PNGBLOGS

Global corporations are lining up to extract mining, gas and petroleum resources, but the country's complex land ownership system is making it difficult to pass on the benefits Peter O'Neill's first two months in office as Papua New Guinea's prime minister have seen him having to apply political damage control more often than he may have expected. There was the tidying up after members of his new-look cabinet moved to suspend certain provincial administrations – including that of East Sepik which, as the power base of Sir Michael Somare, had just launched a legal challenge to the parliamentary ruling that dramatically ousted PNG's longtime prime minister and enabled the ensuing vote that saw O'Neill replace him. Then O'Neill was kept busy clarifying the government's position on the prime ministerial jet. Though he announced that this luxury item from the Somare era would be sold, it was being used to ferry his ministers around the country. But the bigges

Global corporations are lining up to extract mining, gas and petroleum resources, but the country's complex land ownership system is making it difficult to pass on the benefits Peter O'Neill's first two months in office as Papua New Guinea's prime minister have seen him having to apply political damage control more often than he may have expected. There was the tidying up after members of his new-look cabinet moved to suspend certain provincial administrations – including that of East Sepik which, as the power base of Sir Michael Somare, had just launched a legal challenge to the parliamentary ruling that dramatically ousted PNG's longtime prime minister and enabled the ensuing vote that saw O'Neill replace him. Then O'Neill was kept busy clarifying the government's position on the prime ministerial jet. Though he announced that this luxury item from the Somare era would be sold, it was being used to ferry his ministers around the country. But the

This week, on Wednesday October 12 (today), sees the Australia-PNG Ministerial Forum convene in Canberra after a break of over two years. And on Wednesday the Prime Ministers of the two countries will meet, for the first time (outside of sideline meetings) also after a break of more than two years.  It is an important set of meetings, and not only because our Prime Ministers and Ministers don’t meet nearly often enough. PNG has recently had a change in government, and although it won’t be long before the country goes to the poll next year, the new O’Neill government does have a unique opportunity to get the country back on track after years of increasingly corrupt and paralyzed government under Somare. One of the mistakes made by the previous PNG government was not to make enough of its relationship with Australia. It’s encouraging to see PNG’s new PM come to press his country’s case. (And we’re looking forward to hear him speak at the ANU Wednesday afternoon). What shou

This week, on Wednesday October 12 (today), sees the Australia-PNG Ministerial Forum convene in Canberra after a break of over two years. And on Wednesday the Prime Ministers of the two countries will meet, for the first time (outside of sideline meetings) also after a break of more than two years.  It is an important set of meetings, and not only because our Prime Ministers and Ministers don’t meet nearly often enough. PNG has recently had a change in government, and although it won’t be long before the country goes to the poll next year, the new O’Neill government does have a unique opportunity to get the country back on track after years of increasingly corrupt and paralyzed government under Somare. One of the mistakes made by the previous PNG government was not to make enough of its relationship with Australia. It’s encouraging to see PNG’s new PM come to press his country’s case. (And we’re looking forward to hear him speak at the ANU Wednesday afternoon). What sh

 PM UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT MRDC published a paid Press Release pertaining to the purchase of HeviLift (formerly Regional Air) in both newspapers on the 04th of October 2011. The same information has been published in the Quarterly News Bulletin published by MRDC. I hereby quote one fundamental statement in the press release which is the subject of this letter “... prior to the investment decision, ‘due diligence’ was conducted in Hevilift Limited to purchase half of the shares of that company...”. The problem with this statement is that it is ‘not true’ and it is a deception posed on the Government and stakeholders to camouflage and put up smokescreen to derail the impending probe recently been ordered by the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill into the alleged mismanagement of landowners’ funds at MRDC. This is media propaganda and a deliberate attempt by MRDC management to divert the attention of the Government and the Prime Minister to derail swift conduct of investigations which has alread

 PM UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT MRDC published a paid Press Release pertaining to the purchase of HeviLift (formerly Regional Air) in both newspapers on the 04th of October 2011. The same information has been published in the Quarterly News Bulletin published by MRDC. I hereby quote one fundamental statement in the press release which is the subject of this letter “... prior to the investment decision, ‘due diligence’ was conducted in Hevilift Limited to purchase half of the shares of that company...”. The problem with this statement is that it is ‘not true’ and it is a deception posed on the Government and stakeholders to camouflage and put up smokescreen to derail the impending probe recently been ordered by the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill into the alleged mismanagement of landowners’ funds at MRDC. This is media propaganda and a deliberate attempt by MRDC management to divert the attention of the Government and the Prime Minister to derail swift conduct of investigations which has al

AUSTRALIA may be sheltering hundreds of millions of black dollars funnelled out of South Pacific countries by corrupt politicians and public officials, with the money laundering being tolerated by a disinterested federal government. Papua New Guinea, in particular, is believed to suffer from the avarice of some of its officials and politicians, with a senior police officer recently claiming the country loses as much as 50 per cent of its budget - about $1.9 billion - through fraud and corruption every year. The claims have been made at a Queensland conference by a governance expert, Jason Sharman. Professor Sharman called on the Australian government to drop its ''nonchalant attitude'' towards the problem, which he said hamstrings regional aid, governance and security policies. ''Recent research on grand corruption has emphasised the importance of following the money trail to determine where corrupt senior officials hide their stolen assets,'' he told th

AUSTRALIA may be sheltering hundreds of millions of black dollars funnelled out of South Pacific countries by corrupt politicians and public officials, with the money laundering being tolerated by a disinterested federal government. Papua New Guinea, in particular, is believed to suffer from the avarice of some of its officials and politicians, with a senior police officer recently claiming the country loses as much as 50 per cent of its budget - about $1.9 billion - through fraud and corruption every year. The claims have been made at a Queensland conference by a governance expert, Jason Sharman. Professor Sharman called on the Australian government to drop its ''nonchalant attitude'' towards the problem, which he said hamstrings regional aid, governance and security policies. ''Recent research on grand corruption has emphasised the importance of following the money trail to determine where corrupt senior officials hide their stolen assets,'' he tol

The Papua New Guinea government has announced a merger of the country's two main airlines, Air Nuigini and and Airlines PNG. These are among the main business and economic developments in PNG this week. Presenter: Geraldine Coutts Speaker: Rod Mitchell, joint CEO of PNG's NASFUND  MITCHELL: Sir Mekere Morauta, who was the former prime minister of PNG is now Minister for State Enterprises and his first, I guess key announcement has been the merger of the two airlines, which is Airlines PNG and Air Nuigini. Air Nuigini is the government airline and Airlines PNG is a private airline, which is listed on the Port Moresby stock exchange. The view there is that a merged entity could provide better service to more outlying regions and also engage in reduction in cost to make a single airline more efficiently and more cost-effective. The problem has been like a lot of duopolies in PNG is that there's a big business and a small business and the small business peters along. The big b