PNGBLOGS

ROWAN CALLICK, The Australian The program was titled Preying on Paradise. There should be a law against it -- not just the preying but setting up the notion of "natural" PNG as a place of Rousseauian perfection, from which the fall is all the more devastating. If only, this paradigm of paradise hints, the place had been left untouched, like Eden. Australia's closest neighbour, just a canoe ride away, does host most of the 41 species of the enchanting birds of paradise. It is a beautiful country, from its Highlands -- with Mount Wilhelm reaching 4509m -- to its 600 tropical islands. Its people are warm, friendly and talented. But it is not and never has been paradise. In the pre-outside-contact days, there were too many tribal fights and deaths at childbirth, and life spans were too limited, to qualify. More recently, people's hopes before and through independence, of a rapidly improving standard of living, largely have been dashed. The Four Corners program focused, qu

ROWAN CALLICK, The Australian The program was titled Preying on Paradise. There should be a law against it -- not just the preying but setting up the notion of "natural" PNG as a place of Rousseauian perfection, from which the fall is all the more devastating. If only, this paradigm of paradise hints, the place had been left untouched, like Eden. Australia's closest neighbour, just a canoe ride away, does host most of the 41 species of the enchanting birds of paradise. It is a beautiful country, from its Highlands -- with Mount Wilhelm reaching 4509m -- to its 600 tropical islands. Its people are warm, friendly and talented. But it is not and never has been paradise. In the pre-outside-contact days, there were too many tribal fights and deaths at childbirth, and life spans were too limited, to qualify. More recently, people's hopes before and through independence, of a rapidly improving standard of living, largely have been dashed. The Four Corners progra

PNGEB The United States and Australia blocked Chinese multinational Huawei Technology over espionage concerns, the O’Neill government plans to give them access to its most secure communications systems. Last Friday EMTV reported: “The Integrated Government Information System project will see computerized and integrated information and data sharing mechanism for government departments and agencies using latest Information Technology … Huawei Technology is the project developer, working to connect the 52 government departments throughout the country, to enable efficient communication network”. What EMTV neglected to mention are the serious concerns that have been raised over Huawei Technology’s links with the Chinese military. According to the New York Times: “Huawei has struggled to break into the United States market, largely because of the security concerns and accusations of intellectual property theft and corporate espionage The company has repeatedly been linked to the People’s Lib

PNGEB The United States and Australia blocked Chinese multinational Huawei Technology over espionage concerns, the O’Neill government plans to give them access to its most secure communications systems. Last Friday EMTV reported: “The Integrated Government Information System project will see computerized and integrated information and data sharing mechanism for government departments and agencies using latest Information Technology … Huawei Technology is the project developer, working to connect the 52 government departments throughout the country, to enable efficient communication network”. What EMTV neglected to mention are the serious concerns that have been raised over Huawei Technology’s links with the Chinese military. According to the New York Times: “Huawei has struggled to break into the United States market, largely because of the security concerns and accusations of intellectual property theft and corporate espionage The company has repeatedly been linked to

By LUCAS KIAP People of Papua New Guinea must not be continuously misled and fooled by the government’s “Free Education Policy”. It is important for people to know that every citizen has the right to basic education and the government has an obligation to uphold that right, regardless. For a developing nation, to have a fully illiterate society is critical to change the country with time and with the rest of the world. No government should take the credit for that very “simple policy”. However, the concern is that the free education system is a “bottled neck system” where it produces more failures than success. We have a lot of young men and young women coming through the system who are not taught skills but instead are taught with match, science, and social science courses, which in practical have very little use or no use at all when one exit out of the education system. Are we teaching our children to become rocket scientists with match and science or are we trying to build a fully

By LUCAS KIAP People of Papua New Guinea must not be continuously misled and fooled by the government’s “Free Education Policy”. It is important for people to know that every citizen has the right to basic education and the government has an obligation to uphold that right, regardless. For a developing nation, to have a fully illiterate society is critical to change the country with time and with the rest of the world. No government should take the credit for that very “simple policy”. However, the concern is that the free education system is a “bottled neck system” where it produces more failures than success. We have a lot of young men and young women coming through the system who are not taught skills but instead are taught with match, science, and social science courses, which in practical have very little use or no use at all when one exit out of the education system. Are we teaching our children to become rocket scientists with match and science or are we trying to build

