PNGBLOGS

ALMOST all rural villages in PNG do not have basic services, causing the people to suffer in silence. Now, imagine if you want to become an MP. You show up during election campaigning and promise the people you will restore everything if you are voted in. They give you their mandate and after winning the election, you return to Port Moresby where you live in an expensive house, drive around in flashy cars trying to attract the attention of young girls, eat in exclusive restaurants, frequenting pokies joints and nightclubs, and travelling to Australia for shopping and medical treatment. One day, you decide to make a trip to the village to launch a semi-permanent classroom. At the airport, you are greeted by your tribesmen and you hire a fleet of vehicles. As the convoy makes its way to the village, the pothole-filled road makes your drive uncomfortable. On that instant, you started working out your speech, what to tell the people. As soon as you get out of the vehicle upon rea

ALMOST all rural villages in PNG do not have basic services, causing the people to suffer in silence. Now, imagine if you want to become an MP. You show up during election campaigning and promise the people you will restore everything if you are voted in. They give you their mandate and after winning the election, you return to Port Moresby where you live in an expensive house, drive around in flashy cars trying to attract the attention of young girls, eat in exclusive restaurants, frequenting pokies joints and nightclubs, and travelling to Australia for shopping and medical treatment. One day, you decide to make a trip to the village to launch a semi-permanent classroom. At the airport, you are greeted by your tribesmen and you hire a fleet of vehicles. As the convoy makes its way to the village, the pothole-filled road makes your drive uncomfortable. On that instant, you started working out your speech, what to tell the people. As soon as you get out of the vehicle upon rea

Rene Klumbi TWO people were killed in a nasty road accident in Port Moresby last weekend and several others were injured.The accident would have been avoidable but for the careless driving of one of the drivers, who crashed into another vehicle forcing it to overturn onto the next lane.While recognising the fact that motor traffic accidents will happen in the best of conditions, and anywhere, we must ask the question: Is the big budget Road Safety is Not a Game campaign, funded by the Motor Vehicle Insurance Trust and promoted by Australian NRL big names, getting anywhere near educating errant drivers? If the evidence presented on the streets of Port Moresby are anything to go by, we can answer our own question with one word: “zilch!”Few, if anybody on the road, today is driving with the kind of care and respect for others that is promoted by the road safety campaign. If road safety is, indeed, not a game, then how do we make sure that it is serious, life threatening stuff? The campaig

Rene Klumbi TWO people were killed in a nasty road accident in Port Moresby last weekend and several others were injured.The accident would have been avoidable but for the careless driving of one of the drivers, who crashed into another vehicle forcing it to overturn onto the next lane.While recognising the fact that motor traffic accidents will happen in the best of conditions, and anywhere, we must ask the question: Is the big budget Road Safety is Not a Game campaign, funded by the Motor Vehicle Insurance Trust and promoted by Australian NRL big names, getting anywhere near educating errant drivers? If the evidence presented on the streets of Port Moresby are anything to go by, we can answer our own question with one word: “zilch!”Few, if anybody on the road, today is driving with the kind of care and respect for others that is promoted by the road safety campaign. If road safety is, indeed, not a game, then how do we make sure that it is serious, life threatening stuff? The cam

Most people agree that InterOil has found something of value at its Antelope drilling site in Papua New Guinea.  Whether the gas reservoir InterOil has found matches the company's euphoric description of it, however, is still a subject of fierce debate. For example, InterOil has described the "flow" (pressure) of natural gas at the site as a "world record." The video below is ostensibly of a flare test at InterOil's Antelope 2 site -- which purports to show this world-record flow. The video appears to have been uploaded to YouTube by InterOil's CFO, Collin Visaggio , although the uploader could presumably just be someone pretending to be him (we're checking). The video is labeled as follows: InterOil Antelope 2 World Record Gas Flow 705 mscf/day A company skeptic says this video doesn't show a flow anywhere near as big as the company describes.  We therefore invite all natural gas experts to weigh in on it. It's possible that

