SP Brewery opens new warehouse

  SP Brewery chairman Joe Tauvasa (right) and general manager Stan Joyce unveil the plaque for the K8.6m warehouse in Gordon tonightnight.-Nationalpic by AURI EVA

While all attention was focused on Parliament, SP Brewery tonight night opened its K8.6 million warehouse at Gordon in a quite ceremony.

Chairman Joe Tauvasa said SP had embarked on an investment of K91m for both the Lae and Gordon breweries.

"The company's three-year investment plan has resulted in the latest technology to be installed in both breweries," he said.

"The upgrade of the current operations and ex pansion of the brewery capabilities is world-class and will provide us the extra capability to meet market demand and growth.

"This structure is part of that investment."

Sir Michael Somare should pay his own medical bills: Sir Mekere

 Moresby North-West MP and Minister for Public Enterprises Sir Mekere Morauta said today that he was personally shocked to learn that the Government had been paying Sir Michael Somare's medical expenses and the cost of keeping his entourage in Singapore.

Sir Mekere said that the report in The National on September 5 that the State had paid more than K3.7 million, K2.7 million of which was for "minders and visitors", is simply outrageous.

"I am not being mean or discourteous," he said.

"I wish The Chief a speedy recovery. 

"I am delighted that he appears to be well enough to have come home.

"But private medical expenses are private medical expenses. 

"All Members of Parliament have access to medical insurance, and none of us should expect the State to pay our private bills."

Sir Mekere said that this was a typical example of the way the Somare family had abused public money. 

"They seem to have no sense of the differentiation between public and private," he said.

"When Bart Philemon and I were in the Opposition, we frequently pointed this out, criticising the aerial PMV Falcon jet, for example, and the manner in which the Somare family abused the privileges of Mirigini House and the office of the Prime Minister.

"In a statement to the Parliament on May 8, 2010, I challenged then Prime Minister Somare 'to appoint an independent auditor to compute what I cost the nation as PM and what he has cost the nation.

"But I can make a pretty good guess:  what the nation spent on my behalf in three years would be less than three months expenditure on the current PM'.

"I made that statement without realising the full extent of the abuse of public resources by the Somare family. 

"When I became the Minister for Public Enterprises, I discovered that the Somare Government owed Air Niugini K30 million for the operation of the aerial PMV.

"The Falcon had clearly been going up and down to Singapore, to Fiji for golf, to Wewak for parties, wherever the family wanted it to go – but they never paid the bill.  "So when Air Niugini agreed to buy the Falcon from the Government, this unpaid bill of K30 million had to be deducted from the purchase price."

Sir Mekere said that the fact was many months ago Sir Michael took leave, appointed an acting Prime Minister, and went to Singapore for medical treatment. 

"He did not fall sick whilst on duty travel," he said.

"He gave up the position of Prime Minister but still took a whole entourage with him – family members, protocol officers, and police officers – for him to lie in a hospital bed.  "And it was presumed the people of Papua New Guinea would foot the bill.  "Meantime his chosen appointee Hon Sam Abal ran up a bill of hundreds of thousands of kina staying in a Port Moresby hotel instead of his own home. 

"Who paid for this, I wonder?"

Sir Mekere said that when he was the Prime Minister, he regularly went to Brisbane for medical check-ups. 

"Not once did the State pay for my ticket, for my wife's ticket, for my medical bills, nor for my accommodation," he said.

"They were private visits for personal reasons. 

"It is common sense that a Prime Minister should expect to pay for such trips and for his own medical treatment himself."

Sir Mekere said that the report in The National noted that the Prime Minister's Department did 'not have any allowances within its budget for the medical expenses of the Prime Minister'.

 "So who approved this expenditure?" Sir Mekere asked. 

"That is a breach of the Financial Management Act and whoever approved the expenditure should be held accountable."

Sir Mekere said that the Somare family should re-pay the State all the medical expenses and costs associated with their recent stay in Singapore. 

"It is an insult to Papua New Guineans that government money has been used to pay these costs," he said.

"Our own health services are so run down; they are not staffed properly; people are dying daily for want of drugs, of equipment that works, and of accurate diagnosis.  "Every day we hear of a Papua New Guinean family fund-raising to send a family member overseas for medical treatment that is not available here. 

"These people don't have a government department that forks out millions for them.

"Please Sir Michael, have some decency and assure the nation that you will pay for your own medical expenses.

"Having a clear conscience in this regard will give you peace of mind and help your recovery."

Basil hits back at Abal

NATIONAL Planning and Monitoring Minister Sam Basil has described as irresponsible and unbecoming comments by parliamentarians determined to usurp power by using Sir Michael Somare, The National reports.

