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OP/ED A young cocoa grower in Morobe stopped the Chief Secretary, Manasupe Zurenuoc, not too long ago at the Lae Hotel International for a five-minute door-stop lecture. The farmer, whose name we do not know, wanted to know why the government was paying MoA, UBSA, LBBSA, BDG and a host of other “free” money when the first gas has yet to be sold. He wanted to know if those like himself in the agriculture sector, which has sustained the economic lifeline of this country for longer than this country has been independent, could have access to similar free money. He said people in the agricultural sector work hard from sun up to sun down for every morsel of grain or kilogram that is produced which takes many months before anything is paid to them. And, then, it is kina for kilogram and nothing more. We remember this young man’s enquiry with some feeling as we see the mad charade that surrounds the liquefied natural gas like some bad smell that will not go away. The latest was the mob act

TAXPAYER As a concerned citizen, I would like to have my say on the performance of our police force. The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary is ineffective and this is a national disgrace. Many police personnel are incompetent in their performance and the effect of their non-performance makes the government lose millions of kina in trying to maintain law and order issues in PNG. Our people do not have any trust in our police personnel who are on and off duty. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, our police force was more effective than what we have today. In most cases today police are ignorant in their response and performance towards the public who they are duty-bound to serve. Police response to public cry for help is: There is not enough vehicle to attend to your complaint, or no fuel or the vehicle is attending to other complaints. This is the same old sick RPNGC we have. Port Moresby is our capital city but driving around, I see many road users, especially PMVs and taxi driver

TAXPAYER As a concerned citizen, I would like to have my say on the performance of our police force. The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary is ineffective and this is a national disgrace. Many police personnel are incompetent in their performance and the effect of their non-performance makes the government lose millions of kina in trying to maintain law and order issues in PNG. Our people do not have any trust in our police personnel who are on and off duty. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, our police force was more effective than what we have today. In most cases today police are ignorant in their response and performance towards the public who they are duty-bound to serve. Police response to public cry for help is: There is not enough vehicle to attend to your complaint, or no fuel or the vehicle is attending to other complaints. This is the same old sick RPNGC we have. Port Moresby is our capital city but driving around, I see many road users, especially PMVs and taxi

RADIO ABC A constitutional lawyer in Papua New Guinea says Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare should have automatically stepped down or be suspended, after a tribunal was set up to look into alleged misconduct in office. Doctor John Nonggorr says it's the first time in PNG's short political history a prime minister will face a leadership tribunal. The tribunal is made up of judges from the Supreme and Appeals Courts of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Sir Michael is alleged to have failed, or lodged incomplete annual returns to PNG's Ombudsman Commission between 1994 and 1997. The Tribunal will start the inquiry on March 10. Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare says he will comply with the laws but will remain in office and allow the tribunal to rule whether he could be suspended or not. Constitutional lawyer Doctor John Nonggorr says Sir Michael should be made to step aside until the inquiry is complete. "Clearly the leader ship tribunal says that the laws t

RADIO ABC A constitutional lawyer in Papua New Guinea says Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare should have automatically stepped down or be suspended, after a tribunal was set up to look into alleged misconduct in office. Doctor John Nonggorr says it's the first time in PNG's short political history a prime minister will face a leadership tribunal. The tribunal is made up of judges from the Supreme and Appeals Courts of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Sir Michael is alleged to have failed, or lodged incomplete annual returns to PNG's Ombudsman Commission between 1994 and 1997. The Tribunal will start the inquiry on March 10. Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare says he will comply with the laws but will remain in office and allow the tribunal to rule whether he could be suspended or not. Constitutional lawyer Doctor John Nonggorr says Sir Michael should be made to step aside until the inquiry is complete. "Clearly the leader ship tribunal says that the

OP/ED A community leader from Mt Hagen rang this newspaper last night to confirm what he heard on the radio - was it really true that a leadership tribunal had been set up to hear allegations of misconduct in office against the Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare? The call from this leader in the mountains might just have been another curious member of the public but more significantly, it shows the interest with which ordinary Papua New Guineans have in this particular case. The Prime Minister’s referral has been in the public domain for such a long time it has often been used as a political weapon against the Prime Minister by his opponents, for which there are many, because he has vigorously fought it legally. This remote community leader, far flung from the corridors of powers of Waigani, shows how Papua New Guineans country-wide have watched and waited for an outcome such as announced yesterday afternoon by the Chief Justice after a long time – a Leadership Tribunal to h

