PNGBLOGS

Only one head of a foreign government flew to Melbourne for the state funeral of Malcolm Fraser last Friday. That was Peter O’Neill, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. Whatever that says about Fraser, more importantly it underlines the closeness between PNG and Australia — which often appears to be a one-way street, with Australians knowing less about PNG as each generation succeeds the next. O’Neill himself has emerged as a remarkable figure in PNG’s usually battle-scarred political landscape, which makes Game of Thrones look tame. He has suffered criticism for the peremptory manner of his government’s takeover of OK Tedi mine, and for the failure to clear up the cloud of corruption that lurks over well-attested collusion between public service heads, lawyers and others to steal hundreds of millions of dollars of public funds. But he has emerged as an almost irrepressible force in the nation, with a growing role in the Pacific Islands region and as a link between the island

Why Ben Micah MP must never allow him to be a member of Parliament again. BY COLIN FILER EMIRAU In December 2006, a SABL over an area of 3384 hectares (Portions 53C–58C) on the island of Emirau in the Murat LLG area was granted to a company called Emirau Trust Ltd (ETL) for a period of 99 years (whose shares were owned by Ben Micahs half sister). The six land portions included in this lease appear to cover the whole of the island, and the state is said to have acquired these land portions from 29 incorporated land groups in January 2005 (The National, 9 September 2008). The island is approximately 130 kilometres north-west of Kavieng, the provincial capital (see Map 1). In May 2005, one of the islanders wrote a letter to one of PNG’s national newspapers expressing concern that the SABL had not yet been granted in April of that year (The National, 9 May 2005). According to this correspondent, ETL was the brainchild of the island’s most well-known political leader, Ben Micah, f

By BRYAN KRAMER Supreme Court (SC) on 26th March 2015 upheld an application filed by National Fraud & Anti-corruption Director Mathew Damaru and his Deputy Timothy Gitua granting them leave (permission) to join the Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Finance Minister James Marape's Supreme Court appeal staying (stopping) their arrest. Damaru and Gitua were added as sixth and seventh Respondents (parties who are given the right to appear and respond in the proceedings). Marape is named as "Appellant" principle person who filed the SC appeal against an earlier National Court ruling dismissing his case seeking an order of taxation of Paraka bills as well as Prime Minister's application seeking to interim stay preventing police from effecting their arrest. Five other Respondents (parties) in the Supreme Court proceedings include Prime Minister followed by Attorney General, Ano Pala, Paraka Lawyers, PNG Royal Constabulary (Police) and the State

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has taken the top prize in the Pepsi ICC Development Programme Annual Awards 2014, claiming the Best Overall Cricket Development Programme award. PNG had a tremendous 2014, with its senior men’s team achieving One-Day International (ODI) status, while the PNG Women’s side qualified for its first ever ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier. This on-field success has, however, been underpinned by a highly successful domestic development programme that has resulted in significant participation growth over the past decade.  There are now close to 200,000 cricket participants in PNG.  Keith Dennis, former chairman of Jersey Cricket Board, was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement award thanks to his efforts in developing cricket in Jersey dating back to the 1950’s. Mr Dennis sadly passed away during 2014 whilst supporting Jersey in its successful ICC World Cricket League Division 5 campaign. The Spirit of Cricket Award was given to Thailand to acknowledge its work

A Canada-based gold mining company is paying compensation to a group of tribal women and girls who allege they were assaulted and raped by police and security guards at the company’s mine in Papua New Guinea. The 11 women, who were aged between 14 and in their 80s when the alleged crimes took place, are among 137 local Enga women and girls who had previously been compensated by Barrick Gold Corporation, after allegations of sexual violence, including gang rape and imprisonment, by armed security guards and police officers at the Porgera mine. Most of the 137 women accepted the company’s offer of a compensation package under a “remedy framework” set up by Barrick as an alternative to the local judicial system, after a Human Rights Watch report in 2011 identified a pattern of extreme sexual violence by security personnel at the mine. But 11 of the women initially refused and argued that the compensation – on average 23,630 kina, which amounts to $8,743 – was not adequate to remedy th

