Manus landowners want a fair go on asylum deal

By MALUM NALU

A landowner clan on Manus has called on the government to clearly spell out what specific benefits they will receive out of the asylum seekers agreements signed between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Kohonaleng clan spokesmen, Ali Panpan Pinakohon and Abraham Kia, told reporters that while they supported the project, Manus was getting a raw deal out of it.

Pinakohn and Kia speaking to reporters: ‘What benefits will we receive?’-Picture by MALUM NALU

“Just where do we as landowners and Manus people fit into the equation?” Pinakohon said.

“If the agreement between the two governments involves spending up to K500 million for the Angau hospital in the Morobe province, and hundreds of millions for infrastructure development in other centres of the country, what exactly is in it for Manus itself as host province?

“Physically the rest of the country, except for areas earmarked for resettlement, will be immune to the psychological strain, cultural and religious differences, unknown health-threatening inbound diseases, and other traumatic effects associated with people resettlement problems/”

Pinakohon called on the government to seriously address the impending issue of specific benefits for Manus, and not having the courtesy to involve its leaders, administrators, and landowners in the agreed terms for asylum seeker processing in the province.

He also called for K20 million to be set aside as seed capital for Manus to kick start businesses that would over the long term supporting the asylum processing facility.

Kia said: “We do not oppose this project.

“Since July 19, when they signed the agreement, we have not heard anything from our two MPs, Governor Charlie Benjamin and Ronnie Knight.

“Since the signing, we have not heard anything about what benefits we landowners, and all of Manus, will receive.”

Kia also expressed concern about job opportunities for the people of Manus.

“Since the signing of the agreement, we have all these Australian engineers on the island,” he said.

“We have engineers too.

“Are we talking about building a rocket?”

Koki gets a new lease on life

By MALUM NALU

The historic, but now infamous Koki Market in Port Moresby, is set to get a new lease on life, thanks to NCD police and Moresby South MP, Justin Tkatchenko.

A new cop shop has been set up at Koki, once the city’s leading market in bygone days, but now notorious for murders, rapes, armed hold-ups, marijuana, home brew, prostitution, and all manner of vice.

The market will also be completely revamped over the next two years.

NCD police metropolitan commander, Andy Bawa, and Tkatchenko on Tuesday introduced their plans to clean up the market to residents, vendors, and the general public at Koki.

Badili police commander Bill Werake, Tkatchenko, and Bawa inspect the new cop shop at Koki on Tuesday.-Picture by MALUM NALU

“In the next couple of days, we will open up the police cop shop, where there will be a permanent presence of police and volunteers to ensure the safety of people here in the market and the civilians that are using it,” Tkatchenko said.

“The market is a disgrace, absolute disgrace.

“The NCDC waste management and market divisions should be ashamed of themselves that you are selling your goods in a very unhygienic and unhealthy market.

“There’s no proper water, no proper toilets, but things are going to change.

“I have a four-year plan for this market that will change the way we see this market in the future.

“I want Koki to be completely redone in the next two years for the benefit of all of you.”

Bawa said Koki Market had a lot of history and should be respected by the young people.

“You, the residents of Koki, have to take ownership,” he said.

“Development will come but we must make sure that the law and order problem in Koki goes down.

“Koki is a historical market.

“We have to respect our market.

“When law and order problems go down, you will see expatriate men and women, people from other suburbs, come to our market.

“They will come with money.”

Koki youths told: ‘Crime doesn’t pay’

By MALUM NALU

 National Capital District police metropolitan commander, Andy Bawa, has urged youths at the notorious Koki Market to turn away from a life of crime.

He laid down the law on Tuesday at the opening of a new cop shop at Koki, which shot into international notoriety in June this year, when four Chinese nationals were brutally murdered in the shop they were operating there.

Bawa… ‘You can go to jail, you can die, you can lose your legs and arms’.-Picture by MALUM NALU

The new cop shop was built with funding provided by Moresby South MP, Justin Tkatchenko, and will use police and community manpower to patrol Koki.

Bawa provided anecdotal evidence of crime at Koki when his vehicle broke down there last Friday when he was in civvies.

“Last Friday, I was driving this way,” he recalled.

‘My vehicle broke down and I pulled up along the side.

“It gave me a chance to see first-hand what many people are complaining about at Koki Market.

“I saw many youths drinking home brew, smoking marijuana, pretending to walk across the pedestrian crossing, and trying to open the doors of passing vehicles.

“One young man, intoxicated on ‘steam’’ and with a screw driver in hand, attacked the driver and crew of a PMV, and broke the glasses of the 25-seater bus.

“He then walked into the market as if nothing had happened.

“This is an example of the escalating law and order problem at Koki.”

Bawa said Koki was a historical icon of Port Moresby, which was there before the young people of today were born, and deserved to be treated with respect to reclaim its former glory.

