Port Moresby Nature Park General-Manager Michelle George talks about World Wildlife Day on March 2, 2019, and the park in general:
Thursday, March 07, 2019
Hobuc, Nawaeb, Morobe: My first vlog
On Saturday Jan 26, 2019, I accompanied Tourism Promotion Authority Chairman and Nawaeb MP Kennedy Wenge and TPA officers, Hudson Arek and Joel Ombo, to Nawaeb High School at Hobuc, on the foothills of the magnificent Saruwaged Range.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Tourism Promotion Authority kickstarts tourism on Siassi
Tourism Promotion Authority chairman Kennedy Wenge says the TPA is committed to develop tourism in the remote Siassi islands of Morobe.
He made the committment on Friday during a short visit to Siassi Lutheran High School where he presented K10,000 for development of tourism, arts and culture education at the school.
Wenge made the presentation of behalf of Tourism Arts and Culture Minister Emil Tammur and TPA chief executive officer Jerry Agus to Siassi LLG representative Willa Omole.
School Chairman John Gerson assured Wenge the money would be put to good use.
The Siassi islands, because of their remoteness, have an intact traditional culture and untapped tourism potential.
Wenge said this potential must be tapped into to bring about development on the island.
He said TPA's committment to develop tourism on Siassi had seen him travel the long distance across the Vitiaz Strait.
"The rich culture of the Siassi islands must not be lost," Wenge said.
"My presence on the island today shows our commitment to develop tourism here.
"People from all over the world must travel here to see the rich arts and culture of the island.
"What TPA can do is market the Siassi islands as a tourism destination in Morobe."
Wenge said the Government was keen to develop tourism throughout Papua New Guinea.
"Siassi is one of the best places to develop tourism," he said.
"Tourism is an industry that puts money directly into everyone's pockets."
Wenge said last October, he attended the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG's national women's conference at which he had made a commitment to return.
He lived up to his words on Friday.
"We want ships and planes to come to Siassi," he said.
"We wants wharves and airstrips.
"When these are in place, visitors will come.
"Siassi is the first place I have visited as it has so much potential for tourism."
Siassi tourism promoter Clyde Aigilo welcomed the TPA support.
 |
Tourism Promotion Authority Chairman Kennedy Wenge presents the K10,000 to Siassi LLG representative Willa Omole.
|
He made the committment on Friday during a short visit to Siassi Lutheran High School where he presented K10,000 for development of tourism, arts and culture education at the school.
 |
| Siassi dancers welcome Tourism Promotion Authority Board chairman Kennedy Wenge to Siassi High School on Friday. |
Wenge made the presentation of behalf of Tourism Arts and Culture Minister Emil Tammur and TPA chief executive officer Jerry Agus to Siassi LLG representative Willa Omole.
School Chairman John Gerson assured Wenge the money would be put to good use.
The Siassi islands, because of their remoteness, have an intact traditional culture and untapped tourism potential.
Wenge said this potential must be tapped into to bring about development on the island.
He said TPA's committment to develop tourism on Siassi had seen him travel the long distance across the Vitiaz Strait.
"The rich culture of the Siassi islands must not be lost," Wenge said.
"My presence on the island today shows our commitment to develop tourism here.
"People from all over the world must travel here to see the rich arts and culture of the island.
"What TPA can do is market the Siassi islands as a tourism destination in Morobe."
Wenge said the Government was keen to develop tourism throughout Papua New Guinea.
"Siassi is one of the best places to develop tourism," he said.
"Tourism is an industry that puts money directly into everyone's pockets."
Wenge said last October, he attended the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG's national women's conference at which he had made a commitment to return.
He lived up to his words on Friday.
"We want ships and planes to come to Siassi," he said.
"We wants wharves and airstrips.
"When these are in place, visitors will come.
"Siassi is the first place I have visited as it has so much potential for tourism."
Siassi tourism promoter Clyde Aigilo welcomed the TPA support.
Friday, October 19, 2018
Sir Mekere:500 cars procured by APEC in free-for-all
APEC Authority documents show that at least 500 vehicles have been procured by the O’Neill Government for APEC, many of them Land Cruisers and Prados similar in luxury to the Bentleys, Maseratis and Mahindras.
“The astonishing total indicates that a free-for-all of greed is taking place under the guise of APEC,” Sir Mekere Morauta, Member for Moresby North-West said yesterday.
“Many of them have been claimed by the Prime Minister, the APEC Minister and top APEC Authority officials, who already have vehicles allocated to them as part of their contracts.
“Others have gone to ministers and their outriggers, public servants and the heads of statutory bodies who are also allocated vehicles as part of their contracts."
Sir Mekere said the APEC Authority documents do not reveal the total cost of vehicle acquisitions.
