PNGBLOGS

by MICHAEL JOSEPH PASSINGAN Expert independent analysis continues to expose Prime Minister Peter O’Neill as the worst economic manager in Papua New Guinea’s history. New research published by DevPolicy Blog at the Australian National University shows that PNG is now suffering from a revenue crisis, in addition to its well-known government cash-flow and foreign exchange crises. The research shows that Government revenue has fallen back to the 2006 level of about K10 billion a year in real terms. The Prime Minister’s economic and financial recklessness has caused a K2.5 billion fall in revenue in only two years! This, combined with population growth over the 10 years of about 25 percent, explains why PNG people are suffering under Mr O’Neill like never before. Citizens’ standard of living and quality of life have been going backwards under the O’Neill Regime. The collapse in revenue since the peak of K12.5 billion in 2014 is behind the continued decline in service delivery in critica

by PETER HEWAGO As proud citizens of this country, we applaud the concerted efforts of ONeill Dion Government for implementing its coalition partners' major development policies put together in the Alotau Accord. These policies are; better infrastructure, Tuition Fee Free education, Free Basic Health, Addressing Law and Order and the government's emphasis on SME to propel our economy in this trying times amid economic difficulties as a result of sliding world commodity prices putting strain to our National Budget. These policies especially TFF within the rheem of education sector, infrastructure development and SME have stood out among others which have directly impacted lives of the people in most parts of this country giving glimpses of hope for better and encouraging PNGeans to be wealthy. However, certain self-centred Members of Parliament (MP) and senior State Ministers have taken  advantage of the complacent and ignorant attitude of our people and have decided

DEV POLICY The 2016 Papua New Guinea Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) released at the end of July tells a sobering tale. 2016 revenue adjusted for inflation is back at the same level as it was a decade ago in 2006. Figure 1 shows total government revenue (including grants) back to 2000, adjusted for inflation. Comparisons are slightly complicated by the fact that PNG Treasury changed its fiscal accounting standards last year, but, in fact, as Figure 1 shows, this makes little difference on the revenue side. Figure 1: Revenue (including grants) adjusted for inflation, 2000 to 2016 Source and notes for all figures: Treasury budget documents and BPNG; PNG Treasury switched this year from GFS1986 to GFS2012 accounting standards; 2016 are MYEFO estimates; earlier years are actuals. The data presented in this post can be found in this Excel spreadsheet [.xlsx]. With population some 25% greater than a decade ago, it’s a dire situation for service deli

by SONIA STEPHEN Once upon a time PNG-Australia relations was predicated heavily on rice sales in PNG. For a long time, Australian rice sales to PNG was maintained in the vicinity of $300 million, making it one of the largest single commodity export to a single country on consistent basis. PNG provided the blue print by which Australia replicated this model throughout the Pacific. Even in Fiji, the home of Sun Rice, Australia managed to use political and other connections to kill that indigenous rice industry to establish it as one of the distribution point of the Australian rice products. That is largely the case today for Fiji. Australian rice industry is about Australian politics. It is about the rise and fall of the Country/National Party, where rice is grown in the heartlands of the Riverina and the Murray/Darling basin past the cotton country. So it was not a surprise when Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fisher once flew in to confront Sir Julius Chan over PNG Gov

by MICHAEL JOSEPH PASSINGAN In documents leaked by Hon Ano Pala, Attorney General to PNG Blogs, controversial lawyer Paul Paraka submitted a letter on 17 August 2016 to crooked Police Commissioner Gari Baki, seeking "Withdrawal of Criminal Charges and Termination of Criminal Investigations on all Paraka Related Files". It would be interesting how this will be responded to by the Police Commissioner who is known for bending backwards for high profile people. The Paraka saga gripped the entire country for more than a decade. Paraka is here claiming that the law enforcement officers were used by political forces to institute the criminal cases against him, something not out of the ordinary these days. PM O'Neill's case is part of the Parakagate and it will this be the way out created for O'Neill by the very person who dragged him in the first place?