OP/ED A community leader from Mt Hagen rang this newspaper last night to confirm what he heard on the radio - was it really true that a leadership tribunal had been set up to hear allegations of misconduct in office against the Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare? The call from this leader in the mountains might just have been another curious member of the public but more significantly, it shows the interest with which ordinary Papua New Guineans have in this particular case. The Prime Minister’s referral has been in the public domain for such a long time it has often been used as a political weapon against the Prime Minister by his opponents, for which there are many, because he has vigorously fought it legally. This remote community leader, far flung from the corridors of powers of Waigani, shows how Papua New Guineans country-wide have watched and waited for an outcome such as announced yesterday afternoon by the Chief Justice after a long time – a Leadership Tribunal t

RADIO AUSTRALIA A prominent Papua New Guinean prosecutor has been demoted not long after pursuing allegations of misconduct against the Prime Minister. Late last year, the acting public prosecutor Jim Wala Tamate sought to have a tribunal hear allegations Sir Michael Somare failed to lodge several financial statements. But last week he was replaced as public prosecutor; PNG's opposition says it was because of his pursuit of Sir Michael. But the Attorney-General Sir Arnold Ahmet says Mr Tamate's position was not renewed because of "performance issues". Presenter: Liam Fox, PNG Correspondent Speaker: Sir Arnold Ahmet, PNG Attorney General Listen: Windows Media SIR ARNOLD AHMET: The position of public prosecutor has been in acting mode for nearly two years which is quite inappropriate. The process that began in November-December last year. An advertisement went out for applicants. There were nine applicants, so a decision had to be made by the Judicial and Legal Services

RADIO AUSTRALIA A prominent Papua New Guinean prosecutor has been demoted not long after pursuing allegations of misconduct against the Prime Minister. Late last year, the acting public prosecutor Jim Wala Tamate sought to have a tribunal hear allegations Sir Michael Somare failed to lodge several financial statements. But last week he was replaced as public prosecutor; PNG's opposition says it was because of his pursuit of Sir Michael. But the Attorney-General Sir Arnold Ahmet says Mr Tamate's position was not renewed because of "performance issues". Presenter: Liam Fox, PNG Correspondent Speaker: Sir Arnold Ahmet, PNG Attorney General Listen: Windows Media SIR ARNOLD AHMET: The position of public prosecutor has been in acting mode for nearly two years which is quite inappropriate. The process that began in November-December last year. An advertisement went out for applicants. There were nine applicants, so a decision had to be made by the Judicial and Leg

SAM BASIL MP Today is a sad day for PNG as people whom we had hopes on have been contaminated, and our hopes crushed. The former Chief Justice could have given a better reason than being defensive for the PM over the Leadership Tribunal. Look at how he described the reasons for the removal of Mr Tamata. He said Mr. Tamata was removed for non performance but failed to outline what sort of lack of performance. Did he mismanage the office? If so, what are the examples? Did he not do his constitutional duty? What are some examples? Was he cited for contempt for not allocating lawyers to attend to criminal cases/call-overs like his Predecessors? So what are the reasons at this very crucial moment when the whole nation is looking forward to see justice prevail? Can the former Chief Justice as a learned person justify his actions because you cannot afford to leave the people of PNG guessing? Otherwise, Sir Arnold is just another puppet, executing the PM and his family’s will and the only con

SAM BASIL MP Today is a sad day for PNG as people whom we had hopes on have been contaminated, and our hopes crushed. The former Chief Justice could have given a better reason than being defensive for the PM over the Leadership Tribunal. Look at how he described the reasons for the removal of Mr Tamata. He said Mr. Tamata was removed for non performance but failed to outline what sort of lack of performance. Did he mismanage the office? If so, what are the examples? Did he not do his constitutional duty? What are some examples? Was he cited for contempt for not allocating lawyers to attend to criminal cases/call-overs like his Predecessors? So what are the reasons at this very crucial moment when the whole nation is looking forward to see justice prevail? Can the former Chief Justice as a learned person justify his actions because you cannot afford to leave the people of PNG guessing? Otherwise, Sir Arnold is just another puppet, executing the PM and his family’s will and the onl

