Do not politicise the Bulolo conflict

By SAM BASIL

Bulolo MP

As the 2012 elections are fast approaching, I would like to once again appeal to serial general election candidates and recycled leaders not to politicise the issue at the expense of the Bulolo ethnic clash.

There are opportunists who use pen names in letters to the editor or on the ground, taking sides with either party of the conflicting groups, playing the blame game or publishing more unfounded accusations.

 I see these cannot help the affected and the vulnerable ones on ground zero.

When the election writs are delivered by the Governor General in April to July 2012, then we all can play the political game.

Today's situation demands common sense from all walks of life to help in any way possible. 

Morobe governor Luther Wenge and myself may have not done enough,  but when we all come to properly analyse the situation,  we will find that there are so many contributing factors that has led to the re-emergence of the situation.

Law and order, lack of funding, slowness of the provincial law and order committee meeting, disappearance of the uncertified report by the Wau urban LLG manager, police not enforcing the full force of the law on both sides of the conflicting parties, lifting of the liquor ban by the magistrate at the request of the liquor traders and worst of all politicking of this unfortunate issue.

The office that I hold is not a private business that I own.

 It is a public office, therefore, every aspiring or recycled politician has every right under the sun to contest or recontest.

I will not run away with this office.

 It belongs to the people and the people themselves will decide who will be their next political leader.

The time will come when we all will hit the polls.

 I appeal to all people not to unnecessarily accuse or point fingers anymore.

 Let us all work together and leave the politics for the right time as guranteed for under the Constitution.

 

Hon Sam Basil

Bulolo MP

Appeal for all to closely work together to resolve the Bulolo issue

By Bulolo MP SAM BASIL

In light of the recent upraising ethnic clash in my district last week, I would like to appeal to all parties from the local tribes and the Sepik settlers to lay down their arms and allow for the national government led team under chief secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc to negotiate a way forward.

I appeal to all politicians from Morobe including the Morobe Governor to support in any way possible and to closely work together with all the stake holders on the ground, including police and  national government team, to find a way forward.

By addressing the conflicting parties separately will only send different messages which can hamper the efforts of the other negotiating parties such as police, national government, district administration and the other stake holders.

I would also like to appeal to provincial treasurer, provincial administrator and the governor to work together in this time of need.

Morobe Province is hard hit by the rise of cholera in Tewai Siassi electorate while ethnic clashes have taken their toll in Tewai Siassi, Finschhafen and Bulolo districts with the loss of lives.

The accusations of misapplication of funds from the administration against governor are not a new thing it has been brought to light by different administrators in the past.

 The issue continues to surface again, therefore, relevant authorities must step in to intervene against those claims because the last thing we want happening is to see total chaos in the Morobe administration in this time of need.

My district administration has spent over K100, 000 for voluntary repatriation, care centre rations, police and administration and has advised the Morobe provincial government through the then chairman of the provincial law and order committee Benson Suwang to carry on from there.

 The governor has given his assurance and support to continue from where I left, while the committee will find a way forward to deal with the genuine settlers.

The provincial government came short, but I cannot blame them here, as we all understand that the administration does have some serious cash flow problems, as recently highlighted by the provincial treasurer.

The recent clash was liquor related and I call on provincial government lawyers to deal with the matter forthwith to bring back the ban.

 Numerous concerns were raised when the ban was lifted by the liquor operators in the district.

The liquor outlet operators must now choose between the lives of innocent people and their profit driven motives.

 This is not the first time they have challenged the liquor ban in the district as they have done so since the Watut/Biangai conflict in 2009.

There was also another delay caused by the Wau Bulolo urban manager, who was given the task by the law and order committee to furnish a report for the committee to present to the provincial government, quantifying the damages and other factors that had contributed to the ethnic clashes.

The Wau Bulolo urban manager has since disappeared into Port Moresby with the report, which has practically stopped the provincial law and order committee to pursue its cause in advising the provincial administration and relevant aid organisations such as Red Cross, AusAID and others who only rely on official report and confirmations before their engagement.

With the high level investigation team being sent from the police headquarters and the disappearance of the Wau Urban manager with the report to Waigani swamp, this can only mean that this situation of Bulolo has been politicised.

 I am now appealing to the government especially the Prime Minister Sir Michael that if those orders came from him, then we have to put our differences aside, and deal with the people - especially the suffering and the displaced mothers, children and elderly people.

I commend the latest initiatives by the Prime Minister's Department through chief secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc to have sent a team to the ground last week under instructions from the Prime Minister.

 I look forward for their advice and assistance and as my joint district planning and budget priorities committee is ready to step in by redirecting programme funds should urgent needs arise.

