PNGBLOGS

Those who have been waiting for the Full COI Report into the Department of Finance are now able to read to full report which has now been published online at PNGEXPOSED It is a 802 Page Document, it could take a long time if you have a slow connection to the internet. Read the Report here

Those who have been waiting for the Full COI Report into the Department of Finance are now able to read to full report which has now been published online at PNGEXPOSED It is a 802 Page Document, it could take a long time if you have a slow connection to the internet. Read the Report here

OP/ED NATIONAL security as a matter of debate has been “off the agenda’’ for many years and this may have led to an undesirable situation. Back in the 1960s and 70s, frequent border “incidents’’ kept the Papua New Guinea public on the alert as to what was going on in the border with Indonesia and to a much lesser extent, with Australia. The background was the oft reported aspirations of a former Indonesian President to subsume PNG as a part of the Indonesian “empire’’. But succeeding Jakarta governments have been at pains to dismiss such regurgitated aspirations and have made extensive efforts to show their wish for peaceful co-existence. Indeed a substantial part of our private sector now has an Indonesian component. We are on friendly terms with the Indonesian military in terms of defence cooperation, in a way that could not have been imagined back in the 1970s. Times have changed. The emphasis on border dealings is now much more focused on the unchecked movement of people and goods

OP/ED NATIONAL security as a matter of debate has been “off the agenda’’ for many years and this may have led to an undesirable situation. Back in the 1960s and 70s, frequent border “incidents’’ kept the Papua New Guinea public on the alert as to what was going on in the border with Indonesia and to a much lesser extent, with Australia. The background was the oft reported aspirations of a former Indonesian President to subsume PNG as a part of the Indonesian “empire’’. But succeeding Jakarta governments have been at pains to dismiss such regurgitated aspirations and have made extensive efforts to show their wish for peaceful co-existence. Indeed a substantial part of our private sector now has an Indonesian component. We are on friendly terms with the Indonesian military in terms of defence cooperation, in a way that could not have been imagined back in the 1970s. Times have changed. The emphasis on border dealings is now much more focused on the unchecked movement of people an

JOHN NONGORR Sir Michael Somares Government has again broken PNGs Constitution for temporary gain - to retain political power. The events that unfolded on the floor of the Parliament on July 21 were not only contrary to the Constitution but also a disgrace to parliamentary democracy. The fact that the Constitution was broken is clear. Sir Michael Somare, as Prime Minister, is responsible for Minister Paul Tiensten and Speaker Jeffrey Nape colluding to break Section 124 of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in 1999 and 2000. Section 124(1) says that the Parliament must sit for nine weeks in each year. In 1999 and 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that nine weeks means 63 days. In the year from August 6, 2009 to August 7, 2010, the Parliament would have sat for only 35 days. There is a shortfall of 28 days. The reason why Sir Michael Somare, in concert with Mr Tiensten and Mr Nape, broke the Constitution, was for short-term personal political power gain. As such, it is not

JOHN NONGORR Sir Michael Somares Government has again broken PNGs Constitution for temporary gain - to retain political power. The events that unfolded on the floor of the Parliament on July 21 were not only contrary to the Constitution but also a disgrace to parliamentary democracy. The fact that the Constitution was broken is clear. Sir Michael Somare, as Prime Minister, is responsible for Minister Paul Tiensten and Speaker Jeffrey Nape colluding to break Section 124 of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in 1999 and 2000. Section 124(1) says that the Parliament must sit for nine weeks in each year. In 1999 and 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that nine weeks means 63 days. In the year from August 6, 2009 to August 7, 2010, the Parliament would have sat for only 35 days. There is a shortfall of 28 days. The reason why Sir Michael Somare, in concert with Mr Tiensten and Mr Nape, broke the Constitution, was for short-term personal political power gain. As such, it is

COUNTRYSIDE One of the joys of growing up in PNG is to the big sing sings that happen yearly or even the colorful church activities. I vividly remember Independence Day and the host of color from all part of the country. From the majestic plums drifting on the head pieces of the mighty men and women of the highlands, electrifying rhythmic chants and drums from the New Guinea islands, carvings and dances that depict mystical stories of the Momase people and the spectacular nautical innovations of the tribes from the southern region. Credit: Messer Smith (http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress So things are not the same, we have lost some of our old ways and we are sometimes accused of not honoring our culture. But we have been progressive and as a result, we have forged an identity that resonates a nation of many tongues. From Patti Doi and Betty Toea’s music booming in PMVs that are owned by Highlanders, colorful fabrics that depict tapa patterns from the Orokaiva worn by our sister

COUNTRYSIDE One of the joys of growing up in PNG is to the big sing sings that happen yearly or even the colorful church activities. I vividly remember Independence Day and the host of color from all part of the country. From the majestic plums drifting on the head pieces of the mighty men and women of the highlands, electrifying rhythmic chants and drums from the New Guinea islands, carvings and dances that depict mystical stories of the Momase people and the spectacular nautical innovations of the tribes from the southern region. Credit: Messer Smith (http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress So things are not the same, we have lost some of our old ways and we are sometimes accused of not honoring our culture. But we have been progressive and as a result, we have forged an identity that resonates a nation of many tongues. From Patti Doi and Betty Toea’s music booming in PMVs that are owned by Highlanders, colorful fabrics that depict tapa patterns from the Orokaiva worn by our

Source: DAN OAKES SMH PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S high commissioner has staged an astonishing attack on the Coalition and strongly endorsed the Gillard Labor government, throwing foreign affairs into the spotlight for the first time during the election campaign. Charles Lepani told the Herald that relations between his country and the Coalition had been severely damaged by the former Howard government, and that the opposition had made little effort to repair them since its defeat in 2007. Mr Lepani was speaking after a debate at the National Press Club between the deputy Liberal leader, Julie Bishop, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, in which Ms Bishop said that a Coalition government would repair relations with PNG. The diplomat said he was mystified by Ms Bishop's claim that the relationship between Australia and its former colony had deteriorated under Labor. ''There was no relationship left to repair when Labor was elected,'' Mr Lepani said. ''