PNGBLOGS

By BRYAN KRAMER Minister of Justice & Attorney General Ano Pala published a press statement on 10th February 2015 in both daily newspapers in the form of a letter addressed to Governor of Gulf, Havilo Kavo. Attorney General (AG) press statement was in response to Mr. Kavo's published media statement on 9th January 2015 and his letter to Gulf Provincial Assembly members stating that since he filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging his conviction by National Court by operation of Section 103(4) of Constitution he (Kavo) remains a Member of Parliament until his appeal is determined (decided). AG noted in his letter to Kavo that having read various numerous legal opinions and advice from his own lawyers including Kavo's lawyers he was of the considered view that given Kavo's current criminal conviction, sentencing and ensuring status as a prisoner of the state, although he remains a Member of Parliament by operation of Section 103(4) of Constitution he is

By CHARLES KERUA Background I am prompted to write this after reading an article on the Australia’s Financial Review on a court battle between Oil Search Ltd & Inter Oil Ltd over the development rights (or pre-emptive rights) of the Elk-Antelope oil fields in the Gulf Province; a ruling which is expected to be handed down this March 2015 in London, UK. Many intelligent people will agree that our State & its people have “thrown away” so much of our natural resources so cheaply in the name of foreign investment and foreign capital injection. (Let us keep our discussion within the mineral & petroleum sector, and leave for a while other equally important sectors like forestry and fisheries). Proponents of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in our extractive industry have meticulously “seasoned” the spin offs, or so called “economic benefits”, of FDIs such as job creation, substantial foreign reserve base/cover, and tax revenue as a rosy cover to lure the State

  By PAUL J. REINBARA The bankruptcy of PNG Power Ltd under Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and State Enterprises Minister Ben Micah should not surprise anybody. It has been shipwrecked by typical PNC political interference, corruption and greed. All the other SOEs are in the same boat for the same reasons. Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare was right to call on the Prime Minister this week to come clean on the collapse of the entire SOE system and the harm it will cause to the nation. Action needs to be undertaken immediately to try to save something from the Prime Minister’s wreckage, starting with police investigations into the activities of SOEs and Ombudsman Commission investigations into their directors and senior management. New States of Emergencies in other sectors are not the answer because all they do is allow more corruption and more mismanagement. When the illegal and unnecessary State of Emergency in the power sector was announced, it handed personal control of PPL ove

THE first stage has been completed of an Australian program to improve governance in Papua New Guinea. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop signed a memorandum two months ago to establish a Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct in Port Moresby’s public service and university hub of Waigani valley. The program also aims to help build partnerships between Australian and PNG institutions. As an initial step, 27 senior PNG public servants partici­pated in an executive course run by the universities of Queensland and PNG. The Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, the Australian Public Service Commission, Canberra Institute of Technology Solutions and the Australian National University are also involved, planning leadership courses and developing university, certificate and diploma-level qualifications. The new precinct in Waigani will include a School of Business and Public Policy at the University of PNG and the adjacent Institute of

PNGBLOGS  After a unanimous resolution today from the ruling party PNC, Oro Governor & Leader of the Peoples Movement for Change (PMC) Party Gary Juffa will move from middle bench to opposition. Governor Juffa was in the middle bench. The middle bench in PNG’s parliament has always been a place where individual MP’s not aligned with the parliament’s ruling party(s) or its leader(s) sit. Oro Governor & PMC party leader Gary Juffa not wishing to get entangled in corrupt practices or MP’s has always purposefully selected to sit in the middle bench since 2012 when he was first voted in. Today however after a unanimous decision by the PNC party, Governor Juffa must move from middle bench to opposition. It is also less than a year since leader of PNC party and Prime Minister Peter O’Neill sought to oust member for Kandep Don Poyle from government to opposition as ABC reported on 7th May 2014 “Don Poyle…was sacked by Mr O'Neill in March for refusing to sign a $AUD1.2 billi

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill did something remarkable last Thursday. In a wide-ranging policy speech at a leadership summit in Port Moresby, he acknowledged the oppression of the people of West Papua. It was the first time an incumbent prime minister of Papua New Guinea has spoken directly about the rights of West Papuans in a public forum: Papua New Guinea today is a respected regional leader. After 40 years of undisturbed democracy, we are in a unique position to lead mature discussions on issues affecting our people in the region. Our leading role in encouraging Fiji to return to a democratically elected government and voicing our concerns about the plight of our people in New Caledonia are examples of our growing influence. We have also participated in the restoration of democracy and law and order in countries like Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. But sometimes we forgot our family, our brothers and sisters, especially those in West Papua. I think

By GABRIEL RAMOI - An Essay on West Papua Part One : O'Niell & the Force of Moral Persuasion The earth shattering reversal of a 40 year policy of Denial by PNG on the plight of West Papua announced by Prime Minister Peter on Thursday the 5th of February 2015 will come to be judged by history as the most important step taken by a sovereign state toward propelling West Papua towards Political Independence from Indonesia. It follow on the heels of that lone brave voice made by Moana Cacasses the Prime Minister of Vanuatu to the United nations on sept 29th 2013 to put West Papua back on the United Nations Agenda and responsibility to address civil rights violation inside West Papua. The Statement by the Prime Minister Oneil is a bold move and one that that has not be made lightly. It turns PNGs Foreign Policy on its head and will no doubt rattle Australia and will keep Academics busy in years to come analyzing the significance and consequences of that Decision. Just li