Most people agree that InterOil has found something of value at its Antelope drilling site in Papua New Guinea.  Whether the gas reservoir InterOil has found matches the company's euphoric description of it, however, is still a subject of fierce debate. For example, InterOil has described the "flow" (pressure) of natural gas at the site as a "world record." The video below is ostensibly of a flare test at InterOil's Antelope 2 site -- which purports to show this world-record flow. The video appears to have been uploaded to YouTube by InterOil's CFO, Collin Visaggio , although the uploader could presumably just be someone pretending to be him (we're checking). The video is labeled as follows: InterOil Antelope 2 World Record Gas Flow 705 mscf/day A company skeptic says this video doesn't show a flow anywhere near as big as the company describes.  We therefore invite all natural gas experts to weigh in on it. It's

THE much talked-about “windfall revenues” from the mineral sector will be wasted because there are no effective and proper mechanisms to manage them. Australian National University academic Prof Ron Duncan said PNG had experienced two mining booms since Independence. “The first in the early 1990s was poorly managed with Government expenditure greatly exceeding revenues, resulting in a large increase in public debt and the devaluation and eventual floating of the kina. “The recent commodity boom has been managed more effectively, with the paying down of public debt and the setting aside of trust funds from the revenues for future expenditure on long-overdue refurbishment of important public infrastructure and development of essential services,” Prof Duncan said. “Unfortunately, there was also a sharp increase in recurrent expenditure and there is now some doubt about how well the windfall revenues, set aside in trust funds, will be managed now and in the future.” He

THE much talked-about “windfall revenues” from the mineral sector will be wasted because there are no effective and proper mechanisms to manage them. Australian National University academic Prof Ron Duncan said PNG had experienced two mining booms since Independence. “The first in the early 1990s was poorly managed with Government expenditure greatly exceeding revenues, resulting in a large increase in public debt and the devaluation and eventual floating of the kina. “The recent commodity boom has been managed more effectively, with the paying down of public debt and the setting aside of trust funds from the revenues for future expenditure on long-overdue refurbishment of important public infrastructure and development of essential services,” Prof Duncan said. “Unfortunately, there was also a sharp increase in recurrent expenditure and there is now some doubt about how well the windfall revenues, set aside in trust funds, will be managed now and in the future.”

ILYA GRIDNEFF, AAP The South Pacific's largest commercial bank had numerous warnings that senior staff in Papua New Guinea had close criminal connections, months before three branches were hit by robberies, documents show. Internal security briefings obtained by AAP show Bank South Pacific (BSP) was told in early 2008 of links between PNG's notorious gangs known as "raskols" and staff, with some criminals even visiting senior staff at BSP's Port Moresby head office. Documents show BSP's former head of security services, Duncan Smith, raised various security concerns with BSP executives after investigating the matter in February 2008. The following month, Smith was sacked - one year into his three-year contract with BSP - due to company "restructuring". Then on May 19, BSP's Kerema branch, in Gulf Province on PNG's southeast coast, was robbed of one million kina ($A400,000). PNG police subsequently arrested four local bank staff and a villag

ILYA GRIDNEFF, AAP The South Pacific's largest commercial bank had numerous warnings that senior staff in Papua New Guinea had close criminal connections, months before three branches were hit by robberies, documents show. Internal security briefings obtained by AAP show Bank South Pacific (BSP) was told in early 2008 of links between PNG's notorious gangs known as "raskols" and staff, with some criminals even visiting senior staff at BSP's Port Moresby head office. Documents show BSP's former head of security services, Duncan Smith, raised various security concerns with BSP executives after investigating the matter in February 2008. The following month, Smith was sacked - one year into his three-year contract with BSP - due to company "restructuring". Then on May 19, BSP's Kerema branch, in Gulf Province on PNG's southeast coast, was robbed of one million kina ($A400,000). PNG police subsequently arrested four local bank staff and a vil

National Editorial PNG is ill-prepared for the impact of liquefied natural gas (LNG). So far, we have watched the progress from gas agreement in May 2008 to financial closure on March 11 with little more than fascination. We have heard the talking-up of PNG LNG, about the enormous wealth creation and its potential to change our fortunes but thought little of how it might impact us individually or as a community. Partly, this has been because there has been little to work on. Nobody has given us any clue on the full cost and benefit of this project.   The blame for this must be placed squarely at the doorstep of the executive Government and on the steps of Parliament House. While there has been a ministerial economic committee formed for the express purpose of the LNG project, its sole purpose, so it would seem, up to now has been to speed up the approval of the project. Little has been done by way of preparing the nation for the effect which will have a tsunami-like consequence upon PN

