PM OFFERED BRIBE TO LANDOWNERS WITH K40M TO DROP CASE
SOUTH PACIFIC POST
THE Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare is alleged to have offered a substantial amount of money to have disgruntled landowners drop their court challenge which has stopped development of the deep sea tailing placement project in Basamuk by Ramu NiCo Limited (MCC).
The offer is alleged to have been made to Sama Mellambo, who is one of the plaintiffs in the court case, during a closed door meeting held with Sir Michael at the Madang Resort on Monday morning.
Mr Mellambo when responding to questions put to him by this paper yesterday confirmed that an offer had been made to him for K40 million to withdraw the case.
He said he had received a call while he was at home, from a person whom he did not name, and was told that the Prime Minister was in town and wanted to meet with him.
He said a vehicle was sent to his family home and because there was nobody else to go with him, as a witness and for court purposes should the need arise, had opted to take his wife along with him.
He said at the hotel they were instructed to wait until the PM was ready. At 11am, he and his wife were ushered into one of the conference rooms where they met Sir Michael. Mr Mellambo said during the exchanges he was presented with a document containing social and economic development projects to the tune of K40 million and asked to “sign off’’ on it. He said the projects would cover all four impact areas.
“I was put in an awkward position and I don’t know why I was being asked to sign off on the deals when rightfully these were matters that should be dealt with by the respective landowner chairmen. Because the issue of the Ramu Nickel Foundation (RNF) was brought up I thought I should pursue it in the discussions as this is something that is well overdue.
“I am fighting for my land and my people and I would like this to be made clear and this to be respected,” he said. Mr Mellambo said because the projects were part of the project agreement and would include a number of areas and involve the RNF he had asked for Madang Governor Sir Arnold Amet and Raicoast MP James Gau Gelak to be at the meeting and to also have a look at the document.
He said he was told there would be a follow-up meeting next Wednesday.
Following the meeting with Mr Mellambo, Sir Arnold and Mr Gau had called a press conference during which Sir Arnold said that he Mr Gau were helping with talks with landowners, civil society leaders, ward councillors and the LLG presidents and church leaders who were open to transparent dialogue.
He said that they were also in the process of getting the company involved, government, Environment plan, Mineral Resources Authority and the Mineral Resources Development Corporation to explain to the people about the DSTP.
During the conference Mr Gau said that when he met Mr Mellambo, he was critical about the DSTP but he said that Mr Mellambo told him that the reason behind the people taking out a court injunction was the Government’s failure to honour its commitments which the PM personally committed to, including the establishment of the RNF to be funded by the Government for K20 million.
Mr Gau said that among other things, the landowners were denied spinoff benefits too, prompting the court injunction as well. He said that the Government was in negotiations with the landowners to settle the matter of court in “the Madang way’’. He said that they had reached an understanding with Mr Mellambo to resolve this issue and also to advise the plaintiff’s lawyer to settle the matter out of court.
Mr Gau said that Mr Mellambo had given an undertaking that as long as the Government honoured its commitment, he would withdraw the case. Mr Mellambo is just one of the five plaintiffs who have taken out a court injunction stopping work on the DSTP.
THE Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare is alleged to have offered a substantial amount of money to have disgruntled landowners drop their court challenge which has stopped development of the deep sea tailing placement project in Basamuk by Ramu NiCo Limited (MCC).
The offer is alleged to have been made to Sama Mellambo, who is one of the plaintiffs in the court case, during a closed door meeting held with Sir Michael at the Madang Resort on Monday morning.
Mr Mellambo when responding to questions put to him by this paper yesterday confirmed that an offer had been made to him for K40 million to withdraw the case.
He said he had received a call while he was at home, from a person whom he did not name, and was told that the Prime Minister was in town and wanted to meet with him.
He said a vehicle was sent to his family home and because there was nobody else to go with him, as a witness and for court purposes should the need arise, had opted to take his wife along with him.
