On the verge of Dictatorship

ACTNOW
Prime Minister, Michael Somare, has a secret legislative plan that will make the proposed changes to the Leadership Code and even the recent amendments to the Environment Act seem relatively benign and insignificant.

The PM is waiting for the opportunity to again by-pass proper Parliamentary process and bulldoze through legislation for a Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that will further impoverish rural Papua New Guineans and boost the profits of foreign multinational companies.

The legislation will allow the government to declare key ports and coastal areas as Special Economic Zones where foreign companies can import goods duty free, enjoy lengthy tax holidays and avoid any minimum wage restrictions for the workers they employ.

With this legislation the Prime Minister seems determined to further enslave his own people and consign them to a life of poverty while he lives the high life in the bosom of the foreign companies and governments he is allowing to plunder PNG.

It is understood the Special Economic Zone legislation is being drafted for Somare by the International Finance Corporation which is the business arm of the World Bank.
The first beneficiary of the new legislation will be the Chinese government which is loaning $180 million to PNG to use to pay the Chinese to build the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) in Madang. The loan agreement is dependent on the PMIZ being declared a Special Economic Zone so the factory owners can enjoy tax free status on everything they import and export.
The PMIZ loan agreement also stipulates that AT LEAST 70% of the loan must be spent on Chinese goods and services and the Chinese will be allowed to bring in 20,000 foreign workers to build the factories that will fill the zone.
The ten tuna plants under construction or planned in Lae are also likely to be declared part of a Special Economic Zone, allowing them to export tuna duty free and pay slave labour rates to the poor Papua New Guineans, most of whom will be women, who will work in the factories.

In the future the government is also expected to use the SEZ legislation to exempt the logging industry from paying taxes, royalties to landowners and avoid the minimum wage regulations.

Papua New Guinea is a resource rich nation that should be dictating the terms to the international community for access to its minerals, oil, gas and forests and fisheries. Instead Somare seems determined to sell off as much as he can, as fast as he can for as little as possible.

While the PM is flying himself, his family and his entourage around the country in the Kumul jet and popping off to Cairns and Singapore for medical treatment, he should re-read the country’s Constitution and remind himself of the National Goals and Directive Principles. These set out how PNG should be governed so that everyone can share in the Nation’s wealth rather than just a privileged few.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 1, 2010 at 4:08 PM

    ‘Nape bowed to pressure to elect G-G’

    SPEAKER of Parliament, Jeffery Nape, bowed to pressure from the Government to declare Sir Paulias Matane as Governor-General for a second term against advice from his own Parliamentary legal counsels.
    This is according to Parliamentary witnesses who said Mr Nape had been advised by his lawyers to seek a Supreme Court interpretation on the uncertainty surrounding Section 87(5) of the Constitution following a point of order raised by East Sepik Governor, Peter Wararu.
    They said this was to maintain the integrity of the Chair and the House in accordance with adopted and normal parliamentary best practices.
    They said despite clear advice also on maintaining the independence of the Chair, the Speaker announced the Government’s interpretation of the constitutional provision.
    Parliament had taken a vote on the eligibility of Sir Paulias as the incumbent Governor-General under the provision which saw him muster 84 votes with only 13 against.
    Mr Wararu’s point of order was for the Speaker’s ruling over the ambiguity of the law on whether the vote taken automatically gave Sir Paulias a second term or that it only qualified him to go through the secret ballot with the other three candidates.
    The other three candidates were former Auditor General, Sir Makena Geno, and former politicians Pato Kakarya and Ronald Rimbao from Enga Province.
    Parliament’s advice to the Speaker was that the election of the Governor-General was provided by the Constitution and the Organic Law on the Nomination of the Governor General which were both “substantive provisions, and so are not in the Standing Orders.”
    The advice was for the Speaker to inform Members that there was no precedent of any incumbent Governor-General having mustered the required number for eligibility for re-election under Section 87(5) of the Constitution “and thus it has never been an issue.”
    The Speaker was advised that it was difficult for him to either declare Sir Paulias as Parliament’s nominee or to allow him to go through the secret ballot with the other candidates.
    The Speaker was advised that faced with such a situation he should resort to Parliament “best practices” including having the proceedings postponed until a correct interpretation of Section 87(5) was obtained from the Supreme Court.
    Mr Nape was advised to then seek approval of Parliament to refer the matter to the Supreme Court under Section 19 of the Constitution.
    Witnesses said despite the advice Mr Nape was swamped by Government advisers to make the ruling declaring Sir Paulias Governor General based on advice from the chief legislative counsel’s office.

    ReplyDelete

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