"I can't believe former acting prime minister and Member for Wabag Sam Abal would sink so low as to verbally place the Grand Chief on a collision course on the floor of parliament by suggesting that Sir Michael would take the Prime Minister's seat in parliament," he said.
"Firstly, there is only one head of the legislature, which is the Speaker of the National Parliament, Jeffery Nape.
"Sam Abal was there when the new Prime Minister Peter O'Neill was elected in parliament. The instruments of appointment were signed by the Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio.
"Why has Abal, knowing all this, attempted to direct Sir Michael to a chair already occupied by O'Neill?
"That is pre-emptor of the Supreme Court case and should amount to contempt both of
the court and of the national parliament," Basil said.
"What I fail to understand is just what sort of family, friends and associates would drag a weak, struggling, old man who many respect as the founding father of the nation in their political power games.
"Why can't they all appreciate that whatever the Supreme Court ruling is, the bottom line is that 70 MPs against 24 voted in O'Neill as the new prime minister on Aug 2 in parliament and will do so again if required."
Basil intends to refer Abal to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for his comments on the chair to be occupied by Sir Michael.
He said the comments threatened the decorum and dignity of parliament.

Locals attack MP and escort

DEFENCE Minister Guma Wau was reportedly attacked by a group of disgruntled people of his Dagle tribe, in Ke­rowagi district, Chimbu, last week, The National reports.
Several government vehicles, including police land cruisers, were smashed while escorting Gau.
He was allegedly distributing funds to people in the upper Dagle area a week ago.
Reports from Wau's tribe said his own people at Moroma village complained that he had overlooked them and was distributing cash to others.
Angry villagers attacked Wau and people he was travelling with, resulting in several vehicles having their windscreens smashed.
The Kerowagi MP was not hurt but remained tight-lipped over the incident.
Chimbu provincial police commander John Kale confirmed the incident but did not give any details.

Basil hits back at Abal

NATIONAL Planning and Monitoring Minister Sam Basil has described as irresponsible and unbecoming comments by parliamentarians determined to usurp power by using Sir Michael Somare, The National reports.
"I can't believe former acting prime minister and Member for Wabag Sam Abal would sink so low as to verbally place the Grand Chief on a collision course on the floor of parliament by suggesting that Sir Michael would take the Prime Minister's seat in parliament," he said.
"Firstly, there is only one head of the legislature, which is the Speaker of the National Parliament, Jeffery Nape.
"Sam Abal was there when the new Prime Minister Peter O'Neill was elected in parliament. The instruments of appointment were signed by the Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio.
"Why has Abal, knowing all this, attempted to direct Sir Michael to a chair already occupied by O'Neill?
"That is pre-emptor of the Supreme Court case and should amount to contempt both of
the court and of the national parliament," Basil said.
"What I fail to understand is just what sort of family, friends and associates would drag a weak, struggling, old man who many respect as the founding father of the nation in their political power games.
"Why can't they all appreciate that whatever the Supreme Court ruling is, the bottom line is that 70 MPs against 24 voted in O'Neill as the new prime minister on Aug 2 in parliament and will do so again if required."
Basil intends to refer Abal to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for his comments on the chair to be occupied by Sir Michael.
He said the comments threatened the decorum and dignity of parliament.

Protesters told to stay away

POLICE will be out in full force today to ensure the parliament session is free from trouble, The National reports.
NCD-Central commander Fred Sheekiot yesterday said police had received information there were "certain groups of people who want to disrupt parliament sitting today".
He said the government must carry on its business in parliament as usual.
NCD metropolitan commander Supt Joseph Tondop said no member of the public, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) "are permitted in the vicinity of parliament without good reason".
"We will not tolerate any NGO groups who hold rallies in the vicinity of parliament," Tondop said.

Government to push women’s bill

By SHIRLYN BELDEN

THE Equality and Participation Bill will be tabled in parliament today, The National reports.
Prime Minister Peter O'Neill yesterday said the reserved seats bill was a priority agenda item of government.
He told a National Council of Women gathering at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby that it was imperative the reserved seats bill was presented in parliament for debate and voted on as soon as possible.
O'Neill said the participation of women in parliament was an important issue that had remained outstanding.
"Since coming into office, our go­vernment has seen this as an important outstanding issue,'' he said.
"That is why we are recalling parliament to seriously commence the process of legislating to include women as equal partners in the highest decision-making arena."
Women had been pressing the go­vernment to reserve 25 seats for women in the Papua New Guinea parliament.
Acknowledging the previous go­vernment for accepting the bill, he said there was no clear reason why the item had not been debated as yet.
O'Neill said his government was prepared to make women's representation in parliament a reality.
He said participation of women in the PNG parliament was low compared to other nations in the Pacific.
"There is only one woman MP, which means that our statistics of female participation is 0.9%, a shocking indicator, clearly contradicting our Constitution and the various government development goals," he said.
 "PNG is one of the only 12 countries to have 0.9 to zero per cent of women representation in parliament,"he said.
"We are rated as 136 out of 144 countries for having less than 1% of women in parliament.
"This is a shocking indication of our lack of real action to the commitments we have stated to our people in the Constitution and various development goals."
National Women Council president Scholla Kakas said women must have reserved seats in parliament.
 "It is high time for women to have a place in parliament," she said.
"Recognise us as human beings and give us the political recognition, equality and justice for the benefit of all Papua New Guineans."
Representatives from women groups and councils in Papua, Momase, highlands and the New Guinea Islands regions gathered to lobby for the bill.
Parliament has been recalled today to debate several bills including the Equality and Participation Bill.