PNGBLOGS

Mr Speaker, I rise to present my Maiden Speech to the 9th National Parliament of Papua New Guinea. In doing so, let me again congratulate you, Mr Speaker and all Honourable Members, for your successful elections to Parliament. In particular, I salute our three Honourable female Parliamentarians, for showing other women folk in PNG that when you demonstrate genuine passion for people and exceptional leadership abilities, you will get elected. I look forward to working together with these fine women and all honourable gentlemen, to bring about positive and meaningful changes to the lives of our people, through this Parliament. I also take this rare opportunity to thank most sincerely, my people of Vanimo - Green, for returning me to serve another term in this Parliament. Mr Speaker, It is indeed a great privilege, to stand before you and all Honourable Members as Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and the Alternative government, to present my maiden speech, as we commence busine

PAPUA New Guinea's foreign minister has vowed Manus Island residents will be involved in the permanent asylum seeker facility amid threats of sabotage to the temporary processing camp. Foreign minister Rimbink Pato said there has been a lack of communication between PNG's national government and provincial administrators over Australia's plans for the asylum seeker facility on Manus Island. "There has been a lack of communication," Mr Pato told The National newspaper. "Locals will be involved in the permanent processing centre. "We have now resolved the matter and will continue to resolve any matter that comes up." Landowner groups say they have missed out on building and service contracts for the facility and fear most of the spin-off economic benefit will end up back in Australia or on mainland PNG. One landowner representative, Mary Handen, told AAP her group met Manus officials briefly on Friday and have since had a series of meetings reschedule

PAPUA New Guinea's foreign minister has vowed Manus Island residents will be involved in the permanent asylum seeker facility amid threats of sabotage to the temporary processing camp. Foreign minister Rimbink Pato said there has been a lack of communication between PNG's national government and provincial administrators over Australia's plans for the asylum seeker facility on Manus Island. "There has been a lack of communication," Mr Pato told The National newspaper. "Locals will be involved in the permanent processing centre. "We have now resolved the matter and will continue to resolve any matter that comes up." Landowner groups say they have missed out on building and service contracts for the facility and fear most of the spin-off economic benefit will end up back in Australia or on mainland PNG. One landowner representative, Mary Handen, told AAP her group met Manus officials briefly on Friday and have since had a series of meetings reschedule

This article is in response to the derogatory and malicious remarks that appeared in Facebook Papua New Guinea Blogs on 16 October 2012 under the title “Crook businessman in PNGSDP Board”. The author of that article has abused the privileges of Facebook by falsely accusing PNGSDP chairman Prof Ross Garnaut of appointing prominent PNG accountant and businessman Rex Paki to the board. Much of the article is lifted from a recent report on the “Demolition of Paga Hill” by a UK-based non-government organization and is merely a character assassination of Mr Paki on issues that are considered water under the bridge. The key facts of these matters are: •    Rex Paki was appointed to the PNGSDP Board by the Minister for Treasury as the State’s representative. He was not appointed by Prof Ross Garnaut who nonetheless values Mr Paki’s contributions as a Board member and will defend his appointment. CEO David Sode also holds Mr Paki in high regard. •    Rex Paki has appeared before only the NPF Co

This article is in response to the derogatory and malicious remarks that appeared in Facebook Papua New Guinea Blogs on 16 October 2012 under the title “Crook businessman in PNGSDP Board”. The author of that article has abused the privileges of Facebook by falsely accusing PNGSDP chairman Prof Ross Garnaut of appointing prominent PNG accountant and businessman Rex Paki to the board. Much of the article is lifted from a recent report on the “Demolition of Paga Hill” by a UK-based non-government organization and is merely a character assassination of Mr Paki on issues that are considered water under the bridge. The key facts of these matters are: •    Rex Paki was appointed to the PNGSDP Board by the Minister for Treasury as the State’s representative. He was not appointed by Prof Ross Garnaut who nonetheless values Mr Paki’s contributions as a Board member and will defend his appointment. CEO David Sode also holds Mr Paki in high regard. •    Rex Paki has appeared before only