By LUCAS KIAP Over the last few days, the people of PNG have been caught surprisingly in a crossfire of war of words between two prominent figures in the country with Sir Mekere Morata claiming to represent the interest of the people of Western province while Peter O’Neil claiming to represent the interest of the country. The two men are different persons with different personalities. But both have one thing in common. Sir Mekere Morata was the former Prime Minister of PNG and Peter O’Neil is the current Prime Minister.  As the war of words rages on between the two men, at the centre are the landowners and people of Western Province. Their livelihood has been destroyed beyond repairable by the catastrophic and unforgiveable environmental damage due to the operations of the Ok Tedi Mining Limited. The environmental destruction is a worst terrorist act that can only be justified by economic justification. Jumping into the bandwagon, some are supporting the former Prime Minister while som

By LUCAS KIAP Over the last few days, the people of PNG have been caught surprisingly in a crossfire of war of words between two prominent figures in the country with Sir Mekere Morata claiming to represent the interest of the people of Western province while Peter O’Neil claiming to represent the interest of the country. The two men are different persons with different personalities. But both have one thing in common. Sir Mekere Morata was the former Prime Minister of PNG and Peter O’Neil is the current Prime Minister.  As the war of words rages on between the two men, at the centre are the landowners and people of Western Province. Their livelihood has been destroyed beyond repairable by the catastrophic and unforgiveable environmental damage due to the operations of the Ok Tedi Mining Limited. The environmental destruction is a worst terrorist act that can only be justified by economic justification. Jumping into the bandwagon, some are supporting the former Prime Minister w

By RENATA LAVEILL What do Papua New Guineans make of the OK Tedi Mining Ltd takeover by the O’Neill-Dion led government? How do we as Papua New Guineans interpret the stance taken by the government to claim the 52% share previously held by Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program? What are the stakes here? As by wrestling more than half the shares previously held by the predecessor, the government now takes full ownership of OTML plus the K450 million annual share in dividends with fears of depleting the Long Term Fund worth currently at US$ 1.8 billion. This last week saw the government pass a couple of significant bills; the first being to stake its claim on the OTML and the second to secure its term in parliament, or power more likely. What does the government have to offer the people of Papua New Guinea as justification over its takeover of the shares held by PNGSDP? Why just now make noise over that huge financial slice and the ramifications experienced since the start of

By RENATA LAVEILL What do Papua New Guineans make of the OK Tedi Mining Ltd takeover by the O’Neill-Dion led government? How do we as Papua New Guineans interpret the stance taken by the government to claim the 52% share previously held by Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program? What are the stakes here? As by wrestling more than half the shares previously held by the predecessor, the government now takes full ownership of OTML plus the K450 million annual share in dividends with fears of depleting the Long Term Fund worth currently at US$ 1.8 billion. This last week saw the government pass a couple of significant bills; the first being to stake its claim on the OTML and the second to secure its term in parliament, or power more likely. What does the government have to offer the people of Papua New Guinea as justification over its takeover of the shares held by PNGSDP? Why just now make noise over that huge financial slice and the ramifications experienced since the s

By SONJA BARRY RAMOI “Mr Speaker, it appears to be forged, it appears to be forged. The signature on face value that I see now is certainly not mine, certainly not mine Mr Speaker. And the letter the way it is structured is certainly not the way I write letters or my staff write letters, Mr Speaker. The letter is addressed to the Treasurer and then it is ‘attentioned’ to Mr Gibson and then it says ‘Dear Sir’; Mr Speaker it said ‘Dear Sir’. Every time my letter comes out from my office it’s other ‘My Dear Minister’ or ‘My Dear Secretary’,” the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Hon. Peter O’Neill informed the Speaker Hon. Theo Zurenuoc at the end of May this year.  The purportedly forged letter dated 24, January 2012 bearing the official emblem and the Prime Ministers signature was addressed to the Minister for Finance and Treasury, Hon Don Polye. The stamp in the top right hand corner of the allegedly forged letter reads ‘Prime Minister’ and indicates that it was ‘Received’ by the Mini