SAM BASIL MP The issue of the damage to the Watut and the people who rely upon it for their very existence and the resulting court case should not be the subject of a publicity-seeking talkfest proposed by Member for Huon Gulf Hon. Sasa Zibe. The question of liability of MMJV for the damage is before the Courts and Minister Zibe’s conduct would be in contempt of Court. Where was Sasa Zibe when the people he represents in Parliament were crying for help throughout 2009  and 2010 as their river had been destroyed? Where was he when they were complaining that the fish were dead, that they couldn’t use the river for transport as the overburden from the mine had made the river too shallow?” Authorities have been signed by landowners of the Lower Watut region, which is in his electorate, for me to represent them in the court case against MMJV as Sasa Zibe did nothing to help them. Now the mining company is putting the pressure on as the Court case has started, Sasa Zibe is trying to get hi

SAM BASIL MP The issue of the damage to the Watut and the people who rely upon it for their very existence and the resulting court case should not be the subject of a publicity-seeking talkfest proposed by Member for Huon Gulf Hon. Sasa Zibe. The question of liability of MMJV for the damage is before the Courts and Minister Zibe’s conduct would be in contempt of Court. Where was Sasa Zibe when the people he represents in Parliament were crying for help throughout 2009  and 2010 as their river had been destroyed? Where was he when they were complaining that the fish were dead, that they couldn’t use the river for transport as the overburden from the mine had made the river too shallow?” Authorities have been signed by landowners of the Lower Watut region, which is in his electorate, for me to represent them in the court case against MMJV as Sasa Zibe did nothing to help them. Now the mining company is putting the pressure on as the Court case has started, Sasa Zibe is trying to ge

OP/ED A meeting of senior police officers is underway in Mt Hagen to discuss the security aspect of the 2012 national elections. One of the topics that came up, again and again in that meeting, is the prevalence of firearms and the threat they pose on the elections. To show the police bosses the seriousness of the matter, Mt Hagen Police showed the police chiefs two M16 rifles, five other factory-made guns, and eight military issued grenades confiscated from raids into villages around this highlands city. The demonstration was to send a clear message to the top brass of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary that the accumulation of illegal firearms in the Highlands is a real threat to the coming national elections. Guns have left thousands traumatised and have the seriously grave potential to bring Papua New Guinea down to its knees. Statistics compiled by the police force, show that there is overwhelming evidence that the majority of serious crimes like robbery, break and enter and

OP/ED A meeting of senior police officers is underway in Mt Hagen to discuss the security aspect of the 2012 national elections. One of the topics that came up, again and again in that meeting, is the prevalence of firearms and the threat they pose on the elections. To show the police bosses the seriousness of the matter, Mt Hagen Police showed the police chiefs two M16 rifles, five other factory-made guns, and eight military issued grenades confiscated from raids into villages around this highlands city. The demonstration was to send a clear message to the top brass of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary that the accumulation of illegal firearms in the Highlands is a real threat to the coming national elections. Guns have left thousands traumatised and have the seriously grave potential to bring Papua New Guinea down to its knees. Statistics compiled by the police force, show that there is overwhelming evidence that the majority of serious crimes like robbery, break and enter

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner operations Fred Yakasa again gave us a stark reminder of corruption in Papua New Guinea when he said on Tuesday that a mammoth 50% of its budget annually is lost to fraud. This works out to a whopping K4 billion a year, which Yakasa bluntly said had gone into the hands of corrupt public servants and senior bureaucrats, many of whom he alleges have invested these gains overseas. On top of that, PNG fails to collect more than half of the taxation revenue that is due to it. Internal Revenue Commission has admitted that hundreds of millions have been lost through tax evasion, false declarations and companies hiding their books from authorities. Hundreds of millions are lost annually through non-compliance by companies in submitting their tax returns while IRC, because of capacity constraints, limits its checks to major corporate entities operating in the country. Yakasa’s words should be taken note of by every citizen of PNG if we want to see our country d