By ANDREW PASCOE THE state’s controversial Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project – a USD$235 million proposal to develop a free trade industrial zone in Madang – is officially on hold. Today Madang Court ordered all progress on the PMIZ project to cease until the court makes a decision on whether the proposed development has sufficient legal grounds to proceed. The decision put an immediate freeze on a US$200 million Chinese loan to develop the project – just a week before the PNG Government was to access $3 million from the loan to progress development of the PMIZ. Lawyers representing hundreds of aggrieved customary landowners in Vidar, Madang will seek to have the loan agreement put on ice permanently when they return to court next month. Twivey Lawyers will argue the loan agreement - signed on 31 May 2011 by then Minister for Commerce and Industry Gabriel Kapris for the purpose of building the PMIZ - is illegal and unconstitutional. They will argue the contract jeopardises

By ANDREW PASCOE THE state’s controversial Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project – a USD$235 million proposal to develop a free trade industrial zone in Madang – is officially on hold. Today Madang Court ordered all progress on the PMIZ project to cease until the court makes a decision on whether the proposed development has sufficient legal grounds to proceed. The decision put an immediate freeze on a US$200 million Chinese loan to develop the project – just a week before the PNG Government was to access $3 million from the loan to progress development of the PMIZ. Lawyers representing hundreds of aggrieved customary landowners in Vidar, Madang will seek to have the loan agreement put on ice permanently when they return to court next month. Twivey Lawyers will argue the loan agreement - signed on 31 May 2011 by then Minister for Commerce and Industry Gabriel Kapris for the purpose of building the PMIZ - is illegal and unconstitutional. They will argue the contract jeopardise

THE government and, indeed the whole of PNG, have been carried away by the advent of the liquefied natural gas project. An agreement was signed into existence in the greatest of haste and meetings to tie up benefits sharing agreements were done in whirlpool tours that left participants exhausted and landowners dazed and confused. In the end, the government might have given away more than it ought to have but time will tell. But the impact of the LNG project is immediate and devastating upon the agricultural sector in Papua New Guinea, the industry which supports the majority of the population. Costs have gone up exponentially for the agriculture and manufacturing sector as a direct result of the LNG project in what is termed the Dutch Disease. Also described as the resources curse, this term refers to the economic phenomenon where an increase in exploitation of natural resources often results in a decline in other sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture. An increase in revenues f

THE government and, indeed the whole of PNG, have been carried away by the advent of the liquefied natural gas project. An agreement was signed into existence in the greatest of haste and meetings to tie up benefits sharing agreements were done in whirlpool tours that left participants exhausted and landowners dazed and confused. In the end, the government might have given away more than it ought to have but time will tell. But the impact of the LNG project is immediate and devastating upon the agricultural sector in Papua New Guinea, the industry which supports the majority of the population. Costs have gone up exponentially for the agriculture and manufacturing sector as a direct result of the LNG project in what is termed the Dutch Disease. Also described as the resources curse, this term refers to the economic phenomenon where an increase in exploitation of natural resources often results in a decline in other sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture. An increase in

By GOVERNOR GARY JUFFA The continued presence in Papua New Guinea of Djoko TJANDRA, international fugitive , wanted for fraud by Indonesian authorities and Interpol raises serious concerns about whether or not the Government is truly interested in fighting corruption. Djoko TJANDRA'S citizenship was granted under suspicious circumstances without the Citizenship Committee having ever convened to consider his application. In fact, it was the whim and will of one single parliamentarian on the basis that he was "a major investor". The message we can deduce is that anyone with a bag of money deemed sufficient as "investment" can and will be granted citizenship. It should concern Papua New Guineans that Djoko TJANDRA is the same driving force behind the NAIMA RICE PROJECT which is about to be endorsed and approved by the NEC according to reliable sources. This project seeks exclusive rights for a foreign owned company to commercialize rice, that is, the cultivation a

