K700m allocated for free education

By GABRIEL LAHOC

THE O'Neill-Namah government has already put aside K700 million for free education in a separate trust account for the 2012 academic year, Education Minister Theodore Zurenuoc told a crowd in his native Finschhafen last Friday, The National reports.
Zurenuoc announced this to the delight of the people, especially parents and students.
The amount is K100 million more than that which was announced by the former government.
The money is expected to be included in the 2012 budget as it is not budgeted for this year.
He announced that the funding of K4 million for major projects in Finschhafen was already approved and awaiting construction to start.
"The free education fund will be released in early January to all schools," he told the people.
This will alleviate fears expressed by the Catholic Education agency earlier that past administrations have been not delivering education subsidies on time to schools throughout the country.
"Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has assured me that we have the money to pay for the school fees of the children of PNG.
"Parents, you will not pay any school fees next year," he said.
He said this development meant that parents nationwide would save K700 million.
Zurenuoc also announced funding for the district's agriculture programme and road upgrading programme worth K1 million each.
The isolated Pindiu High School in the Hube local level government will undergo a massive facelift with a K3 million funding that has been approved.
The upgrading of Pindiu will be one of the biggest developments to be undertaken in the district because the school is in dire need to upgrade its facilities.
The much needed projects had been prioritised by the joint district planning and budget priority committee after he and his
administration officers visited more than 90% of the communities in the district early this year.

Agiru: O’Neill did not follow process

SOUTHERN Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru said on Monday that Mendi town was under siege because of rushed decisions by Prime Mi­nister Peter O'Neill to reinstate William Powi as administrator, The National reports.
He accused the PM of not following due processes.
Agiru said there was no vacancy in the office of the administrator after Powi's expired.
He said Lawrence Olkoben was appointed by the NEC after all due processes were followed.
He said Southern Highlands had been a no-go zone and that he had restored normalcy in the province in the past four years.
"No action in Waigani or wherever should put off course the Southern Highlands," Agiru said.
Agiru said Southern Highlands was host to the LNG project and these were critical times.
"Gas in the province is still under my feet while Mendi town is under seige by youths."
Agiru said at no stage was he contacted by this government on what was going on in his province.
"The greatest theft of power happened when the Grand Chief's government was illegally removed.
"We have traditional customs, values that we must uphold including respect for the elderly and the sick," he said, adding the seven MPs from the province were still with Sir Michael's government.

Police took sides in Mendi, locals claim

MOBILE squad 9 from Tari in the Hela region is now in charge of security at the 7-storey Agiru Centre in Mendi town, Southern Highlands, The National reports.
The armed policemen were called in after Mendi police personnel were allegedly taking sides in the clash involving the supporters of two acting provincial administrators – William Powi and Lawrence Olkoben – on Monday.
Some members of the provincial executive council told The National yesterday from Mendi that they would lodge a formal complaint with the Police Commissioner Tony Wagambie.
The PEC members alleged that instead of acting neutrally, police allegedly sided with one faction and fired several shots at the other.
Council president for Nipa-Basin and chairman for LLG and district affairs David Navur said they kept some empty shells fired by police.
Navur, who claimed to speak on behalf of other PEC members in the province like Andrew Kit, chairman of law and order, Joe Kunukun (chairman Works and Transport), Benny Putari (chairman education) and Ailo Arapa (chairman Community Service) said the incident happened in front of the people and they were in a process of compiling statements from the witnesses.
He said it was a serious matter and they would take it up with the appropriate authority for disciplinary actions and also sue the state in court for damages.
Navur claimed that two men seriously injured from bullet wounds were taken to Mt Hagen General Hospital on Monday afternoon.
He said nine other people who received  bullet pellets were treated at the Mendi General Hospital on Monday and discharged.
He said those  injured were with Olkoben.
Navur was not sure how many people from other side were injured.
He said more than 30 other people sustained minor injuries from missiles exchanged between the supporters.
Meanwhile, he said both Powi and Olkoben didn't enter the Agiru Centre yesterday and police from Tari were protecting it.
Provincial police commander Teddy Tei could not be reached for comments.