But it must be astronomical, he said.
Nor do the documents indicate whether public competitive tenders were called for all these vehicles, as required by the APEC Act, whether their procurement was scrutinised by the APEC Probity Auditor, as required by the Act, or whether they are to be disposed of after APEC by competitive public tender as required by the Act.
The details are:
Prados and Land Cruisers 208
HiLuxes 88
Forerunners 11
Rav 4s 30
Hyundai Accents 23
Ford Rangers and Everests 12
Maseratis 40
Mahindras 80
Bentleys 3
Mazda BT50s 5
TOTAL 500
“This vehicle procurement by APEC highlights the greed and self-indulgence of the Prime Minister and the APEC Minister,” Sir Mekere said.
“It highlights their twisted priorities - spending tens of millions of kina on luxury vehicles at a time when ordinary Papua New Guineans are suffering unprecedented hardship, and the nation is almost bankrupt. What is the total cost of vehicles purchased for APEC? K100 million? Or more?
“That money should have been spent on health and education and other essential services, not a giant party for foreigners and PNC cronies.
“Just as the need to solicit donations from Australia, China, New Zealand, the USA, Japan, Canada, Indonesia and Korea demonstrates that Papua New Guinea cannot afford APEC, if we really needed 500 cars to host APEC, that also shows that Papua New Guinea cannot afford to host the event.”
The full details of the vehicle arrangements are available here, https://apecpngtenders.org/tenders/ under the item Transport Managing and Maintenance.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Opposition Leader: Government blocked FM100 talkback show
Opposition Leader Patrick Pruaitch said yesterday he was dismayed to learn that the O’Neill Government had effectively censored the PNG media and threatened one of the pillars of democracy in this country.
Pruaitch said two prominent Opposition leaders, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird and Madang MP Bryan Kramer, had been scheduled to discuss the scandal surrounding the import of 40 Maserati cars from Italy on FM100.
Reports coming in from Port Moresby, Lae and various parts of Morobe indicate these broadcasts were blocked by the O’Neill Government in an unprecedented action.
Pruaitch said: “It has long been acknowledged that freedom of the press in PNG is a key pillar of the nation’s democratic institutions, acting as a safety valve on many issues of public interest.
“Freedom of the press and the role of the media has helped PNG retain its reputation ‘as one of the persevering democracies in the developing world,’ as one political scientist put it.
“From this perspective this is a sad day today for all Papua New Guineans.
"It says a lot that no one is surprised by this development because the O’Neill Government is the first PNG Government on record that has set out to manipulate the mass media in the past few years.”
Pruaitch said he was adding his voice to the call to all Papua New Guineans, in the public and private sector, to stand up and say, ‘enough is enough’, and demand an end to waste and corruption by supporting the nationwide strike on Thursday and Friday initiated by colleagues in the Opposition.
"This government is the recipient of more revenue than any government in the nation’s history, but it is constantly broke and unable to keep up with budgeted payments for education and health and causing numerous offices to be locked out of their premises for failure to pay rent.
“These are problems that have never been encountered on this scale in the past.
“The O’Neill Government has no trouble paying for luxury cars, without going through normal government tender processes.”
Pruaitch said two prominent Opposition leaders, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird and Madang MP Bryan Kramer, had been scheduled to discuss the scandal surrounding the import of 40 Maserati cars from Italy on FM100.
Reports coming in from Port Moresby, Lae and various parts of Morobe indicate these broadcasts were blocked by the O’Neill Government in an unprecedented action.
Pruaitch said: “It has long been acknowledged that freedom of the press in PNG is a key pillar of the nation’s democratic institutions, acting as a safety valve on many issues of public interest.
“Freedom of the press and the role of the media has helped PNG retain its reputation ‘as one of the persevering democracies in the developing world,’ as one political scientist put it.
“From this perspective this is a sad day today for all Papua New Guineans.
"It says a lot that no one is surprised by this development because the O’Neill Government is the first PNG Government on record that has set out to manipulate the mass media in the past few years.”
Pruaitch said he was adding his voice to the call to all Papua New Guineans, in the public and private sector, to stand up and say, ‘enough is enough’, and demand an end to waste and corruption by supporting the nationwide strike on Thursday and Friday initiated by colleagues in the Opposition.
"This government is the recipient of more revenue than any government in the nation’s history, but it is constantly broke and unable to keep up with budgeted payments for education and health and causing numerous offices to be locked out of their premises for failure to pay rent.
“These are problems that have never been encountered on this scale in the past.
“The O’Neill Government has no trouble paying for luxury cars, without going through normal government tender processes.”