I appeal to the chief secretary and the provincial administrator to help locate the Wau Bulolo urban manager in Waigani and send him back into Wau with the uncertified report to the Morobe administration.

 The urban LLG office and the market has been locked since his absenteeism and the Wau culverting programme is about to commence, for which we need him on the ground to assist.

I would also like to convey our thankyou and gratitude on behalf of the affected people to various business houses in Lae together with Morobe Mining Joint Ventures and PNG Forest Products for their help in donations in keeping the care centre up until the recent incident.

 Your timely help and assistance will go along way of us knowing that you all do care for us the people of Bulolo and Morobe in such a difficult time.

Should the care centre situation stabilise, your continued assistance will be welcomed by all, and in particular I as political head of the affected district appeal for your continued support.

Now that the national government through the Prime Minister's Department is taking the lead on this issue, my support is there and ready for the next course of action upon the advice and support from Waigani.

Sam Basil

Bulolo MP

Tanglefoot, a control for coffee green scales

By YVONNE NGUTLICK of CIC

The name sounds quirky but Tanglefoot may be the answer to coffee farmers’ woes against the coffee green scale pest.

Coffee green scales

Tanglefoot is a jelly-like substance that stops the movement of ants up and down coffee trees.

It is non-poisonous to ants, other organisms and humans.

Pasting Tanglefoot on the tree stump near the base effectively prevents the ants from climbing up and down the tree accessing aerial parts of the crop.

Applying tanglefoot to coffee tree stump to prevent ants climbing

Coffee green scales are currently the most-serious pest affecting the coffee industry in Papua New Guinea.

They are soft scale insects.

They are oval-shaped, flat and pale green in colour.

Green scales are often associated with ants and ‘sooty mould’ fungus.

The ants and fungus feed on the honeydew excreted by the scales.

The scales suck the sap of mature and young coffee trees, reducing growth and eventually causing the death of the tree.

The presence of ants also provides protection for the scales from their natural enemies, like ladybird beetles and parasitic wasps.

Trials conducted at the Coffee Industry Corporation research station on using Tanglefoot in controlling green scales are encouraging.

The length of time to achieve complete control is three months.

 Control takes longer compared to recommended conventional methods of spraying and pruning that provide fast knockdown effect.

Tanglefoot, unlike conventional methods, poses no risks to the natural coffee environment and promotes sustainable control of the pest.

Following are important points to consider in order to attain such level of control:

• Tanglefoot needs to be adequately applied around the stump with 10-15 cm width and layer thick enough to avoid quick drying; and
• Arial canopy of the tree must be independently stand-alone. This means branches must not come in contact with branches of adjacent trees, particularly the infested trees, to avoid ant access from these trees.

Tanglefoot

Manufactured in the United States of America, Tanglefoot is not new in PNG, but new for the coffee industry. 

In the 1930s, Tanglefoot was trialed on coconut trees in Manus province to prevent coconut treehoppers. Climatological conditions in that coastal island province deteriorated the use of Tanglefoot but may prove otherwise for coffee, especially for farmers in the cooler Highlands provinces where green scales are rife.

Tanglefoot can be purchased from leading agricultural suppliers.

400 in Bulolo resign in fear

By RIGGO NANGAN

MORE than 400 Sepiks, employed by the PNG Forest Products (PNGFP) in Bulolo, Morobe, have resigned en masse out of fear for their lives, The National reports.

Other Sepiks working in the local bank, post office and schools and the nearby mine are also expected to leave, causing losses to companies and affecting government services.

Locals from Bulolo in Morobe, armed with bush knives, axes, bows and arrows, with a placard calling for the complete removal of Sepiks from the township yesterday. Tension is still high in the area.

The 400 Sepiks at PNGFP have submitted their names to their workers union president, Moses Tikiong, and general secretary Albert Kaklep to take the matter up with the management for payout.

The Sepiks gathered at the Huxley Street Play School yesterday at noon while their leaders met with district authorities to discuss their future.

Kaklep later met with Sepik leader Nelson Bito and relayed the message to the people.

The fate of 12 others employed by Morobe Mining Joint Ventures is not clear yesterday.

Some of the 12 have been living with their families at the care centres while others lost their homes in the recent unrest.

The employees of PNGFP made it clear to the company management their decision to leave was due to the current unrest and the threats to the lives of their families and themselves.

District administrator Nimsen Kibisep travelled to Port Moresby yesterday to take the matter up with government secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc.

He would also seek funds for the repatriation exercise.

Bito said three venues for their temporary resettlement were discussed – the Lae show grounds, Wawin in the Markham Valley or a venue to be identified by the Lutheran church.

Kibisep predicted a decline in government services in the district if the entire Sepik community were to leave.

