PNGBLOGS

suspended.. The Papua New Guinea (PNG) government has suspended Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia in a new twist to the legal saga over the constitutionality of the O’Neill government. Sir Salamo was until the announcement of his suspension the chair of the Supreme Court proceedings into the legality of the August 2 election of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his government. The decision on the Supreme Court reference, which was filed by the East Sepik provincial executive, was scheduled to be handed down on December 9 . It is not known if cabinet’s decision to suspend the chief justice will have an impact on the proceedings. PNG deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah announced Sir Injia’s sidelining in the absence of Mr O’Neill who flew to Hawaii this morning to attend the APEC summit. Sir Salamo’s removal comes on the back of denials by Mr O’Neill last week that cabinet was considering removing the chief justice, after former chief justice-turn-politician Sir Arnold Amet warned tha

suspended.. The Papua New Guinea (PNG) government has suspended Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia in a new twist to the legal saga over the constitutionality of the O’Neill government. Sir Salamo was until the announcement of his suspension the chair of the Supreme Court proceedings into the legality of the August 2 election of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his government. The decision on the Supreme Court reference, which was filed by the East Sepik provincial executive, was scheduled to be handed down on December 9 . It is not known if cabinet’s decision to suspend the chief justice will have an impact on the proceedings. PNG deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah announced Sir Injia’s sidelining in the absence of Mr O’Neill who flew to Hawaii this morning to attend the APEC summit. Sir Salamo’s removal comes on the back of denials by Mr O’Neill last week that cabinet was considering removing the chief justice, after former chief justice-turn-politician Sir Arnold Amet

THE evidence now being presented to the Commission of Inquiry into the so-called Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABL) tell the story of a national shame of gigantic proportions. It is absolutely disgusting and no words can adequately describe the pain that small landowners feel about their land going into the hands of foreign corporations. Former prime minister and now New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan said it well when he described it as nothing less than a conspiracy between the national Department of Lands international corporations to grab land from unsuspecting little landowners from the rural areas. This is probably the worst of any government policy on agriculture development ever formulated by the government since self — government and the extent of its effects on the local landowners will only be known when the inquiry presents its report to the government. We hope the report will be tabled in Parliament and be made public for the people of Papua New Guinea to know th

THE evidence now being presented to the Commission of Inquiry into the so-called Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABL) tell the story of a national shame of gigantic proportions. It is absolutely disgusting and no words can adequately describe the pain that small landowners feel about their land going into the hands of foreign corporations. Former prime minister and now New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan said it well when he described it as nothing less than a conspiracy between the national Department of Lands international corporations to grab land from unsuspecting little landowners from the rural areas. This is probably the worst of any government policy on agriculture development ever formulated by the government since self — government and the extent of its effects on the local landowners will only be known when the inquiry presents its report to the government. We hope the report will be tabled in Parliament and be made public for the people of Papua New Guinea to

REPORTS have surfaced suggesting that Papua New Guinea female scholars sponsored under Australian Aid have been involved in extramarital affairs which has gone unreported until recently when it was brought to the attention of AusAID in PNG. It has been revealed that female scholars have been perpetrators of domestic violence among PNG families while studying in Australia under Australian Government funded scholarships. This has drawn an array of reaction on social media Facebook through a group called Papua New Guineans Against Domestic Violence (PNGADV). Members of the group, numbering over 5,500, some of whom were former beneficiaries said this attitude has been on-going over the years where PNG women who attend institutions in Australia are involved in such behaviour. Several members of this group who are currently studying in Australian institutions also said it was an embarrassment to those who are under the scholarship. "As a student also under the Australian government

REPORTS have surfaced suggesting that Papua New Guinea female scholars sponsored under Australian Aid have been involved in extramarital affairs which has gone unreported until recently when it was brought to the attention of AusAID in PNG. It has been revealed that female scholars have been perpetrators of domestic violence among PNG families while studying in Australia under Australian Government funded scholarships. This has drawn an array of reaction on social media Facebook through a group called Papua New Guineans Against Domestic Violence (PNGADV). Members of the group, numbering over 5,500, some of whom were former beneficiaries said this attitude has been on-going over the years where PNG women who attend institutions in Australia are involved in such behaviour. Several members of this group who are currently studying in Australian institutions also said it was an embarrassment to those who are under the scholarship. "As a student also under the Australian govern

I wonder why not much has been discussed by the political leadership and PNG media on the very limited "middle class" population in Papua New Guinea? This is the productive population contributing to government tax and also it is this group that bridges the divide between the rich and the have-nots. Vagrancy, settlements and street sales are all cascading results of a society with a very thin middle class. PNG has to ask serious questions about the drivers of vagrancy and unregulated urban growth in settlements. You look at the demography of most settlements around the country and you will be surprised on the calibre of people who live there. Low salary for the working class, high employment tax and an unregulated real estate industry are the key drivers for growing urban settlements in our country. Papua New Guinea professionals in the private sector are some of the lowest paid in extractive resource industries and it is almost criminal when you look at most of their terms a