Message from Asian Lutheran Church

Dear Malum Nalu,

I found you blog when searching "lutheran church papua new guinea" on Google.

I am web master of http://www.asia-lutheran.org and I would like to invite you to register and login to the site.
I would like to invite you to see the website and give your comments.

 You can write your comments on discussion forum or you can add your comments after any news or articles.

I would like to add more websites from Papua New Guinea to the link site. You fins "Add link" on the top of Web links page and you can submit a link to the site and it will be posted after moderation.

You can write news from Papua New Guinea.

When you log-in you can see "Submit news" link on the left column.

As a journalist you know how to write news and you can submit news from your region.

You can find a Subscribe ALN mailing list box on the left column.

Please invite many people from Papua to subscribe ALN announcement.

It is bi-monthly announcement alerting you when a PDF format news collection is ready to download.

You can find a latest PDF format news letter on the up-right corner of the site.

We have only seven mail addresses ending .pg in our list.

Please invite people to register and log-in to the site and participate in discussion.

This year so far we have only 19 visitors from PNG.

Best regards,

Timo Reuhkala
webmaster
http://www.asia-lutheran.org

 

Pacific Islands Forum-Fiji Joint Working Group on the Situation in Fiji 20 November 2008, Forum Secretariat, Suva

AGREED OUTCOMES

The Working Group held its thirty-third meeting at the Forum Secretariat Headquarters in Suva on 20 November 2008, attended by senior officials from Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.

The Working Group received a paper from Fiji detailing reasons why Fiji would not be able to hold elections by March 2009.  Fiji clarified to the Working Group that there was no definite proposed timing for elections, as the Interim Government’s position was that this was dependent on the outcome of the political dialogue process and related factors.  Working Group members reaffirmed the readiness of Forum members to continue to assist Fiji prepare for elections by March 2009, in accordance with the decision of Forum Leaders.

Working Group members queried the means by which the Interim Government intended to conduct electoral reform, and noted the Interim Government’s position that any mechanism for Constitutional change would be determined through the political dialogue process.  The Working Group discussed the legal requirements for Constitutional change and the importance of ensuring that any such change was conducted in a legal manner.

The Working Group also discussed the purposes and progress of the political dialogue process.  Working Group members indicated that they were considering the request from the Interim Prime Minister for support for that process.  The Working Group welcomed Fiji’s offer to arrange for Mr Robin Nair, independent interlocutor to the political dialogue process, to brief the Working Group at its next meeting.

The Working Group further discussed possible revision of its Terms of Reference, and agreed on a proposed revised text which would be referred to capitals for consideration in advance of the Working Group’s next meeting.

The Working Group discussed preparations for the upcoming Ministerial Contact Group visit in December.

The Working Group will hold its next meeting on 4 December 2008.

Forum Secretariat, Suva

20 November 2008

 

Access to information crucial for people

President of the PNG Media Council Joe R. Kanekane has called for increased dialogue between the government, newsmakers and the media.

Mr Kanekane said access to information had been and continued to be the biggest impediment to development of the country.

“One of the key recommendations to the government and news makers following the recent successful media conference was the need to make available information in a timely, and unsanctioned way,” said Mr Kanekane.

Mr Kanekane made this remarks in light of the ban on Post-Courier to cover the 2009 budget this week. He said, the action by the government pushes further, initiatives to make the media more accountable to its quality of reporting.

Mr Kanekane said Post-Courier was a leading media establishment and the absence of its budget coverage in all its years is sad indeed. The Post-Courier has faithfully covered budgets since its inception, and last Tuesday’s event marks a dark chapter in disseminating pivotal information -the 2009 Budget.

“The six million people deserve to be informed on a significant issue like the National Budget, especially how it relates to them. They also have a choice of medium, be it the Post-Courier or any other form of media.

“The recent global financial events have prompted our people to pay close attention to news and developments. And, the budget is one such event that they all look forward to, especially being covered by a leading daily newspaper,” said Mr Kanekane.

