PNGBLOGS

Affordable air travel – domestic and international – has been given as one of the reasons for the proposed merger of the country’s lea­ding airline Air Niugini with the nationally-owned Airlines PNG. Public Enterprises Minister and chairman of the Merger Implementation Committee Sir Mekere Morauta has followed his agenda of strengthening state and locally-owned companies by announcing last month that the government had endorsed an “in-principle” de­cision to combine the country’s flagship carrier with an airline company that only several years ago had offered shares in its business to the public. Sir Mekere’s rationale is mostly geared toward cost-saving measures which he stated clearly in a full page advertisement taken out in The National yesterday. Ma­king the air travel relatively inexpensive and spreading the service out to more destinations is a key point in the government’s plan. Not surprisingly, however, there have been concerns raised by Public Employees Association president

Affordable air travel – domestic and international – has been given as one of the reasons for the proposed merger of the country’s lea­ding airline Air Niugini with the nationally-owned Airlines PNG. Public Enterprises Minister and chairman of the Merger Implementation Committee Sir Mekere Morauta has followed his agenda of strengthening state and locally-owned companies by announcing last month that the government had endorsed an “in-principle” de­cision to combine the country’s flagship carrier with an airline company that only several years ago had offered shares in its business to the public. Sir Mekere’s rationale is mostly geared toward cost-saving measures which he stated clearly in a full page advertisement taken out in The National yesterday. Ma­king the air travel relatively inexpensive and spreading the service out to more destinations is a key point in the government’s plan. Not surprisingly, however, there have been concerns raised by Public Employees Association presid

DUMPED  IT is official. Royal Dutch Shell Plc is the government’s preferred operator for the InterOil discovered Elk and Antelope gas fields in Gulf. This was categorically stated yesterday following recent exchanges in the media between InterOil and Petroleum Minister William Duma over the size of the second LNG project, its location and who should develop it. InterOil was pursuing a small-scale fragmented pro­ject as opposed to its original agreement with the state for a large LNG plant to be developed by an internationally recognised operator. Acting Petroleum and Energy secretary Rendle Rimua said in a statement that Shell was in a strategic partnership with the state-owned Petromin PNG Holdings Ltd “and is the state’s preferred operator”. He said a National Executive Council submission acknowledged that “Shell is a strategic partner with the state’s nominee, Petromin”. WELCOME Rimua said his minister, Duma, had taken this position which had been endorsed by the NEC and “

DUMPED  IT is official. Royal Dutch Shell Plc is the government’s preferred operator for the InterOil discovered Elk and Antelope gas fields in Gulf. This was categorically stated yesterday following recent exchanges in the media between InterOil and Petroleum Minister William Duma over the size of the second LNG project, its location and who should develop it. InterOil was pursuing a small-scale fragmented pro­ject as opposed to its original agreement with the state for a large LNG plant to be developed by an internationally recognised operator. Acting Petroleum and Energy secretary Rendle Rimua said in a statement that Shell was in a strategic partnership with the state-owned Petromin PNG Holdings Ltd “and is the state’s preferred operator”. He said a National Executive Council submission acknowledged that “Shell is a strategic partner with the state’s nominee, Petromin”. WELCOME Rimua said his minister, Duma, had taken this position which had been endorsed by th

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill told the United Nations General Assembly that PNG is still endeavouring to achieve the eight-point Global Millennium Development Goals. On some fronts it has done well but in other areas it has fallen behind. The important issue is that the MDG is now firmly on the national agenda and that is something that was not there three years ago. But can the goals be really achieved? That question can be answered only in how the government tackles the fundamental goal of the MDG, which is poverty reduction. The principle goal of the MDG is to half or rid the globe of poverty by 2015, now a mere four years away. Is PNG rich or is it poor? Or is it both rich and poor? Are Papua New Guineans poverty stricken in the way of those in sub-Saha­ran countries or parts of Asia? Poverty is not merely the lack of food but a collection of many factors. One definition might be the lack of that which is essential for the wholesome growth and well-being of the human person or of a

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill told the United Nations General Assembly that PNG is still endeavouring to achieve the eight-point Global Millennium Development Goals. On some fronts it has done well but in other areas it has fallen behind. The important issue is that the MDG is now firmly on the national agenda and that is something that was not there three years ago. But can the goals be really achieved? That question can be answered only in how the government tackles the fundamental goal of the MDG, which is poverty reduction. The principle goal of the MDG is to half or rid the globe of poverty by 2015, now a mere four years away. Is PNG rich or is it poor? Or is it both rich and poor? Are Papua New Guineans poverty stricken in the way of those in sub-Saha­ran countries or parts of Asia? Poverty is not merely the lack of food but a collection of many factors. One definition might be the lack of that which is essential for the wholesome growth and well-being of the human person or

Exxon-Mobil, developer of Papua New Guinea’s giant $18 billion Liquified Natural Gas project is looking to manage the project’s social and environmental image by sucking in PNG’s notoriously weak and gullible NGO sector with meaningless dialogue and the promise of future cash. Exxon’s strategy to nullify possible opposition and criticism through engagement with civil society organisations has previously been successfully used  in PNG by organisations like Chevron (working primarily with WWF) , by Placer Dome at its controversial Porgera mine (where they established a formal NGO committee) and by the World Bank. From:   steven.j.whisker@exxonmobil.com  [ mailto:steven.j.whisker@exxonmobil.com ] Sent:  29 September 2011 12:58 To:   steven.j.whisker@exxonmobil.com Cc:   ruben.medrano@exxonmobil.com Subject:  EHL Biodiversity Strategy: Multi Stakeholder Meeting Further to meetings held with you earlier in the year, EHL is progressing with the development of its Biodiversity Of

Exxon-Mobil, developer of Papua New Guinea’s giant $18 billion Liquified Natural Gas project is looking to manage the project’s social and environmental image by sucking in PNG’s notoriously weak and gullible NGO sector with meaningless dialogue and the promise of future cash. Exxon’s strategy to nullify possible opposition and criticism through engagement with civil society organisations has previously been successfully used  in PNG by organisations like Chevron (working primarily with WWF) , by Placer Dome at its controversial Porgera mine (where they established a formal NGO committee) and by the World Bank. From:   steven.j.whisker@exxonmobil.com  [ mailto:steven.j.whisker@exxonmobil.com ] Sent:  29 September 2011 12:58 To:   steven.j.whisker@exxonmobil.com Cc:   ruben.medrano@exxonmobil.com Subject:  EHL Biodiversity Strategy: Multi Stakeholder Meeting Further to meetings held with you earlier in the year, EHL is progressing with the development of its Biodivers

Keeping the NCD Governor under tabs in this column should not be viewed as an orchestrated maneuver by this blog to discredit the politician, a man must be given what is due, but in saying that though, not all that meets the eye and is perceived as rosy of the Governor, is a depiction of order and harmony and fiscal discipline in the operation of NCDC. It is therefore in the best interest of public knowledge and good governance to highlight covert and illegal activities which pervade the organization under the hand of the Governor. Of intermittent, is the consistent and persistent abuse of Commission budgetary allocated funds year-marked for projects, which tops the list of some of the worst administration and management interference and blunders a politician could be embroiled in.  According to an insider, "the Governor has consistently hijacked funds year-marked for social services operational activities of NCDC to fund politically hatched and mooted activities at will since bee