Bulolo University Forestry College principal Tommy Nahuet expressed similar sentiments, saying the campus might have to be relocated to Lae. Both men are from West and East Sepik respectively.

Bank South Pacific relieving branch manageress Linda Maron said eight employees at the bank were Sepiks and they were also affected.

The bank’s acting Momase chief security officer, Igag Woktamoi, closed the bank for an indefinite period as of yesterday.

BSP is the only bank in Bulolo and its customers will now have to travel to Lae to do their banking.

Post PNG branch manager Duna Mara said yesterday they would soon shut operations.

Meanwhile, locals yesterday said they were happy to see the Sepiks go but the government must ensure the repatriation was definite.

“We will stay here until they leave because the authorities did not play their part which led to another unrest,” the locals said.

Ramu NiCo considers laying off workers

RAMU NiCo, the manager of Ramu nickel joint venture, will consider laying off workers at its nickel and cobalt operations in Madang following yesterday’s National Court refusal to lift the interim injunction preventing the construction of its offshore component of the deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) system, The National reports.

More than 3,000 people in the province depended on the US$1.4 billion project which is nearing the end of its construction phase.

They included about 1,200 Papua New Guinean workers at the Kurumbukari mine site in Usino-Bundi, the refinery site at Basamuk in the Rai Coast and the Madang head office.

They stand to lose their jobs.

And, in a further blow, the forced stopwork at the mine will slash economic growth forecast for this year.

Government officials said yesterday the GDP growth target of 8.5% this year would be downgraded to 7.1%, a massive drop which could have a negative effect on PNG as an investment destination.

The slow down in the PNG LNG project was also going to have some impact on economic growth forecasts, they said.

Ramu NiCo said their first option though would be to urgently appeal yesterday’s decision to the Supreme Court.

An “extremely disappointed” Ramu NiCo said in a statement it had already lost millions of kina since the injunction was granted in March.

In an earlier pre-trial hearing, Ramu NiCo had told the court that damages suffered since the injunction was granted included K2.05 milllion in direct expenses, K360,000 a day in interest to banks and K1.3 million a day in cost to DSTP contractors.

It said it had suffered financial losses for which it could not possibly be compensated.

Ramu NiCo had sought to lift the injunction by five Basamuk plaintiffs to allow it to finish construction before the advent of the rainy season and had undertaken not to dispose of tailings through the pipeline without the court’s approval. 

It said that up to June 30, it had spent US$1.2 billion out of the total development cost of US$1.4 billion for the project, which was scheduled to start trial operation by October.

Ramu NiCo said that given that it was unlikely that the DSTP would be completed before the rainy season, significant delays to the project construction and operational schedule was now unavoidable.

It said it had to fully assess the impact and amend the construction and operational timetable accordingly.

“As the construction is winding down and most of the equipment has been installed, one real option is to now place the project on a ‘care and maintenance’ basis, postpone the operational preparation works and adopt retrenchment measures, even though this would be devastating for our workers and their dependents and for the landowners, other community members and business partners.

“Given this, Ramu NiCo will do everything it reasonably can to minimise the losses.

“Ramu NiCo will also discuss the present situation with project stakeholders, including Highlands Pacific Limited, the government and landowners, before taking further actions,” it said. 

 

Judge opts for safety

By JAYNE SAFIHAO

 

NATIONAL Court judge David Cannings opted for “a safety first approach” yesterday when he refused to grant an application by Ramu NiCo to lift the interim court injunction he had granted in March to stop offshore construction of the deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) system, The National reports,

Instead, he extended the injunction until Dec 21, the trial date for the substantive case by five Basamuk plaintiffs – Eddie Tarsie, Farina Siga, Peter Sel, Sama Melambo and Pommern Inc Land Group.

Cannings ruled that there was no material change in circumstances, as was sought by Ramu NiCo which had also failed to provide sufficiently evidence to prove that the trial was delayed due to failure on the plaintiffs’ part.

The March injunction meant that all preparatory or construction work on DSTP system had stopped, including all and any damage or disturbance either directly or indirectly to the offshore environment such as coral blasting, popping of dead or live coral and laying of pipes pending the substantive hearing.

Cannings said he was not convinced that waste would not be discharged into the seas if construction of the DSTP was allowed to proceed pending the substantive hearing.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Hula

Happy birthday to my beloved wife and our Mum, Hula Debe Nalu, who would have turned 34 today, but left us so alone and tragically on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008.

Memories of the time we have spent together will be cherished forever.

With never-ending love from Malum and our four young children Malum Jr (9), Gedi (8), Moasing (6) and Keith (3).

Do not stand at my grave and weep,I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,I am the swift, uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there, I did not die!