He said at the hotel they were instructed to wait until the PM was ready. At 11am, he and his wife were ushered into one of the conference rooms where they met Sir Michael. Mr Mellambo said during the exchanges he was presented with a document containing social and economic development projects to the tune of K40 million and asked to “sign off’’ on it. He said the projects would cover all four impact areas.
“I was put in an awkward position and I don’t know why I was being asked to sign off on the deals when rightfully these were matters that should be dealt with by the respective landowner chairmen. Because the issue of the Ramu Nickel Foundation (RNF) was brought up I thought I should pursue it in the discussions as this is something that is well overdue.
“I am fighting for my land and my people and I would like this to be made clear and this to be respected,” he said. Mr Mellambo said because the projects were part of the project agreement and would include a number of areas and involve the RNF he had asked for Madang Governor Sir Arnold Amet and Raicoast MP James Gau Gelak to be at the meeting and to also have a look at the document.
He said he was told there would be a follow-up meeting next Wednesday.
Following the meeting with Mr Mellambo, Sir Arnold and Mr Gau had called a press conference during which Sir Arnold said that he Mr Gau were helping with talks with landowners, civil society leaders, ward councillors and the LLG presidents and church leaders who were open to transparent dialogue.
He said that they were also in the process of getting the company involved, government, Environment plan, Mineral Resources Authority and the Mineral Resources Development Corporation to explain to the people about the DSTP.
During the conference Mr Gau said that when he met Mr Mellambo, he was critical about the DSTP but he said that Mr Mellambo told him that the reason behind the people taking out a court injunction was the Government’s failure to honour its commitments which the PM personally committed to, including the establishment of the RNF to be funded by the Government for K20 million.
Mr Gau said that among other things, the landowners were denied spinoff benefits too, prompting the court injunction as well. He said that the Government was in negotiations with the landowners to settle the matter of court in “the Madang way’’. He said that they had reached an understanding with Mr Mellambo to resolve this issue and also to advise the plaintiff’s lawyer to settle the matter out of court.
Mr Gau said that Mr Mellambo had given an undertaking that as long as the Government honoured its commitment, he would withdraw the case. Mr Mellambo is just one of the five plaintiffs who have taken out a court injunction stopping work on the DSTP.
CRIME is the bane of modern Papua New Guinea society. Yet so often we pretend that it is mainly a preoccupation of those who live in the capital city.
ReplyDeleteIt is much more widespread than that.
People in major urban centres, Lae, Goroka and Mt Hagen and, reportedly, to some extent in Wewak, Madang and Kimbe, live in dread of physical violence on the streets.
Our second biggest city, Lae, is especially worse off now than it was 30 years ago with the much greater incidence of violence.
The latest outbreak of killing, at the Four Mile settlement, is an example of the kind of violence that crops up suddenly in that city.
Madang, once the noted idyllic lagoon town of peace, is having its own problems with armed holdups and related crimes.
Mt Hagen and Goroka are no longer the kind of domains where visitors can easily stroll down the main street and relax while bargaining over artifacts and vegetables. Non-locals invariably go with friendly locals if trying to do these things.
The incidents of crime seem to fall into two main categories: Those which involve resident groups who fight or kill in sudden outbursts and quarrels; and the others where local criminals hover to pounce on robbery or rape victims.
The apparent trend to more of these crimes happening in our towns points to a breakdown of law enforcement in general and may be partly linked to a lack of fear of the judicial retribution system. In effect, time in jail is not terribly fearful.
There is no “Alcatraz’’ in PNG, no jail from which it is impossible to escape. Most of our prisons appear to be easy to escape from.
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary has a fine title and a proud tradition but that longstanding reputation of yesteryear has suffered a bruising in the past couple of decades. Taxpayers are footing the bill for vastly improved salaries for the police force members and are entitled to see a major improvement in the constabulary performance these days.
Between the weaknesses in crime prevention and detection, the undermanned prosecution system and the understaffed correction institutions, the average family living in our towns and cities have a dispiriting time of it. We need much better but when is that to happen?
The Prime Minister did not ofer any bribes to any one...this are all lies. He was thee to deliver what was promised to the people.
ReplyDelete