On Friday 27th of March 2015 Detectives from the National Fraud & Anti-Corruption Directorate went into the Department of Lands Office and arrested a prominent Lands Officer.The complaint is in relation to a dubious and fraudulent conversion of one of the three [3] State Leases granted to the PNG Teachers’ Association on 18th November 2004. That State Lease is identified as Allotment 58, Section 48 and the other two are Allotmernt 57 and Allotment 59 all sharing the same section. The all three [3] state lease are situated and located at Waigani and are securely fenced all around until this dubious and fraudulent transaction and purported sale of Allotment 58, Section 48 by the accused and Sheila Sukwianomb. Police allege that prior to the 11th of November 2008, the accused now before this court had some form of a discussion with his co-accused namely Sheila Sukwianomb, who is also employed as the Director Legal & Policy Services by the Lands & Physical Pl

PNGBLOGS Contributor Network An in-depth analysis of the Ipatas-led government needs to be presented to the people of Enga and aspiring supporters throughout the country. Serious considerations have to be made on the characteristics of the Ipatas government for the last 17 years, his achievements and the future of Enga on the current sails. As implicated in the PAC findings in 2004, it is sad to reflect that the founding fathers of our nation and those that followed immediately thereafter with the likes of Mr Peter Ipatas, began the journey to self-governance with the same corrupt and bribery attitude as is widespread today. People like Pais Wingti and Ipatas were the 'refiners' of the corrupt system. As for Wingti, he never got a chance to finish his university degree but became a politician while doing his 3 rd year at UPNG. Ipatas followed, due to unsatisfactory performance and disciplinary matters and went back to his home village in Irelya in Enga Provinc

After the death of former NBC Board Chairman the late Cain Wosae, who was once a Department of Finance Deputy Secretary, the National Government appointed ex parliamentarian and Imbongu MP, Timothy Tala as the new NBC Board Chairman. Tala is a graduate Communications Engineer from the University of Technology in Lae in 1996. He served one term as a member of Parliament from 1997 to 2002. It took some months for Tala to take up his post after the announcement by the government as Memafu Kapera, had stalled all the appointment requirements and protocols for the new chairman to get into office. Memafu had enjoyed operating as a one man show at the NBC after the passing of Wosae without a fully functional board and a deputy managing director. He did not accept anyone to sit above or next to him and take orders from. To him there is no real need for a Board and a Deputy Managing Director at the NBC as he has this foolish notion that he had all things covered

Dear Memafu Kapera, Can you be man enough to explain to the Government of Papua New Guinea and taxpayers about the social media queries regarding the controversial over excessive housing rental of your equally corrupt NBC Human Resource and Administration Director, Janet Amean. The solid proof and cheque numbers on excel spreadsheet is disclosed herewith again. Your silence on the issue may suggest you are guilty and has a lot to hide on other similar irregular payments and financial anomalies at the NBC. Just to refresh us all, Janet Amean was removed from the Department of Mining because she was incompetent over there. You dragged her over to the NBC and made her a Director because she is your neighbor for many years. You use her connections with politicians and people in the public service to secure your job and in return Amean can run amok and does whatever she pleases at the NBC and you don’t have the balls to control her. Shame on you and Janet Amean.

No-one would argue that frontline health workers and those who manage our health services have an ethical responsibility to save Papua New Guinean lives (You all swore oaths to save lives. Post-Courier editorial Friday, March 20, 2015.).  Nor would anyone argue your point that “politicking and games”should not be conducted at the expense of patient care. However, applauding the Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Michael Malabag on his decision, through the NEC, to suspend the EHPHA Board and CEO is arguable.  Less than two weeks ago the Minster advised the nation that the Committee of Enquiry (appointed by the Minister himself) to look into matters at the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority (EHPHA) had found that the EHPHA Board and Management was properly constituted and has been performing its functions in accordance with its mandate under the Provincial Health Authorities Act 2007 (Committee of Enquiry into Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority. Po