PNGBLOGS

BY NEMA YALO The power struggle in Northern Province offers a lesson to provincial governments nationwide. In that context the relevant laws discussed here should offer useful education. The political saga has kicked off with an alleged serious criminal offence – break and enter allegedly orchestrated by two MPs who are not members of the Oro Provincial Assembly. This writer is aware on credible information that the two MPs from Northern Province Delilah Gore and David Arore have, without any lawful excuse, failed to attend more than three scheduled Oro Provincial Assembly meetings notwithstanding that they each received due notice of those meetings. Section 12 of the Organic Law on Provincial Governments and Local-level Governments states in part that if a member of Parliament is absent, without leave of the Provincial Assembly, during three consecutive meetings of the Assembly, unless the Assembly waives this provision upon satisfactory reasons being given, the member shall cease

BY TIM PAK I A couple weeks ago, newspaper junkies were pleased to find a colourful insert in The National which they were able to relax and read during the weekend. Throughout the social media, not one word of mention was made about this slick and glossy 16 pager. Not one person commented on the leading article title “Millions to own homes” under which was a photo picturing the smiling Peter O’Neill. Page after page was filled with stories of grand new plans and infrastructure under construction. The publication seemed to be describing a place on earth where everyone was happy, customary lands were being saved, youth were being saved, women were being saved, sick people were being saved, banks were leaping forward to lend people money at extremely low interest rates, police were getting modern new barracks homes, ahhh ahhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhhhh ooo ooooo oooooooooooooooo, it almost brought readers to a memorable sexual climax to read of so many miraculous accomplishments

A Prime Minister who seems to operate without checks and balances, combined with reckless spending and mounting government deficits, accelerates concerns of an economy starting to go out of control. By Adam Garens Papua New Guinea may not officially be a one party state, nor its head of state a dictator, but disturbing trends are resulting in some of its people comparing the developing financial situation to that of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, which by the late 2000’s had experienced the worst hyperinflation in the history of the world. Zimbabwe’s recent bout of hyperinflation set a record. While the actual PNG budget deficit blowout is mild by many standards, the apparent inability of any government institution to hold Prime Minister Peter O’Neill accountable for his actions is causing the growing concern.  As one Port Moresby resident puts it, “he seems to be spending money on everything but how is he paying the bills?” PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill The massive ExxonMobil o

PNG BLOGS CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK In June 2012, Ok Tedi’s managing director heralded the company’s profit as one of the most impressive in the world. In its first year of being fully owned by Papua New Guineans, the mine posted a profit of 1.2 billion kina - equivalent at the time to 577 million US dollars. This was profit, not revenue (which was K4.5 billion). It was indeed a hallmark. The following year, 2012, the profit was lower but still impressive: US$350 million. And then came the collapse, representing the company’s performance during its first year under the forced nationalisation of Peter O’Neill: less than US $20 million. Nine years prior to being 100% owned by Papua New Guineans, via the PNG Sustainable Development Fund, Ok Tedi was started on the pathway of compensating for the tremendous environmental damage caused by decades of mining without a functioning tailing dam when an Act of Parliament created the PNG Sustainable Development Fund to own the mine and ens