PNGBLOGS

SPROX WALKER I was one of the many people who attended the lea­dership tribunal of Prime Mi­nister Sir Michael So­mare in court room 1 at the Waigani National Court premises recently. As a layman, I understand the different functions of the office of public prosecutor and the Om­budsman Commission. I also understand what the tribunal is and the purpose for its set-up and its conduct of the proceedings. During the course of the tribunal, three issues surfaced and I am troubled by them. First, the composition of the tribunal. Whilst I have no doubt about the academic and professional experiences of the members, I am disturbed by the quality of questions raised during the proceedings. These questions would not have risen if we had our own judges presiding. For the tribunal to understand the crux of the matter before them, they need to have a fair understanding of the constitutional planning committee report (CPC), the Constitution, relevant Organic Laws and enabling legislations. The coun

SPROX WALKER I was one of the many people who attended the lea­dership tribunal of Prime Mi­nister Sir Michael So­mare in court room 1 at the Waigani National Court premises recently. As a layman, I understand the different functions of the office of public prosecutor and the Om­budsman Commission. I also understand what the tribunal is and the purpose for its set-up and its conduct of the proceedings. During the course of the tribunal, three issues surfaced and I am troubled by them. First, the composition of the tribunal. Whilst I have no doubt about the academic and professional experiences of the members, I am disturbed by the quality of questions raised during the proceedings. These questions would not have risen if we had our own judges presiding. For the tribunal to understand the crux of the matter before them, they need to have a fair understanding of the constitutional planning committee report (CPC), the Constitution, relevant Organic Laws and enabling legislations. The

Major General JERRY SINGIROK MBE (Rtd) It has been fourteen years to this day when under my command as Commander Papua New Guinea Defence Force made a conscious decision, not only to abort the Sandline Contract “Contravene”, but also to expel Sandline mercenaries out of PNG and subsequently ask the then Prime Minister, his deputy and the Minister for Defence to resign. Historians and many commentators have marked this event as a major crisis in PNG history. However in the main it was a result of series of blunders on the part of the executive arm of the Government and policy advisor who had far ulterior motives other than addressing genuine plea for increased benefits for the landowners and the Bougainville Provincial Government. The result was a significant shift in the security decision making thus affecting national security within the context of protecting PNG’s national interest, subsequently unleashing the contract by the grieving party which was me as Commander and a handful of

Major General JERRY SINGIROK MBE (Rtd) It has been fourteen years to this day when under my command as Commander Papua New Guinea Defence Force made a conscious decision, not only to abort the Sandline Contract “Contravene”, but also to expel Sandline mercenaries out of PNG and subsequently ask the then Prime Minister, his deputy and the Minister for Defence to resign. Historians and many commentators have marked this event as a major crisis in PNG history. However in the main it was a result of series of blunders on the part of the executive arm of the Government and policy advisor who had far ulterior motives other than addressing genuine plea for increased benefits for the landowners and the Bougainville Provincial Government. The result was a significant shift in the security decision making thus affecting national security within the context of protecting PNG’s national interest, subsequently unleashing the contract by the grieving party which was me as Commander and a handful

JOHN FOWKE Stretok, having read your reply to Guest I do understand your need to use a pen-name, and commiserate with you sincerely on the loss and the experience you outline, if you will allow such expression from an old ex-colonial fool. Your depth of feeling, your commitment to the future of your country and your ability to express yourself are certainly not in doubt, and nor is the depth of frustration which your postings imply. Where you don't do yourself justice is to allow your obvious antipathy towards people like me and those who in one way or another, concur with the views I express, to go overboard so as to play the man, not the ball. Not that I take offence at your characterisation of John; as you will readily understand you are by no means the first to put me down as a nosy old bugger who should pull his head in. But both my late wife and I love- ( in her case loved)- your country and its people, and care about it a lot, and this is why, despite the possibility of offe

JOHN FOWKE Stretok, having read your reply to Guest I do understand your need to use a pen-name, and commiserate with you sincerely on the loss and the experience you outline, if you will allow such expression from an old ex-colonial fool. Your depth of feeling, your commitment to the future of your country and your ability to express yourself are certainly not in doubt, and nor is the depth of frustration which your postings imply. Where you don't do yourself justice is to allow your obvious antipathy towards people like me and those who in one way or another, concur with the views I express, to go overboard so as to play the man, not the ball. Not that I take offence at your characterisation of John; as you will readily understand you are by no means the first to put me down as a nosy old bugger who should pull his head in. But both my late wife and I love- ( in her case loved)- your country and its people, and care about it a lot, and this is why, despite the possibility of

