere supports call for commission of inquiry into Department of National Planning and Monitoring

Former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta said today that he agreed with the call by Minister Peter O’Neill for the acting Prime Minister to set up immediately a commission of inquiry to investigate the K1.9 billion allegedly misappropriated this year from the development budget, including the K10 million handed out to Eremas Wartoto. 

“In fact, the terms of reference of such a commission of inquiry should reach back to cover previous years and all trust fund monies, as allegations of similar abuse have been made many times before,” he said.

“Papua New Guineans are simply fed up.

“Every day new revelations of theft and abuse are spelled out in the newspapers. 

“And nothing happens. 

“In the last eight years the Somare government through inaction and indifference has allowed corruption to overwhelm the public sector and, in turn, inflict the private sector.

“There is now truly systemic corruption practised by virtually everyone in the government along with their associates.

“I urge the acting Prime Minister to show leadership, leadership that is different from Somare, leadership that listens to the people and takes action. 

“This is Abal’s turn to make a mark if he wants to show people that he can run the nation differently from Somare. 

“He will get support if he acts on behalf of the people. 

“Papua New Guineans cannot take it anymore. 

“We are all just sick in the stomach hearing and seeing what is going on.

“ And the most annoying thing is that no action is taken. 

“Instead, thieves are rewarded.”

Sir Mekere said:  “Minister Tiensten says that all the expenditure is in order. 

“We need the details, not just his words.  

“For instance, the K10 million that he allegedly handed out to Mr Wartoto to buy aeroplanes.

“Where is this in the 2011 Budget? 

“We did not hear anything about it last November when the budget was presented to Parliament.  

“And what is the development rationale to give subsidy to this company, and not others? 

“How was this one selected? 

“What are the criteria? 

“Can he spell it out so that other Papua New Guinean businesses can apply for these free government subsidies?

“Can Paul Tiensten and Arthur Somare tell us why the Government should hand out millions to a private airline, when Arthur is the lord and master of Air Niugini, which is struggling to provide domestic services. 

“I am sure every member of the travelling public has experienced delays or had flights cancelled when travelling on Air Niugini.

“Why not give the K10 million to Air Niugini for new aircraft?

“Many stories abound that certain influential members of the Kitchen Cabinet are silent beneficial owners of Travel Air, and of other businesses which have benefitted from these indiscriminate hand-outs from trust funds and the development budget, which is under the control not of Cabinet as in the National Executive Council, but of the Kitchen Cabinet.

“Only a commission of inquiry has the legal power to dig out and reveal the truth. 

“Unfortunately, despite the good honest work of many police officers, the tentacles of the Kitchen Cabinet appear to strangulate sections of the Police Force and we can no longer rely on the outcome of police investigations. 

“Let a commission of inquiry undertake the appropriate investigation and refer any matters that might be criminal to the police for prosecution.

“I urge the acting Prime Minister to close his ears to the protestations of his ministers, and listen to and act for the people.” 

Sir Mekere said:  “The (acting) Prime Minister has the sole power and authority to establish a commission of inquiry. 

“Mr Abal, Papua New Guineans await your action.”

 

K1.9 billion probe on

Special police unit to investigate fraud claims at National Planning

 

POLICE Commissioner Tony Wagambie yesterday announced an investigation into the purported misapplication of K1.9 billion of the development budget, The National reports.

At the same time, Works Minister Peter O'Neill broke with tradition by calling for the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the use of the development budget.

A police fraud investigation and a commission of inquiry are separate processes.

The man in the hot seat, National Planning and Rural Development Minister Paul Tiensten, denied the allegations of mismanagement yesterday, claiming K1.8 billion had been paid out of the development budget for legitimate and budgeted programmes and projects over the first six months of the year.

Wagambie announced yesterday that he has established and commissioned a special unit within the crimes directorate at police headquarters in Port Moresby to look into the allegations of the billion-kina fraud made by former secretary of National Planning Joseph Lelang.

A report compiled by a private law firm, Korowi Lawyers, as part of investigations to support Lelang's court battle against the state, had alleged K1.9 billion had been paid out over three months, much of which was paid to political cronies and for unbudgeted items.

The report named several individuals and companies involved in these alleged illegal dealings.

Wagambie, who is also chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Alliance (Naca), had made known his intention to convene the board of Naca to initiate separate investigations into the fraud allegations.

O'Neill last week told an audience in Kerema, Gulf, that Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal should establish a commission of inquiry into the management and disbursement of the development budget.

While addressing the launch of that province's development plans, the former finance and treasury minister said: "The development budget constitutes half of the national budget. The people need to know how funds are used.

"We have serious concerns that budget appropriations are being misdirected so as to raise serious breaches of the Finance Management Act.

"The breaches are so frequent and the amounts that are stated are quite large and the country deserves to know.

"In all fairness, this requires an independent commission of inquiry to establish the facts."

NCD officers stop work

By ALISON ANIS

 

COUNTING for the nine zones in the National Capital District was affected when more than 1,000 census officers chose to take a day off in protest over the non-payment of their daily field allowances, The National reports.

And a ward councilor for Rigo Inland has condemned their decision to leave their posts over the delay in the payment of allowances, saying officers working outside the urban centres had a tougher task to perform but never complained.

Frustrated zone coordinators had to leave their "control centres" at noon yesterday after receiving complaints from field officers wanting to know why the payments had been delayed.

The National spoke with field coordinators and officers from the four zones in NCD, who said some were frustrated and left for home while a few chose to continue the enumeration.

"There was a sit-in protest yesterday by our officers who refused to carry out the enumeration until they received their payments. They waited until 1pm for the payments and left the field when they were advised the payments were not ready," NCD zone two chairman Phillip Tiki said.

Zone three coordinator Julius Bakaman said: "The daily allowances are supposed to cover for our lunches during the enumeration."

Zone two covers Waigani, Gerehu, Morata, UPNG, Ensisi and Erima. Zone three covers Tokarara and Hohola.

Field officers in zone eight, covering 6-Mile and Boroko, were told to do as they pleased after they also raised similar complaints.

Counting was aborted in Bomana, 8-Mile, ATS Compound, Laloki, Tete settlement and Fisherman Island.

A senior officer with the NCD census team said the cheques had been released yesterday and the officers would be getting paid soon.

Ward councillor for Rigo Inland Alex Apore criticised the NCD officers for abandoning their work "when they were in a privileged position to do the counting".

"I cannot believe these people are crying out for daily allowances when they have access to everything, including transport," he said.

"Here, in the most difficult part of Central, our coordinator and his officers walk 40-50km everyday to collect people's data and not even a single complaint had come from them," Apore said.

He said for places such as Doro-Bisoro and Mt Maria, which could not be reached by vehicles, interviewers and their supervisors had to walk for up to three days.

"Allowance is not an issue here because that will come later. We want to do the job for our country and, if people can use that kind of thinking, everything will progress well," Apore said.