PNGBLOGS

$12 million Chinese-built Sigiri bridge in Western Kenya collapsed before it was completed. President Uhuru Kenyatta inspected the project two weeks before the collapse. by MANISH SHARMA Editor’s note: All Pacific nations need to read this story and heed the warning before it is too late. One of you could be next. SRI Lanka has been crippled under a severe debt problem. In the last decade, it has invested billions of dollars in building huge infrastructure and most of the projects haven’t yet produced any adequate returns. Sri Lankan Government is now struggling to make payments and hence facing a severe debt crunch. Sri Lanka’s total debt stands at $64bn. About a whopping 95 per cent of all government revenues go towards debt repayment. The debt to China is eight billion dollars. Many local citizens feel the country is being sold to the Chinese. The problem is that money borrowed has been seemingly squandered on infrastructure that shows no sign of turning a pro

by MAX SORO  Prime Minister Peter O'Neil got his K220 million cut from Hebou Construction owner Constantino for awarding him the K600 million Reuben Taureka highway (formerly Magi highway) in the Central province. That money was being used at Alotau Camp to buy off candidates to join PNC. This K600 million was a loan drawn out from BSP to upgrade this portion of the road. As Constantino being the owner of Hebou Construction and chairman of BSP bank, he approved this loan. The Hebou Contractor sealed off less than 500 meters of the road for this massive K600 million loan money extracted from BSP. Someone with common sense would question whether the upgrade of such road with such kilometres cost more than half a billion kina of tax payers’ money? From this K600 million contracts allocated to Constantino, he gave back K220 million to Peter O’Neill. To cover up investigation as to how this K220 million came into Peter O’Neill’s bank account, he presented a signed document to

O’Neill’s close relationship with the Cragnolinis can be formally traced back at least as far as 2008, when O’Neill was Public Service Minister. [1] In that year, Peter O’Neill became a minority shareholder and director in the company PNG China Business Consultants Limited, alongside Sing Yun Ling from Hong Kong and Ni Yumei Cragnolini. The company specializes in wholesale trade and consulting. During May 2009, Peter O’Neill strengthened his relationship with the Cragnolinis through their joint acquisition of Dove Funeral Services, which O’Neill, Lady Ni Yumei and Sir Luciano still share ownership of. The following year, in 2010, Peter O’Neill (through his company Remington Technology) bought a 34% stake in the Cragnolinis company, Melanesian Travel Consultants Limited. O’Neill’s shares were purchased from Ni Yumei Cragnolini who retained a 33% interest. A Chinese national, Yuewei Ni held the the other 33%. O’Neill later transferred his shares from Remington Technology t

by PAUL FLANAGAN via PNG ECONOMICS BLOG The PNG Treasury released the 2017 Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) last night (31 July)- see  here . This is an extraordinary document .  Amongst the detail is a damning insight into O’Neill’s continuing mismanagement of the budget. There is little doubt that the original 2017 budget was fiscally fraudulent (see here  and here ). The PNG Treasury document indicates, in summary: The budget deficit is over K1 billion larger than forecast only 7 months ago.  The PNG Treasury document states the deficit has increased from K1,9bn to K2.8bn. This will continue the pattern of the O’Neill government having consistently the largest budget deficits of any government in PNG’s history – see here . And the actual deficit forecast is actually over K3bn when including the blowout in interest costs for all the public debt from K1.3bn to K1.5bn. This is the 3rd highest item of government expenditure – a fact hid

by PAUL RUNDUWALI You may be wondering why the counting in Southern Highlands Province is so slow except for the Ialibu-Pangia Open where O'Neill manipulated and orchestrated the voting and counting and declared himself as a winner in a dictatorship style. The reason is, it is Mr.O'Neills ploy to get the seats in SHP by force and declare his PNC Candidates. At this time, O'Neill critically needs the numbers to form the government, failure to master the numbers means, he will loose the PMs post and ends up in the opposition and thus, it is evitable that he will further spend another luxury life in  Bomana.  For this reason, O’Neill is using delay tactic in a pursuit to make all SHP seats for PNC  candidates and get the number needed to form the government.  According to insiders (names withheld)  in ,Mendi, Southern Highlands Province,   large sum of money from the ruling party (PNC)  is being brought into the province, possibly to bribe counti

by PAUL FLANAGAN  Statistical indicators suggest the O’Neill government has used its power of incumbency to ‘cook the books’ in its favour. Comparing the 2017 electoral roll with population estimates by electorate based on the 2011 census, the Electoral Commission has created nearly 300,000 “ghost voters” in PNC controlled electorates.  This is 5,682 “ghost voters” for every PNC sitting member. This is over 10 times the number of “ghost voters” for non-PNC sitting members. PNC members are also being declared elected based on “mathematical impossibilities”. PNG’s vibrant democracy, including its extraordinary diversity and combination of individual choice and clan loyalties, may still be able to overcome such electoral bias in favour of O’Neill. This may depend on the Biblical and moral choices about to be made by new Independent members. May they choose wisely and morally, not just chasing the money politics of the PNC and its likely manipulation of the election, when

by TONY SULUPIN A PNC candidate running for Lagaip Porgera open, Nathan Piari must be arrested and criminally charged for discharging firearms at the polling venue. On the 08th of July, the polling was to take place at the Kanak council Ward in the Pilikambi LLG. The four clans of Kaimul tribe unanimously agreed that due to irregularities in the common roll, they wanted to share the ballot papers among  the four clans. After signed papers were distributed by the presiding officer according to their wish, a feud erupted between Mr Piari's supporter and another within the Walyage clan over their share of 561 papers. The suspect who was armed with a pistol fired several shots at the voters injuring one elderly woman on her leg. This angered Ambai and Kulip voters hence retaliated with stones, sticks and other missiles thrown at Piari's supporters A stand-of developed into an horrific situation which saw few houses were burned down by an angry mob together with an old