Chimbu eliminations begin

By ZACHERY PER

A TOTAL of 51,643 ballots allowed in the Kundiawa-Gembogl by-election count remain "alive" among the 27 surviving candidates after early eliminations yesterday, The National reports.
According to the progressive count posted on the board at the end of 16th eli­mi­nation there were 74 ballots exhausted.
Kundiawa-Gembogl Returning Of­fi­cer James Piapia expects more ballots to be exhausted towards the end of today and tomorrow as second and third pre­fe­rences for eliminated candidates surface.
As Piapia suspended counts last night 16 candidates had been eliminated leaving 27 candidates still in the race.
The elimination continues today with candidates who have the least number of votes to be the next to be forced out of the race.
Candidates eliminated from the race as of the 16th elimination were Christina Num Nulai, William Gumane, John Brown, Philip Gena Kimagl, Maima Gull, Susan Dua Dingi, Peter Baka, Willie Drua, Toby Gende Abraham, Timon Wena, Loko Kal Ongatnem, Paul Gandi Dekemba, Joe Merimba, Tangil Iambakey Okuk, Peter Kuglo Peter and Paul Gegasunga Gags.
When their preferences were distributed, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's Peoples National Congress Party candidate Peter Waieng maintained his lead with 6¸932 votes. Veteran politician and former Minister Mathew Siune is on 5, 117 votes while Constitutional Democratic candidate Tobias Kulang is on 4,379 votes and former MP Wagi Merimba is on 3,814. People's Party candidate Paul Gende is running fifth with 3,725 votes.
A winner is expected to be declared by tomorrow or Friday before the writs are returned to the governor-general by Aug 26

National Planning plans visits to LLGs

By ALISON ANIS

THE Department of Na­tional Planning and Monitoring is carrying out a consultative programme targeting all lo­cal level governments (LLG), Mi­nister Sam Basil says, The National reports.
Basil yesterday an­noun­ced the consul­ta­tions process would begin on Monday in Alotau, Milne Bay.
"This is the first time we will be consulting with the LLG managers in all four regions to see how we can work with them to improve service delivery and basic infrastructure," he said at a media briefing at Vulu­pindi Haus.
Basil said district and provincial administrators were invited to join the meetings planned for this month but the key people during consultations would be LLG councillors and managers.
"These are the people who truly represent the grassroots and people of the country," he said.
"We believe that all LLGs and districts in PNG must have the resources and must be empowered to look after themselves," Basil said.
He said his team would be visiting Kokopo, East New Britain, on Aug 24-25 to talk to LLG ma­nagers from the Islands region, including the Bou­gain­ville Autonomous Region.
Basil said on Aug 26, the department would meet with Highlands LLG heads in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands.
Consultations with the Momase group would be held in Madang on Aug 29.
Basil said the aim was to bring tangible development at LLG level and see improvement of services delivery to the people.
"One way to do that is through public-private partnership (PPP) with government agencies, business houses and other credible organisations to see that rural people have direct access to services such as transport, electricity, communications and technology such as provided through the installation of VSat."
Basil said it was the dream of the new government to see that people had access to health, education and that the overall social welfare was improved.

