PNGBLOGS

by MICHAEL JOSEPH PASSINGAN Brookfield in Brisbane is a largely rural suburb consisting primarily of acreage properties. Although there are a small number of farms, the vast majority of property is residential. The newest resident is ex PNG gardener turned businessman now politician and a key figure in Peter O'Neill's government, JUSTIN TKATCHENKO, Mr Tkatchenko through his holding company KITORO No 33 purchased 15 Upper Brookfield Road in Brookfield (34,399 m2) with an estimate market value of $1.6 Million dollars , or K3.8 million Kina for himself and his family using money he stole from PNG through various kickbacks including the over-budgeted Pacific Games building program. He has never escaped from the limelight and has the tendency to educate native Papua New Guineans that he is Mr "Know it all". Mr TKATCHENKO's disrespect to the country has seen him willing to steal and build an empire which has grown from nowhere to being the "go-to-guy" f

by LOWEY INSTITUTE The 2016 Budget was  one of emergency  for Papua New Guinea. Adjusting to a 20% collapse in revenue caused by plummeting commodity prices and an economic slow-down, the government has implemented expenditure cuts  that are harsher  than those contained in Greece’s austerity package. In many ways, the 2016 Budget was the one PNG had to have. While commentators, including myself, have questioned the severity and the way in which cuts have been made, all agree the government could not keep spending at the pace it has been given the collapse in revenue and rapid increases in public debt. But will expenditure actually slow? And what is the true level of public debt in PNG? We can shed some light on these questions by focusing on a specific, big-ticket item of expenditure: PNG’s hosting of the APEC leaders’ meeting in 2018. Port Moresby is going through a massive transformation in preparation for this event, driven by a confusing mixture of public, private and

by Dr Anthony Deklin PRIME MINISTER O'NEILL SHOULD STOP THIS RIDICULOUS INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL GRANDSTANDING AND REDIRECT THE LIMITED PUBLIC MONEY PNG HAS TOWARDS ALLEVIATING POVERTY AND RAISE THE LIVING STANDARD OF THE MAJORITY OF PAPUA NEW GUINEANS LIVING IN THE VILLAGE. When I saw in yesterday's Edition of the Post Courier (Monday 24 October 2016) a report that PNG will be hiring three cruise liners and parking them at the Fairfax Harbour in Port Moresby to accommodate the APEC guests in November 2018, I had to come out and express this feeling, which had been building up in me for some time. My question to the Prime Minister is this: Why go out and make a fool of not so much yourself as of your country in the eyes of the world by inviting world political leaders and their entourage of more than 6,000 people to come to a world event when you know very well that you don't have the hotel accommodation capacity to host them? This simply does not make sense. It is

by PAUL GENIA In the first quarterly NSO Reform Steering Committee meeting held in April 2015, Mr Koloma was instructed to table the expenditure report which he never did. However, in the last meeting on the 25th August 2015, he lightly briefed the members that it was expanded on the salaries and wages of the NSO Policy and Coordination Division's staff of around K1.3 million and NSO's Goods and Services of K1.7 million Facts at NSO that may relate to abuse of NSO Reform Funds. NSO's Policy & Coordination Division staffs are fulltime employees with employment file number paid through the normal government salary system by the DPM since 2012. It is 100% not from NSO reform funds. NSO utilities such as telephone, email, fax have been out since 2013. Why is NSO engaging alot local consultants some of which are computer illiterate. ? There is a super consultant, a failed Director for 2011 Census. This particular consultant has no apparent use at all. He has been e

by  NEMO YALO Introduction This article replies to the Ombudsman Commission’s paid public notice (The National, 10.10.16, page16) which responded to my article in the same paper (06.10.16, page 37). In my article I answered the question ‘is an Ombudsman conferred arbitrary powers by law to stop investigations into alleged or suspected misconduct in office under the Leadership Code’? The article was prompted by an allegation that an Ombudsman had made a decision unilaterally stopping all leadership investigations under the Leadership Code pending the appointment of the Chief Ombudsman. The Commission has stated in bold in the second paragraph of its article: “The matters alluded to by Mr Yalo are internal discussions awaiting formal internal legal advice and not ‘matters of public interests’ nor is it meant for public discussions”. This article informs the public that I stand by my statement. The Commission’s denial The Commission denied the allegation I raised a

by JASON P KANGOMA Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch is scheduled to hand down the 2017 Budget in Parliament this week. Given that 2017 is election year, the Budget is certain to be dominated by the usual O’Neill Regime spin and deceit, along with wasteful and irresponsible spending measures. But the central feature will be drastic cuts to essential social services such as health and education, and further suffering for ordinary Papua New Guineans. Every successive O’Neill Budget has been a failure, creating more problems than they solve, and driving the nation further towards total collapse. This special PNG Blogs report reveals the ongoing damage Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s corruption, greed and mismanagement is doing to Papua New Guinea.   POVERTY INCREASING UNDER O’NEILL REGIME The new announcement by the O’Neill Regime that it has obtained a K1 billion rescue package from the Asian Development Bank proves that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s economic and finan