Sir Mekere: APEC Bentleys bought through controversial Borneo Pacific drug company
APEC Authority documents reveal that the K2.3 million purchase of three super-luxury Bentleys for the Prime Minister, APEC Minister and others was carried out through the Malaysian medical supplies company Borneo Pacific.
An invoice for the cars sent to APEC Authority CEO Christopher Hawkins comes from South Pacific Ventures of Kuala Lumpur, which describes itself as a business consultancy and health services provider in PNG.
Borneo Pacific and SPV are both controlled by a Malaysian family which is close to the Prime Minister, Mr Peter O’Neill, and other senior politicians, businessmen and public servants.
The family has extensive octopus-like business interests in PNG, and is currently rumored to be starting a brewery in partnership with the Prime Minister.
Borneo Pacific has been criticised for the provision of over-priced medical supplies and faulty medicines, and hitches in its supply chain.
It has attracted widespread criticism, including from the Australian Government, for its failings.
The Member for Moresby North-West, Sir Mekere Morauta, says the deal shows the contempt the O’Neill Government and the APEC Authority have for proper process if it did not go through an open and competitive tender as required by the APEC Authority Act.
“Neither the Prime Minister, APEC Minister Justin Tkatchenko nor Mr Hawkins have been able to provide evidence that the APEC luxury car deals, now worth over K32 million and counting, are legitimate,” he said.
“There is nothing to show that these dubious deals went through the proper process, including scrutiny by the supposed APEC Authority Probity Auditor.”
An invoice for the cars sent to APEC Authority CEO Christopher Hawkins comes from South Pacific Ventures of Kuala Lumpur, which describes itself as a business consultancy and health services provider in PNG.
Borneo Pacific and SPV are both controlled by a Malaysian family which is close to the Prime Minister, Mr Peter O’Neill, and other senior politicians, businessmen and public servants.
The family has extensive octopus-like business interests in PNG, and is currently rumored to be starting a brewery in partnership with the Prime Minister.
Borneo Pacific has been criticised for the provision of over-priced medical supplies and faulty medicines, and hitches in its supply chain.
It has attracted widespread criticism, including from the Australian Government, for its failings.
The Member for Moresby North-West, Sir Mekere Morauta, says the deal shows the contempt the O’Neill Government and the APEC Authority have for proper process if it did not go through an open and competitive tender as required by the APEC Authority Act.
“Neither the Prime Minister, APEC Minister Justin Tkatchenko nor Mr Hawkins have been able to provide evidence that the APEC luxury car deals, now worth over K32 million and counting, are legitimate,” he said.
“There is nothing to show that these dubious deals went through the proper process, including scrutiny by the supposed APEC Authority Probity Auditor.”
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Sir Mekere: PM, Tkatchenko should start telling the truth on APEC scams
It is time for the Prime Minister and APEC Minister to start telling the truth about the APEC luxury cars scam and other APEC spending, the Member for Moresby North-West, Sir Mekere Morauta, said this morning.
“What we have got so far is half-truths, distortions and contradictions that amount to a cover up of their use of APEC as a money rain scheme and vehicle to divert money for other purposes,” he said.
“Two half-truths don’t make a fact.
“I am now hearing that the illegal purchase of 40 luxury Maserati cars is not the end of the story.
"Peter O’Neill, Justin Tkatchenko and Christopher Hawkins have a lot more explaining to do.”
Sir Mekere said he had been told that even more luxurious cars are on the way to Port Moresby, and documentation has been provided to him that appears to confirm the allegations.
"Papua New Guineans have a right to know whether the following allegations are correct:
"Three super-luxury Flying Spur V8 Bentleys, possibly more, are on their way to Port Moresby for Mr O’Neill, Mr Tkatchenko and others including Chinese cronies, to ride around in.
" According to official documents, the price for three is $US695,238.30 (K2,363,810.22), duty- and excise-free.
"The outright purchase by the State is said to have been approved by NEC.
"Have they been procured by competitive public tender as required by Section 21 of the APEC Authority Act?
"Has the arrangement been approved by the APEC Probity Auditor?
"Does the APEC Probity Auditor even exist, and if so who is it?
"80 luxury Mahindra XUV500 vehicles bought outright at a cost of $US2,442,000 (K8,302,800.00).
"Are these cars going to be sold after APEC or are they being retained by the Government?
"Was this purchase conducted by public competitive tender and was it subject to the scrutiny of the APEC Probity Auditor?
"Can the Prime Minister, Mr Tkatchenko or their outrigger Mr Hawkins confirm that the Mahindra XUVs were also purchased through a car dealer in Colombo, Sri Lanka?
" What were the arrangements for the purchase of the Bentleys?
"There is also a rumor of Lamborghinis being bought.
" Is this so?
"Information I have been provided indicates that all the APEC cars have been brought into PNG free of duty and excise, and that this very valuable benefit is to be passed on to private sector buyers.