IRIN PORT MORESBY, 16 March 2011 (IRIN) - Government officials in Papua New Guinea’s national health department have received massive kickbacks from pharmaceutical drug suppliers in a scandal that had been going on for nearly 10 years, but moves are afoot to tackle the problem, health officials say. Payments by medical suppliers to government officials for favours had run into the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of dollars, said the head of the country’s National Health Department (NDOH), Clement Malau, as well as senior hospital officers. “The Department of Health tendering process is not transparent. As a result, there is evidence that drugs have leaked, and favours have been given to individuals and companies... This has led to allegations of staff being paid for services rendered that were not in line with proper procurement processes,” Malau told IRIN. The procurement of medical supplies comes under the auspices of the NDOH, which procures drugs based on a national

IRIN PORT MORESBY, 16 March 2011 (IRIN) - Government officials in Papua New Guinea’s national health department have received massive kickbacks from pharmaceutical drug suppliers in a scandal that had been going on for nearly 10 years, but moves are afoot to tackle the problem, health officials say. Payments by medical suppliers to government officials for favours had run into the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of dollars, said the head of the country’s National Health Department (NDOH), Clement Malau, as well as senior hospital officers. “The Department of Health tendering process is not transparent. As a result, there is evidence that drugs have leaked, and favours have been given to individuals and companies... This has led to allegations of staff being paid for services rendered that were not in line with proper procurement processes,” Malau told IRIN. The procurement of medical supplies comes under the auspices of the NDOH, which procures drugs based on a

AAP A three-member tribunal hearing allegations of misconduct by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare has adjourned to consider its final decision. Tribunal chairman Roger Gyles on Tuesday adjourned the hearing, then said it hopes to decide Somare's fate this week. If the tribunal uncovers issues related to financial statements, the penalty would not be decided until next week, Gyles said. The fourth day of the leadership tribunal in Port Moresby heard closing submissions from both sides relating to 25 allegations that Somare failed to lodge his financial records as far back as 20 years ago.  Somare told the court on Monday he had lodged his returns every year and suggested staff might have lost some records that were missing from the Ombudsman Commission. But the commissioner who initiated the original investigation alleged that Somare had failed to lodge or did not lodge complete forms or did so late and thus breached his responsibility as prime minister. On Monday, the

AAP A three-member tribunal hearing allegations of misconduct by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare has adjourned to consider its final decision. Tribunal chairman Roger Gyles on Tuesday adjourned the hearing, then said it hopes to decide Somare's fate this week. If the tribunal uncovers issues related to financial statements, the penalty would not be decided until next week, Gyles said. The fourth day of the leadership tribunal in Port Moresby heard closing submissions from both sides relating to 25 allegations that Somare failed to lodge his financial records as far back as 20 years ago.  Somare told the court on Monday he had lodged his returns every year and suggested staff might have lost some records that were missing from the Ombudsman Commission. But the commissioner who initiated the original investigation alleged that Somare had failed to lodge or did not lodge complete forms or did so late and thus breached his responsibility as prime minister. On Mond

 AAP ANOTHER Australian aid worker in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby has been carjacked at gunpoint. The female AusAID employee was returning home on Sunday night with a female friend when robbed by four men, at least two armed with firearms. According to a widely distributed email, sent to Australian officials by security personnel, there were no injuries. "The offenders attempted to keep the driver in the vehicle. "The driver refused and pushed past them and ran down the hill to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. "This particular location has experienced a number of reported carjackings in recent times," the email read. It is the third Australian and fourth person working for the Australian aid program this year to be robbed near their home in the popular diplomatic and expatriate area, Touaguba Hill. But numerous PNG citizens have told AAP they are also suffering a spike in violent carjackings across the city. Last month, an Irish female media adviser with PNG&

 AAP ANOTHER Australian aid worker in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby has been carjacked at gunpoint. The female AusAID employee was returning home on Sunday night with a female friend when robbed by four men, at least two armed with firearms. According to a widely distributed email, sent to Australian officials by security personnel, there were no injuries. "The offenders attempted to keep the driver in the vehicle. "The driver refused and pushed past them and ran down the hill to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. "This particular location has experienced a number of reported carjackings in recent times," the email read. It is the third Australian and fourth person working for the Australian aid program this year to be robbed near their home in the popular diplomatic and expatriate area, Touaguba Hill. But numerous PNG citizens have told AAP they are also suffering a spike in violent carjackings across the city. Last month, an Irish female media adviser