“I appeal to the youths of Koki, the Goilalas, Taris, Wabags, Hagens, Chimbus, all of you from all over PNG, not to stand at the pedestrian crossing,” he said.

“Do not hold up men and women, do not steal vehicles, do not pick pockets, drink ‘steam’, check the bags of mothers and market-goers.

“Police will be given all the power.

“Enough is enough.

“Koki must change for the better.

“We can’t stay like this forever.

“There are jobs that we can create for you in cleaning the market and others.

“Crime doesn’t pay.

“You can go to jail, you can die, you can lose your legs and arms.”

Concern about massive sums being squandered on Pacific Games and NCD

By TERRY SHELLEY

President

Goroka Chamber of Commerce and Industry

At a recent meeting of the Goroka Chambers of Commerce it was decided that we should make a public statement regarding our dissatisfaction at the obscene unequal distribution of revenue, especially the massive sums being squandered on the Pacific Games and the National Capital District (NCD).

The founding fathers of PNG, conscious of the fact that we were erecting a nation out of more ethnic groups than any nation on Earth, framed the Constitution which emphasises that sharing what we have to allow all of us to develop at the same pace.

The Constitution's First National Goal calls for: "every effort to be made to achieve an equitable distribution of incomes and other benefits of development among individuals and throughout the various parts of the country”.

 It also states "equalisation of services in all parts of the country and every citizen to have equal access to legal processes and all services, governmental or otherwise, that are required for the fulfillment of his or her real need and aspirations".

Previous governments and this present government are guilty of gross dereliction of duty under the Constitution.

I can assure the Minister for Sports that none of the millions of PNG rural woman and children will ever bathe in his much-vaunted Aquatic Centre.

So what will be the legacy on cost benefit to the vast majority PNG citizens who do not live in NCD?

 Huge contracts are being handed out mainly to Contractors of Chinese and Mediterranean ethnic with Papua New Guineans picking up the crumbs of being labuorers, plant operators, etc.

There is a virtual "gold rush" in the NCD which is awash with cash. This money belongs to ALL Papua New Guineans from all provinces and should be shared as per the Constitution.

The continuing media blitz telling us what a wonderful job is being done in vaporising K1 billion on the venues for the games is becoming extremely annoying although it is hard at times to distinguish who is being promoted, the games or the minister.

PNG already has a "silver medal" on the world stage and that is for being second only to Afghanistan in infant and mother mortalities in child birth.

This is something that we should be ashamed of.

The vast sums of money being allocated to NCD actually belong to all the people of PNG.

These disenfranchised asset owners will not be found in the bars and eateries of the likes of the "Grand Papua" or "Airways" but in the villages and hamlets throughout PNG mainland and the islands of the far atolls of the maritime provinces.

With respect we ask the Prime Minister and his Sports Minister that on the next occasion of ground breaking or ribbon cutting ceremonies in NCD, they stop for a moment and give a thought for the rural people who have suffered in silence and for the many women and children who have paid the ultimate price due to lack of basic medical services.

Government asked to explain extra K73 million for Pacific Games

By MALUM NALU

 

A concerned advocacy Group, Good Governance Advocacy Forum (GGAF), has asked why Papua New Guinea is paying out a massive K73 million in additional costs for the 2015 Pacific Games Village at the University of PNG.

Spokesman, Joe Poeo, said in a letter to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill that Cabinet had been misled and awarded the K263m contract to China Railway Construction Engineering (CRCE), when it was only worth K190m.

“People of Papua New Guinea will have to fork out a massive K73m on top of what has been estimated by the state-engaged and fully-paid consulting firm,” he said.

“Our investigation reveals that there were other reputable construction and engineering firms that tendered for this project.

“Their bid pricing were around the vicinity of the price estimated by the engineer of K190m, yet, the government has seen fit to simply add another massive K73m on top of the engineer’s estimate and awarding the contract.”

Poeo called on Sports and Pacific Games Minister, Justin Tkatchenko, to explain the inflated job.

“It is in the best interest of the people of this country that the Minister for Sports and Pacific Games to inform them the reason in inflating that figure over and above the professional engineer’s estimate,” he said.

“It is not a numerical figure, but actual cash that is being inserted into some submissions to eventually get the nod of the ministers in cabinet.

“Whether the state ministers were misled or merely forced to support and give approval to such an outrageous submission is a matter for the good minister to explain to the nation.

“He has a fiduciary obligation to do so.”

Poeo said O’Neill had an obligation to explain to the people of PNG.

“We ask through your office to ensure that the money that was added to the scoped figure is clearly explained in a more-transparent manner before any clearance is given,” he said.

“You are obligated to ensure that the people of this country know how their money is being managed by the executive government of the day.