"What is the total value of the excise and duty forgone?
" Why are the nation’s wealthiest businesses and individuals receiving benefits that ordinary Papua New Guineans can only dream of?
"Why is government revenue being deprived of millions of kina at a time when the nation is strangled by waste, mismanagement and corrupt activities?
“The Prime Minister and Mr Tkatchenko should explain to the people of Papua New Guinea why more than K3 billion has been spent on APEC, including many wasteful, extravagant items such as luxury cars, at this time of suffering and hardship,” Sir Mekere said.
“More and more people are dying of preventable diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and malaria.
"Hospitals and clinics are closing, and essential drugs and other medical supplies are unavailable.
“Schools are closing all over the country, and teachers and other loyal, hardworking public servants are not being paid.
“Virtually every government activity is being starved of funds, the private sector is being crippled by a shortage of foreign exchange and the failure of the government to pay its debts, and the nation is slowly grinding to a halt.
“What sort of cruel, twisted mind would, in the face of these irrefutable facts, devote K3 billion-plus to a party for foreigners, PNC members and their cronies?
“I urge people to show their disgust by joining the Nationwide Boycott next Thursday 25 October.
Your contribution is a day’s pay to ‘join the fight to save your children’s future'.
“I also urge conscientious Members of Parliament on the Government benches to join the people and the Opposition, put the nation first, and change this octopus of a Government.”
“What we have got so far is half-truths, distortions and contradictions that amount to a cover up of their use of APEC as a money rain scheme and vehicle to divert money for other purposes,” he said.
“Two half-truths don’t make a fact.
“I am now hearing that the illegal purchase of 40 luxury Maserati cars is not the end of the story.
"Peter O’Neill, Justin Tkatchenko and Christopher Hawkins have a lot more explaining to do.”
Sir Mekere said he had been told that even more luxurious cars are on the way to Port Moresby, and documentation has been provided to him that appears to confirm the allegations.
"Papua New Guineans have a right to know whether the following allegations are correct:
"Three super-luxury Flying Spur V8 Bentleys, possibly more, are on their way to Port Moresby for Mr O’Neill, Mr Tkatchenko and others including Chinese cronies, to ride around in.
" According to official documents, the price for three is $US695,238.30 (K2,363,810.22), duty- and excise-free.
"The outright purchase by the State is said to have been approved by NEC.
"Have they been procured by competitive public tender as required by Section 21 of the APEC Authority Act?
"Has the arrangement been approved by the APEC Probity Auditor?
"Does the APEC Probity Auditor even exist, and if so who is it?
"80 luxury Mahindra XUV500 vehicles bought outright at a cost of $US2,442,000 (K8,302,800.00).
"Are these cars going to be sold after APEC or are they being retained by the Government?
"Was this purchase conducted by public competitive tender and was it subject to the scrutiny of the APEC Probity Auditor?
"Can the Prime Minister, Mr Tkatchenko or their outrigger Mr Hawkins confirm that the Mahindra XUVs were also purchased through a car dealer in Colombo, Sri Lanka?
" What were the arrangements for the purchase of the Bentleys?
"There is also a rumor of Lamborghinis being bought.
" Is this so?
"Information I have been provided indicates that all the APEC cars have been brought into PNG free of duty and excise, and that this very valuable benefit is to be passed on to private sector buyers.
"What is the total value of the excise and duty forgone?
" Why are the nation’s wealthiest businesses and individuals receiving benefits that ordinary Papua New Guineans can only dream of?
"Why is government revenue being deprived of millions of kina at a time when the nation is strangled by waste, mismanagement and corrupt activities?
“The Prime Minister and Mr Tkatchenko should explain to the people of Papua New Guinea why more than K3 billion has been spent on APEC, including many wasteful, extravagant items such as luxury cars, at this time of suffering and hardship,” Sir Mekere said.
“More and more people are dying of preventable diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and malaria.
"Hospitals and clinics are closing, and essential drugs and other medical supplies are unavailable.
“Schools are closing all over the country, and teachers and other loyal, hardworking public servants are not being paid.
“Virtually every government activity is being starved of funds, the private sector is being crippled by a shortage of foreign exchange and the failure of the government to pay its debts, and the nation is slowly grinding to a halt.
“What sort of cruel, twisted mind would, in the face of these irrefutable facts, devote K3 billion-plus to a party for foreigners, PNC members and their cronies?
“I urge people to show their disgust by joining the Nationwide Boycott next Thursday 25 October.
Your contribution is a day’s pay to ‘join the fight to save your children’s future'.
“I also urge conscientious Members of Parliament on the Government benches to join the people and the Opposition, put the nation first, and change this octopus of a Government.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)