By SONJA BARRY RAMOI “Mr Speaker, it appears to be forged, it appears to be forged. The signature on face value that I see now is certainly not mine, certainly not mine Mr Speaker. And the letter the way it is structured is certainly not the way I write letters or my staff write letters, Mr Speaker. The letter is addressed to the Treasurer and then it is ‘attentioned’ to Mr Gibson and then it says ‘Dear Sir’; Mr Speaker it said ‘Dear Sir’. Every time my letter comes out from my office it’s other ‘My Dear Minister’ or ‘My Dear Secretary’,” the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Hon. Peter O’Neill informed the Speaker Hon. Theo Zurenuoc at the end of May this year.  The purportedly forged letter dated 24, January 2012 bearing the official emblem and the Prime Ministers signature was addressed to the Minister for Finance and Treasury, Hon Don Polye. The stamp in the top right hand corner of the allegedly forged letter reads ‘Prime Minister’ and indicates that it was ‘Received’ by th

By GABRIEL RAMOI If OTML  Files  for voluntary  liquidation  after it licence to operate as a miner in  Mt. Fubulan  is not renewed by the PNG Government next year, What will  happen to its assets ? Does its asset include the Singapore based US$1.4 Billion long term fund currently managed by HSBC and Schroeder’s? Facts: The Long Term Fund is Governed  by  Trust Deeds which was Drafted by the Law Firm  Allens Arthur Robinson on behalf of its client  BHP Billiton and relayed to PNG via Gadens Lawyers  who presented the final document to the then Prime Minister Sir Mekere  who acquiesce with its content and  got his Cabinet to approve the 22 Different Agreement and Trust Deeds that set the legal framework  indemnifying  BHP Billiton  from  any  future claims over the  the Destruction of the Fly River System through a compensation Package which included, 1.Transfering BHPs majority interest in  OTML to  PNG Sustainable Program LTD and that PNGSDP receives every year an income stream from t

PNGBlogs The Opposition is concern that the Government is tabling amendments to the Mining (Ok Tedi Continuation) (Ninth Supplemental Agreement) to give the State “maximum power” to determine the future of the Ok Tedi Mine and the PNGSDP. We are very concern that the Government is setting a very dangerous precedence here by trying to legislate to take control of private companies.  This is a very negative signal to the investment communities and will create a lot of unnecessary anxiety. We are becoming very concern that this Government is using its numerical street and the immunity of the amended Section 145 to slowly become dictatorial. This is what the Opposition has been trying to warn the people of this country when it raised issues on the amendments to Section 145 on Motions of vote of no confidence. This is a very dangerous trend for this country and the people must pressure and encourage their local members of parliament to use their conscience to scrutinize such bills. The oppo

PNGBlogs The Opposition is concern that the Government is tabling amendments to the Mining (Ok Tedi Continuation) (Ninth Supplemental Agreement) to give the State “maximum power” to determine the future of the Ok Tedi Mine and the PNGSDP. We are very concern that the Government is setting a very dangerous precedence here by trying to legislate to take control of private companies.  This is a very negative signal to the investment communities and will create a lot of unnecessary anxiety. We are becoming very concern that this Government is using its numerical street and the immunity of the amended Section 145 to slowly become dictatorial. This is what the Opposition has been trying to warn the people of this country when it raised issues on the amendments to Section 145 on Motions of vote of no confidence. This is a very dangerous trend for this country and the people must pressure and encourage their local members of parliament to use their conscience to scrutinize such bil

By Renata Laveil In the midst of Independence celebrations, it is amazing when we realize the nation is united in one mind, heart and soul with the feeling of nationalism reverberating throughout the country through the sound of drums, bamboo flutes, kundu drums, garamuts and all other traditional mediums that were used in the past and now revered, for communication, singsings and festivals. They are our true vestiges showing our real and lasting identity from the rest of the Pacific Island nations; also that which create our standing in the world. Our forefathers who have set the pace for our Independence had all the right beliefs, principles and policies in mind when they drew up the constitution and pushed for Independence. If we were to fully grasp the true Melanesian pride and nationalism that pushed our Grand Chief to push for Independence from our colonial era, then we will be able to realise and instil the same feeling of nationalism and pride towards our family, our neighbour