The Cairns-based Cape York Institute has confirmed its chief executive, property developer Gummi Fridriksson, is on extended leave without pay. The institute’s group chief executive, Duncan Murray, issued a statement saying Mr Fridriksson “has been and continues to be on extended leave without pay to enable him to concentrate on his business interests in Papua New Guinea”. Mr Murray issued a glowing endorsement of Mr Fridriksson, whose Port Moresby property venture attracted international notoriety after settlers’ homes were bulldozed. “Whilst at the institute, (Mr Fridriksson) discharged his duties diligently and professionally,” Mr Murray said. As revealed in The Australian last Tuesday, Mr Fridriksson is the secretary of the PNG-registered Paga Hill Development Company, which acquired a commercial lease over a prime piece of real estate overlooking the harbour in Port Moresby in a land deal that was heavily criticised by a parliamentary committee in the Pacific nation. The PHDC insi

The Cairns-based Cape York Institute has confirmed its chief executive, property developer Gummi Fridriksson, is on extended leave without pay. The institute’s group chief executive, Duncan Murray, issued a statement saying Mr Fridriksson “has been and continues to be on extended leave without pay to enable him to concentrate on his business interests in Papua New Guinea”. Mr Murray issued a glowing endorsement of Mr Fridriksson, whose Port Moresby property venture attracted international notoriety after settlers’ homes were bulldozed. “Whilst at the institute, (Mr Fridriksson) discharged his duties diligently and professionally,” Mr Murray said. As revealed in The Australian last Tuesday, Mr Fridriksson is the secretary of the PNG-registered Paga Hill Development Company, which acquired a commercial lease over a prime piece of real estate overlooking the harbour in Port Moresby in a land deal that was heavily criticised by a parliamentary committee in the Pacific nation. The PHDC insi

A joint venture headed by InterOil Corp. (IOC) has offered to sell half of two gas fields it owns in Papua New Guinea to the government and local landowners, in a move that may unlock development of a new US$6 billion-plus export project, according to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal. Liquid Niugini Gas Ltd., a joint venture led by InterOil, signed an agreement in 2009 with Papua New Guinea to develop a large-scale liquefied natural gas, or LNG, project, but it has since clashed several times with the government over the design of the venture. In May, the government threatened to terminate the agreement, triggering a fresh round of talks. A letter sent by Liquid Niugini Gas, dated Sept. 18 and seen by The Wall Street Journal, outlined the venture's new offer to overhaul ownership of the Elk and Antelope gas fields and secure a breakthrough in the long-running dispute. It offers to split ownership of Elk and Antelope's resources equally, with InterOil and its partners h

A joint venture headed by InterOil Corp. (IOC) has offered to sell half of two gas fields it owns in Papua New Guinea to the government and local landowners, in a move that may unlock development of a new US$6 billion-plus export project, according to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal. Liquid Niugini Gas Ltd., a joint venture led by InterOil, signed an agreement in 2009 with Papua New Guinea to develop a large-scale liquefied natural gas, or LNG, project, but it has since clashed several times with the government over the design of the venture. In May, the government threatened to terminate the agreement, triggering a fresh round of talks. A letter sent by Liquid Niugini Gas, dated Sept. 18 and seen by The Wall Street Journal, outlined the venture's new offer to overhaul ownership of the Elk and Antelope gas fields and secure a breakthrough in the long-running dispute. It offers to split ownership of Elk and Antelope's resources equally, with InterOil and its par

