PNGBLOGS

By CHRISTOPHER PAPIALI PNG is the richest country in the South Pacific. It has a lot of land space, increasing population with massive economic boom that will transform our small country. Our richness and wealth creation can be felt if the national government together with its developmental partners stands united to supporting sports development initiatives. It is right to act now for our betterment than wait for the next 5 years. Sport can be used as a tool for addressing some of the challenges that arise from humanitarian crises and in conflict and post-conflict settings. Even the UN emphasizes sports and development in these words: “People in every nation love sport. Its values – fitness, fair play, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence – are universal. At its best, it brings people together, no matter what”. For PNG to progress, we sometimes have to take on board the UN chronicled statements as it appeals to everyone from every race and nationality. Successive governments and pol

By CHRISTOPHER PAPIALI PNG is the richest country in the South Pacific. It has a lot of land space, increasing population with massive economic boom that will transform our small country. Our richness and wealth creation can be felt if the national government together with its developmental partners stands united to supporting sports development initiatives. It is right to act now for our betterment than wait for the next 5 years. Sport can be used as a tool for addressing some of the challenges that arise from humanitarian crises and in conflict and post-conflict settings. Even the UN emphasizes sports and development in these words: “People in every nation love sport. Its values – fitness, fair play, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence – are universal. At its best, it brings people together, no matter what”. For PNG to progress, we sometimes have to take on board the UN chronicled statements as it appeals to everyone from every race and nationality. Successive governments and pol

The Internal Revenue Commission went to town on this newspaper when we carried a story quoting Asian Deve­lopment Bank’s country eco­nomist Aaron Batten that PNG was giving “generous tax concessions” to mining, oil and gas companies which were contributing to lower go­­vern­ment revenue per capita. Batten commented that “average effective tax on PNG’s mining, oil and gas companies was now on the low side of fiscal regimes across the world”. The IRC said the reasons for giving these companies tax concession over five to 10 years was to give time to them for construction and also because foreign investors needed that time to extract, produce, export and sell their products before generating a continuous income to pay tax. Another factor that the IRC conveniently forgot was the fact that giving such companies a tax holiday is also giving the state itself a tax holiday because it is actively engaged as an equity partner in almost all major mining, oil and gas resource projects. We tend to

The Internal Revenue Commission went to town on this newspaper when we carried a story quoting Asian Deve­lopment Bank’s country eco­nomist Aaron Batten that PNG was giving “generous tax concessions” to mining, oil and gas companies which were contributing to lower go­­vern­ment revenue per capita. Batten commented that “average effective tax on PNG’s mining, oil and gas companies was now on the low side of fiscal regimes across the world”. The IRC said the reasons for giving these companies tax concession over five to 10 years was to give time to them for construction and also because foreign investors needed that time to extract, produce, export and sell their products before generating a continuous income to pay tax. Another factor that the IRC conveniently forgot was the fact that giving such companies a tax holiday is also giving the state itself a tax holiday because it is actively engaged as an equity partner in almost all major mining, oil and gas resource projects. We te

Agriculture provides a livelihood to the majority of the population in Papua New Guinea, a developing island nation of approximately seven million in the southwest Pacific.  However, the loss and waste of an estimated half of all fresh produce between harvesting and marketing is threatening improvements to food security and local incomes. Yer Kirul, a fresh produce grower and vendor at Gordon’s food market in the capital, Port Moresby, told IPS: “We sell our produce, but not always all of it.  What isn’t sold is either given to street vendors at the end of the day or thrown away. There is a lot of waste.” Papua New Guinea is located close to the equator and Kirul does not have access to storage facilities for his perishable fruit and vegetables in the year-round heat and humidity. According to a survey conducted by the Fresh Produce Development Agency, which is working to develop a sustainable commercial food industry, only 13 percent of farmers in nearby Central Province sold produce

Agriculture provides a livelihood to the majority of the population in Papua New Guinea, a developing island nation of approximately seven million in the southwest Pacific.  However, the loss and waste of an estimated half of all fresh produce between harvesting and marketing is threatening improvements to food security and local incomes. Yer Kirul, a fresh produce grower and vendor at Gordon’s food market in the capital, Port Moresby, told IPS: “We sell our produce, but not always all of it.  What isn’t sold is either given to street vendors at the end of the day or thrown away. There is a lot of waste.” Papua New Guinea is located close to the equator and Kirul does not have access to storage facilities for his perishable fruit and vegetables in the year-round heat and humidity. According to a survey conducted by the Fresh Produce Development Agency, which is working to develop a sustainable commercial food industry, only 13 percent of farmers in nearby Central Province sold produc

By CHRISTOPHER PAPIALI On the 24th May 2012, Chief Justice, Sir Alamo Inja was charged on sedition. Sedition is ‘actions or words intended to encourage overthrow of a state’ (Answers.Ask.com). The O’Neill government at that time saw the Chief Justice showing allegiance to Sir Michael and O’Neill government saw this as another form of bias in which all judicial/constitutional interpretations will not favor O’Neill government. Five days after the arrest of the Chief Justice, Justice Nicholas Kiriwom was also arrested. The arrests of both senior judges occurred as a result of the ruling in which they made whereby Sir Michael and his government acted and existed within the meaning of the constitution and not O’Neill/Namah government. The arrest of Chief Justice and his brother judge sparked a great concern across all legal fraternity, civil society, and international community. It was viewed that the independence of judiciary was the hallmark of rule of law in a democratic state. Those who