MINING WEEKLY The government of Papua New Guinea will exercise its right to a 30% stake in Nautilus Minerals' Solwara 1 undersea copper/gold project, the company said on Monday. Nautilus will keep a 70% in a joint venture that will be set up with the government, and the State will pay its share of the project development costs, including for funds already spent on exploration and development. Nautilus plans to mine high-grade copper and gold deposits on the sea floor, at depths of about 1 600 m. The acquisition is still subject to ratification by the Office of the State Solicitor in Papua New Guinea, Nautilus said. The company was awarded the world's first deep-sea mining lease for Solwara 1 in January, and announced last month it had found a second potential development project in the Bismarck sea. Nautilus has also said it is in negotiations with potential partners on the Solwara 1 project to help fund development. The Solwara 1 deposit has a total estimated resource o

MINING WEEKLY The government of Papua New Guinea will exercise its right to a 30% stake in Nautilus Minerals' Solwara 1 undersea copper/gold project, the company said on Monday. Nautilus will keep a 70% in a joint venture that will be set up with the government, and the State will pay its share of the project development costs, including for funds already spent on exploration and development. Nautilus plans to mine high-grade copper and gold deposits on the sea floor, at depths of about 1 600 m. The acquisition is still subject to ratification by the Office of the State Solicitor in Papua New Guinea, Nautilus said. The company was awarded the world's first deep-sea mining lease for Solwara 1 in January, and announced last month it had found a second potential development project in the Bismarck sea. Nautilus has also said it is in negotiations with potential partners on the Solwara 1 project to help fund development. The Solwara 1 deposit has a total estimated reso

JOHN FOWKE Nonetheless I would like again to ask Stretok why it is, in a land which he wishes to believe is a fully-functioning democracy, just why he refuses to attach his own name to his publicly-expressed opinions? This lack of self-confidence among the rising younger educated class of PNG'ians is very widespread, and it is a symptom of a society which is suffering pressures, either real or imagined, which are not appropriate in a land with the sort of constitution and the sort of elected parliamentary leadership which PNG has. It is something which everyone should think about. Its important. It is true, as Stretok infers, that I am an elderly foreigner without family or investment in PNG. I have no power or influence at all to bring any sort of pressure to bear upon Stretok, even if his remarks had been libellous. So why does he hide behind a name which is laughable in itself? Try Krukutok?? Or Herevagagevana, perhaps? Today there is an increasing inclination among PNG'

JOHN FOWKE Nonetheless I would like again to ask Stretok why it is, in a land which he wishes to believe is a fully-functioning democracy, just why he refuses to attach his own name to his publicly-expressed opinions? This lack of self-confidence among the rising younger educated class of PNG'ians is very widespread, and it is a symptom of a society which is suffering pressures, either real or imagined, which are not appropriate in a land with the sort of constitution and the sort of elected parliamentary leadership which PNG has. It is something which everyone should think about. Its important. It is true, as Stretok infers, that I am an elderly foreigner without family or investment in PNG. I have no power or influence at all to bring any sort of pressure to bear upon Stretok, even if his remarks had been libellous. So why does he hide behind a name which is laughable in itself? Try Krukutok?? Or Herevagagevana, perhaps? Today there is an increasing inclination among PNG&

ROWAN CALLICK They are eagerly awaited for the fortunes they are said to bring islanders. And they are equally feared for the destruction they are alleged to have on traditional Pacific ways. Either way, the Chinese are coming. Many are already here in the islands, but the expectation of a far bigger Chinese presence is overwhelming. And the preparation is almost non-existent, in terms of Pacific understanding of the culture, politics, economy or language of China. Many visits are made there—but usually paid for by the hosts, and with an overwhelming focus on seeking financial and material benefits from a China perceived wrongly as wealthy. In fact, China’s average wealth is lower than that of many islands countries. But its living standards have been growing very rapidly—for reasons which, for the most part, remain mysterious in the Pacific, because of its inadequate understanding of China: hard work, savings, a family focus on education, a government focus on building—and maintaining