State’s lawyer keeps plans ‘confidential’

By SAMUEL RAITANO

LAWYERS representing the state will not disclose how the attorney-general will serve a copy of the amended Supreme Court reference by the East Sepik provincial government to Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, The National reports.
Lawyer Greg Shepard, of Young and Williams Lawyers, is representing Attorney-General Dr Allan Marat.
Shepard said disclosure of such information, though in this case was of public interest, would touch on lawyer-client confidentiality.
When asked what would happen if nobody was allowed to visit Sir Michael, he said the court would direct them on that matter.
Marat yesterday said he and his lawyers would ensure Monday's Supreme Court directions to serve court documents on East Sepik regional MP Sir Michael and four other interveners would be executed. 
"It was a Supreme Court direction and it will be done between now and next Tuesday," Marat said.
He said that it would be done as soon as the sealed court directions were received by his lawyers.
The Supreme Court had on Monday ruled that the deadline for the service of documents to concerned parties should be by the end of business on Friday.
The court had ordered that the attorney-general served the documents on allthose who were interested to join. On Monday, seven interested parties were named. The court ruled that any other party interested to join should do so by tomorrow.
Sir Michael, who is sick and under medical care in a hospital in Singapore, would have to be served the reference.
Sir Michael is East Sepik regional MP. It was his post that was allegedly stripped triggering the special reference.
Sources at the attorney-general's office said certain personnel could be sent to Singapore today to serve the reference.
It was understood that even if Sir Michael was not well to study the reference, he would have to appoint a lawyer on his behalf to do it for him, and evidence should be provided of that.
Marat said lawyers would fly to Singapore if that was what it took to serve the court documents

Corrupt 7 jailed in Southern Highlands

SEVEN people, including a woman, who held leadership positions in the provincial and local level governments in Southern Highlands, have been jailed for misusing public funds totalling more than K300,000, The National reports.
Three others, including former sports minister and Nipa-Kutubu MP Philemon Embel, are either awaiting sentences or still being investigated for misusing more or the same amount of money.
National Anti-Corruption Alliance chairman and Police Commissioner Tony Wagambie said yesterday that the seven were jailed as a result of successful investigations carried out by the alliance and police.
"So far, for Southern Highlands, there have been seven convictions, one acquittal, and two cases pending National Court decisions," Wagambie said.
He said among those convicted was former Ialibu district administrator Francis Ipuke, who was jailed for four years for misappropriating K212,000 belonging to the Ialibu Urban LG.
Wagambie said Rachel Okpio, president of the SHP Women's Council, was jailed for four years for misappropriating K50,000 belonging to the council.
Wagambie said other people who were convicted were:

• Councillor Andrew Mambea, president of the Kuare LLG, Kagua, who was sentenced to five years jail for misappropriating K8,700 being allowances for Village Court officials;
• Pisa Solo, LLG clerk for Lai, who was sentenced to three years for misappropriating K20,000 LLG grants;
• Andrew Epei, Ialibu town council manager, who was sentenced to four years for misappropriating K212,000, belonging to the Ialibu Urban LG; and
• Andrew Mambea, council president Kuare LLG, Kagua, who was sentenced to four years jail for misappropriating K10,000.
  

Wagambie said the presiding judge had yet to make a ruling on the case of Francis Yoke, the provincial education adviser, who was found guilty of misappropriating K42,000 school fee subsidy.
He said Yoke was remanded at the Bomana prison.
He said bail had been extended to Daniel Undialu, district treasurer for Koroba-Lake Kopiago, who was alleged to have misappropriated district treasury funds totalling K94,000.
He said Embel was accused of misappropriating K165,000 of a church grant and was committed to trial but had appealed through a judicial review which was pending before the courts.
Wagambie said "massive fraud" complaints against the Department of National Planning would be investigated.
"NACA, in a bid to stop corruption, will continue to inves­tigate and bring to justice those who have corruptly taken and used money belonging to the people of PNG," he said.
He expressed satisfaction with the work of NACA and said more was needed to be done in the fight against corruption.
He said the organisation had already undertaken a number of other investigations into the Southern Highlands, Gulf, and East Sepik provinces as well as the Nimamar LLG in Lihir, New Ireland.
He said NACA was made up of 10 government organisations including police, Ombudsman Commission and the departments of provincial affairs, treasury and personnel management, offices of the auditor-general, solicitor-general, public prosecutor, Internal Revenue Commission and PNG Customs.