He said, he hoped the budget locked out incident would not spill over to other developments being pursued by the government. And, the Post-Courier is allowed to report freely and share other privilege enjoyed by its counterparts.

“Ultimately, the people suffer as a result of this kind of action. I hope, the protests by the government do not prevent the Post-Courier to react negatively in their pursuit of stories that will boost the development of this country,” said Mr Kanekane.

He also added that there was room to seek redress, especially through the Melanesian Way. And, this, he hopes can be resolved through a roundtable process.

Mr Joe Kanekane

President

Media Council of PNG

F Kindy Club Open Day

Do you have kids under 7 years of age or know someone that does?

Bring them down to the Kindy Club Open Haus this Sunday November 23....

from 3.00 -6.00 pm

Free entry, free popcorn and a whole lot of fun...

You really dont want to miss out on this....

 See the attachment for more details or call telephone 324 5200 ext. 3373

 

IPA netball fundraising dance

 

 

University of Goroka computer news

By RUSSEL DEKE HARADA

 

Hello Malum,

Long time no hear from you.

This morning, our University Of Goroka-ICT department had an informal ICT workshop for graduating students. (16 attendance)

We hosted this workshop at the new open computer Lab called STAR Room in our treasure Library building.

Our university has the new satellite broad-band system called PNGARNet (Academic Research Network) but only providing for the staff.

Today we allowed students access the Internet and they have their own web-mail account.

After they graduate from UOG, almost all will become teachers of secondary/high schools.

Now they can contact to us if they have any technical ICT problems after they start work at the schools.

Also we introduced your blog site to upload their own information to use the blog.

We understand that the most secondary/high schools in PNG do not have the Internet connection but in the future our university wants to provide

better internet connection to them through wireless technology.

We introduced OSS (Open Source Software) also.

Almost 100% of PCs in PNG is running Windows but we would like to show the other operating system to the students.

This is because Windows software is not free and so many PC viruses infected.

We introduced edubuntu (ubuntu8.04) desktop and this is enough function to use some basic instructions.

This workshop is a big mile-stone for teacher's using the Internet facility and OSS.

This is the one of the comments from the students.

Mandy Aaron said:I wish to thank you and your team for facilitating this workshop. I now have a fair idea on some of the things that I never understood.

 For example, I never understood the concept of virus and why certain email addresses are created the way they are, until now.

The workshop was quite informative and well understood because you spoke my own language which is Tok Pisin.

There should be more of this type of workshop be carried out by you because there are lots of basic IT skills some of us do not know.

Also I appreciate your generousity in supplying the other software which is a bonus for me for attending this workshop.

I will contact you if I my school needs you in the near future.

 

Arigato!

Thank you!

Tenk yu!

Regards,

 

Russell Deka HARADA

ICT Manager

The University of Goroka

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not lobby for chief justice's post

By Justice Mark S. Sevua

 