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner operations Fred Yakasa again gave us a stark reminder of corruption in Papua New Guinea when he said on Tuesday that a mammoth 50% of its budget annually is lost to fraud. This works out to a whopping K4 billion a year, which Yakasa bluntly said had gone into the hands of corrupt public servants and senior bureaucrats, many of whom he alleges have invested these gains overseas. On top of that, PNG fails to collect more than half of the taxation revenue that is due to it. Internal Revenue Commission has admitted that hundreds of millions have been lost through tax evasion, false declarations and companies hiding their books from authorities. Hundreds of millions are lost annually through non-compliance by companies in submitting their tax returns while IRC, because of capacity constraints, limits its checks to major corporate entities operating in the country. Yakasa’s words should be taken note of by every citizen of PNG if we want to see our country

CANBERRA TIMES The Gillard Government must stop paying huge salaries to aid officials working in poor countries, Australia's main foreign aid group said yesterday.  The strong reaction from the Australian Council for International Development came after Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said the huge salaries paid to Australians administering aid programs would be trimmed by one-quarter. He confirmed the Government would axe 257 long-term positions from 11 different programs over two years. Council executive director Marc Purcell said reducing advisers must be the first step as part of a larger reform and questioning of what made foreign aid effective. Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said the high level of advisers' salaries had been raised with her by heads of state and foreign ministers from the region. ''This is a matter of concern to them, that Australian aid is being absorbed by payments to the officials in charge of the aid program an

CANBERRA TIMES The Gillard Government must stop paying huge salaries to aid officials working in poor countries, Australia's main foreign aid group said yesterday.  The strong reaction from the Australian Council for International Development came after Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said the huge salaries paid to Australians administering aid programs would be trimmed by one-quarter. He confirmed the Government would axe 257 long-term positions from 11 different programs over two years. Council executive director Marc Purcell said reducing advisers must be the first step as part of a larger reform and questioning of what made foreign aid effective. Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said the high level of advisers' salaries had been raised with her by heads of state and foreign ministers from the region. ''This is a matter of concern to them, that Australian aid is being absorbed by payments to the officials in charge of the aid progr

South Pacific Post PRIME Ministers cannot be automatically suspended from office if they are referred to a Leadership Tribunal. This is because the provision for automatic suspension pending hearings applies only to Ministers. Detailing the distinction is the Constitution itself under Sections 142(6) and 144(3) respectively. This was the explanation by the Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare’s, Chief of Staff, Paul Bengo. Mr Bengo has taken out a public advertisement detailing the matter following continuous public debates and commentaries regarding Sir Michael’s referral by the Public Prosecutor to the Chief Justice to convene a tribunal to hear misconduct in office charges against him. In the same advertisement Mr Bengo also explained that Sir Michael’s absence from office following the referral last December was to take advantage of outstanding accrued leave, of which all Members of Parliament were entitled four weeks annually. He said this provision was contained under a Salaries an

South Pacific Post PRIME Ministers cannot be automatically suspended from office if they are referred to a Leadership Tribunal. This is because the provision for automatic suspension pending hearings applies only to Ministers. Detailing the distinction is the Constitution itself under Sections 142(6) and 144(3) respectively. This was the explanation by the Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare’s, Chief of Staff, Paul Bengo. Mr Bengo has taken out a public advertisement detailing the matter following continuous public debates and commentaries regarding Sir Michael’s referral by the Public Prosecutor to the Chief Justice to convene a tribunal to hear misconduct in office charges against him. In the same advertisement Mr Bengo also explained that Sir Michael’s absence from office following the referral last December was to take advantage of outstanding accrued leave, of which all Members of Parliament were entitled four weeks annually. He said this provision was contained under a Salari

By JOHN FOWKE There are good intentions, respect, and many, many friendships, both personal and institutional, mixed freely within the existing relationship. It seems to me that Australia has quite a good body of knowledge of the problems PNG faces in its present and future relations with its nearest neighbors, Australian, Asian and Melanesian. However it is plain that Oz has little idea of how to proceed with effective, useful, culturally-aware aid and advisory projects and diplomatic initiatives. Importantly, no-one in Oz is looking at the long term, and equally importantly, in today’s Australia there has never been any attempt to create an intelligent, dedicated corps of Pacific-aware, culturally-and-politically-interested representatives. Specialists in the area, who wish to work in it as a career-choice, and in so doing, build up career-long friendships and contacts which will be immensely valuable to both sides. To take an example, the PNG ECP initiative included a major poli