Prominent Australian Prof Ross Garnaut, already under fire for his extensive links to the environmentally destructive mining industry in Papua New Guinea   has chosen to bring “evasive and dishonest” businessman, Rex Paki onto the board of the PNG Sustainable Development Program. Garnaut is the Chairman of PNGSDP. Over the past 20 years Paki has appeared before two Commission of Inquiries (Finance Department and National Provident Fund), two Public Account Committee Inquiries, and a Supreme Court case where he was slammed by the full court. Paki was intimately involved in the Paga Hill development in Port Moresby between 1997-2000, a development which has recently been making headlines for forced evictions and corrupt property deals In January 2004 the Public Acounts Committee reprimanded Paki’s company Ram Business Consultants (RAM) for issuing an “empty cheque” to the Accountants Registration Board, and then “practicing without … formal registration”. Two years later in a separate in

Prominent Australian Prof Ross Garnaut, already under fire for his extensive links to the environmentally destructive mining industry in Papua New Guinea   has chosen to bring “evasive and dishonest” businessman, Rex Paki onto the board of the PNG Sustainable Development Program. Garnaut is the Chairman of PNGSDP. Over the past 20 years Paki has appeared before two Commission of Inquiries (Finance Department and National Provident Fund), two Public Account Committee Inquiries, and a Supreme Court case where he was slammed by the full court. Paki was intimately involved in the Paga Hill development in Port Moresby between 1997-2000, a development which has recently been making headlines for forced evictions and corrupt property deals In January 2004 the Public Acounts Committee reprimanded Paki’s company Ram Business Consultants (RAM) for issuing an “empty cheque” to the Accountants Registration Board, and then “practicing without … formal registration”. Two years later in a se

Australia on Friday said it was on track to send asylum-seekers to impoverished Papua New Guinea despite the United Nations raising concerns about the country's ability to handle refugees. In a letter to Canberra, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said it was not clear to his agency that the transfer of boatpeople to PNG was "fully appropriate". It was the UNHCR's assessment that PNG "does not have the legal safeguards nor the competence or capacity to shoulder alone the responsibility of protecting and processing asylum-seekers transferred by Australia", he wrote. But a spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said asylum-seekers were set to arrive on PNG's Manus Island within weeks. "We have consulted with and tabled correspondence by the UNHCR -- and as always, we take on board issues they have raised," the spokesman said. "We continue to work with the PNG government on implementation and e

Australia on Friday said it was on track to send asylum-seekers to impoverished Papua New Guinea despite the United Nations raising concerns about the country's ability to handle refugees. In a letter to Canberra, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said it was not clear to his agency that the transfer of boatpeople to PNG was "fully appropriate". It was the UNHCR's assessment that PNG "does not have the legal safeguards nor the competence or capacity to shoulder alone the responsibility of protecting and processing asylum-seekers transferred by Australia", he wrote. But a spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said asylum-seekers were set to arrive on PNG's Manus Island within weeks. "We have consulted with and tabled correspondence by the UNHCR -- and as always, we take on board issues they have raised," the spokesman said. "We continue to work with the PNG government on implementa

THE UNITED Nations refugee agency has detailed five major concerns about the federal government's plan to send asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea's Manus Island in the coming weeks. The concerns are detailed in a letter from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, that was tabled in Federal Parliament this week as a resolution approving the designation of PNG as a ''regional processing country'' passed in both houses. They include PNG's failure to sign international treaties against torture and for the protection of stateless people, and the absence of any national legal or regulatory framework to address refugee issues in PNG. In the letter, to Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, Mr Guterres says the arrangements for offshore processing on Manus Island - like those on Nauru - are between the countries involved and that the UNHCR ''would not have any operational or active role to play in their implementation''. Date

THE UNITED Nations refugee agency has detailed five major concerns about the federal government's plan to send asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea's Manus Island in the coming weeks. The concerns are detailed in a letter from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, that was tabled in Federal Parliament this week as a resolution approving the designation of PNG as a ''regional processing country'' passed in both houses. They include PNG's failure to sign international treaties against torture and for the protection of stateless people, and the absence of any national legal or regulatory framework to address refugee issues in PNG. In the letter, to Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, Mr Guterres says the arrangements for offshore processing on Manus Island - like those on Nauru - are between the countries involved and that the UNHCR ''would not have any operational or active role to play in their implementation'