TWO prominent and senior writers of the print media recently have insinuated, implied and accused me and my colleague Justice Bernard Sakora of lobbying for the post of chief justice.
On page 14 of the Sunday Chronicle, Susuve Laumaea in his commentary, “Judicial ‘bad vibes’ not good for PNG” (Nov 9), accused us of open lobbying for appointment as chief justice.
He said: “Judicial squabbles among brother judges … and purported lobbying for appointment as chief justice …”
This is not the first time that Mr Laumaea has written on judiciary issues.
He has suddenly become an expert on judiciary matters and I question his qualification.
I do not stop him from writing what he likes, but I do not accept as professional journalism, the fact that he fails to obtain or seek views from people he is attacking in his articles.
This is not only very poor journalism but unprofessional journalism and the lowest form of public writing that a man of his standing can write.
It is simply “gutter journalism”.
I ask Mr Laumaea to prove his allegation of my lobbying for the post of chief justice and if he has no evidence to substantiate his wild allegation, then I suggest that he shuts his loud mouth.
In The National, Frank Kolma, in his focus article on page 32 entitled “Allegation by Sakora serious” (Thursday, Nov 13), accused Justice Sakora and I of making statements which could influence the appointment of the chief justice.
He said: “On yet another level, since the position of the chief justice is open presently, reasonable people can infer that this kind of public comments have some bearing on that aspect too.”
Since he has used the test of reasonable man, I say that reasonable people will also infer that he is accusing us of lobbying for the position of chief justice and this is far from the truth.
Where is your evidence, Mr Kolma?
I have not lobbied for the position of chief justice and I categorically deny outright any imputation that I have lobbied or campaigned for the position of chief justice.
I have not been seen in Parliament to gather support for appointment as chief justice.
I have not used prominent lawyers and prominent Manus people to lobby for my appointment as chief justice.
I know for a fact that the other two senior judges, Justices (Gibbs) Salika and Sakora, who had been named in the newspapers, have not done so either.
I deny all these allegations and any inference to be drawn that I have been lobbying for the post of chief justice.
Those of us who were named as possible candidates for the chief justice position by the Post-Courier recently were never told and our views were not sought by the journalist who printed those stories and put our names in the newspaper.
All the speculations that were going on in the print media were perpetrated by journalists including Mr Laumaea and Mr Kolma, not me or Justices Salika and Sakora.
We have never authorised any journalist to use our names in their stories.
One begins to wonder whether these scribes were taught the art of balanced reporting.
I am not going to sit down and read anymore garbage from these so-called media reporters.
If Mr Laumaea and Mr Kolma have evidence that Justice Sakora and I have been lobbying and campaigning for appointment as chief justice, I demand that they make that public now otherwise they should shut up and stop making unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations because what they, and their newspapers, have done have bordered on defamation.
It is a very serious allegation to make against a judge who is innocent of any of the accusations that these two journalists have made against us.
The issues that were raised by Justice Sakora and supported by me were constitutional issues intended for the benefit of the public.
The public who reposes their trust in the judiciary have the right to know about these constitutional issues and to be alerted to what is becoming a dangerous trend in this institution.
After all, it has always been held, like Mr Kolma said in his article, “the high pedestal we have put in on by our public trust”.
That is the context in which these statements were uttered.
I reiterate and emphasise that the statements were not for the purpose of canvassing the support of the Prime Minister or Cabinet ministers to appoint one of us as chief justice.
In relation to the many speculations mainly instigated by the print media, we have remained silent because we respect the constitutional process of appointing a chief justice.
Those Mr Know-it-all should provide the evidence of judges seen walking the corridors of Parliament and lobbying for support and, if they do not have that, they should shut up and stop implicating us.
Whilst everyone has the constitutional right of expression, that right does not confer upon the rumour mongers and busybodies the right to smear our names with mud by making stupid, spurious and unsubstantiated allegations.
I can’t speak for Justice Sakora, but as far as I am concerned, I did not come here to be the chief justice and I have never aspired to be chief justice.
I was appointed on merit 16 years ago. I did not apply for this job.
I had intended to leave after serving my first 10-year term; however, due to the urging of my people, including lawyers and the small people on the street, I decided to seek another term and was granted that in August 2003.
Judges have made statements in the media in the past because the traditional protectors of the judiciary have abandoned the judiciary.
As is evident, the Attorney-General, the secretary for Justice, the president of the local bar have never been keen on fighting for judges or the judiciary and if judges, by their own judgment, feel they should express themselves publicly, so be it!
I repeat that the recent statements that have been the subject of these cheap write-ups were intended for the benefit of the public.
The public has the right to know and judges have an obligation to raise serious constitutional issues that affect people’s rights.
In any event, now that the National Executive Council has appointed a new chief justice, there should no longer be any discussion in the media on that issue and Mr Laumaea and Mr Kolma would do well to take heed that they are treading on dangerous grounds if they persist to make unsubstantiated allegations against Justice Sakora and myself.
Whilst on the issue of public statements, let me say that serious allegations of corruption have been levelled against the judiciary in the recent past and this should be of interest to Mr Laumaea and Mr Kolma instead of wasting their time on unsubstantiated allegations.

Justice Mark S. Sevua
Port Moresby