National Editorial PNG is ill-prepared for the impact of liquefied natural gas (LNG). So far, we have watched the progress from gas agreement in May 2008 to financial closure on March 11 with little more than fascination. We have heard the talking-up of PNG LNG, about the enormous wealth creation and its potential to change our fortunes but thought little of how it might impact us individually or as a community. Partly, this has been because there has been little to work on. Nobody has given us any clue on the full cost and benefit of this project.   The blame for this must be placed squarely at the doorstep of the executive Government and on the steps of Parliament House. While there has been a ministerial economic committee formed for the express purpose of the LNG project, its sole purpose, so it would seem, up to now has been to speed up the approval of the project. Little has been done by way of preparing the nation for the effect which will have a tsunami-like consequence

BENNY SANDEKA   WHEN the National Government granted autonomous powers to the Bougainville government in 2001, few other provinces have also put their hands up. Notable among them are East New Britain followed by New Ireland. Morobe has made an indication to be autonomous but there have not been any serious follow-ups. When these old flames of self determination through autonomy were rekindled again in 2007, Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare laid down the ground rules: Autonomy for Bougainville is a special case and the National Government will not entertain any more quest for autonomy brought to government by aspiring provinces. At the time of the Prime Minister making the public statement, East New Britain was well ahead of its preparation towards the attainment of autonomy. In fact, its bid for autonomy received full backing from East New Britain leaders in Cabinet at that time. But the government's stance on the issue has put their quest for autonomy on hold. Until

BENNY SANDEKA   WHEN the National Government granted autonomous powers to the Bougainville government in 2001, few other provinces have also put their hands up. Notable among them are East New Britain followed by New Ireland. Morobe has made an indication to be autonomous but there have not been any serious follow-ups. When these old flames of self determination through autonomy were rekindled again in 2007, Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare laid down the ground rules: Autonomy for Bougainville is a special case and the National Government will not entertain any more quest for autonomy brought to government by aspiring provinces. At the time of the Prime Minister making the public statement, East New Britain was well ahead of its preparation towards the attainment of autonomy. In fact, its bid for autonomy received full backing from East New Britain leaders in Cabinet at that time. But the government's stance on the issue has put their quest for autonomy on ho

'God save Papua New Guinea' is one phrase that any one person would want to say given the country's current situation where government services are non-existent in rural areas and more so when corruption seemed to take precedence. When we talk about public service delivery, time and time again we refer to the very basic needs of health, education, roads and infrastructure, and law and order. These are the basis of our very survival and existence as a nation, but when these services are not delivered the way it is, then we tend to question what has gone wrong. More often we have the tendency of blaming the political leaders and bureaucrats of the failure on their part for not delivering the much needed services that we lack. But can we really blame them for all the failures or should we blame ourselves for doing nothing to get the leaders responsible for their actions. I believe we should blame ourselves, simply because we failed to exercise the "peoples'

'God save Papua New Guinea' is one phrase that any one person would want to say given the country's current situation where government services are non-existent in rural areas and more so when corruption seemed to take precedence. When we talk about public service delivery, time and time again we refer to the very basic needs of health, education, roads and infrastructure, and law and order. These are the basis of our very survival and existence as a nation, but when these services are not delivered the way it is, then we tend to question what has gone wrong. More often we have the tendency of blaming the political leaders and bureaucrats of the failure on their part for not delivering the much needed services that we lack. But can we really blame them for all the failures or should we blame ourselves for doing nothing to get the leaders responsible for their actions. I believe we should blame ourselves, simply because we failed to exercise the "peoples&

Benny Sandeka THE then Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee, Ben Micah has admitted that the Provincial and Local Level Government reforms which he spearheaded in 1995 have totally missed the intentions of the reforms.  Mr Micah said the Provincial Government Reforms which he spearheaded 15 years ago was to improve the delivery of basic services to the masses. However, the new Organic Law on the Provincial and Local Level Government has undergone too many amendments and has made it become ineffective and thus failed to deliver its intentions. Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Puka Temu said, the government is currently looking at ways to improve the system of government in the country. While the national government will remain in its current state, the national government is still looking at ways of how to improve the provincial and local level governments further with the same intents of effectively delivering basic services to the rural masses. "We are looking at retaining