PNGBLOGS

by SOLOMON KEPAS This is the second of 2 related articles covering the unsolved murder mystery of Papua New Guinea’s former MP and Defence Minister Peter Waieng. The first article discusses the conditions through which social media, public gossip and informal Courts of Public Opinion have achieved some measure of justice when formal justice structures fail. PNG’s formal justice system has failed in the murder case of Peter Waieng and traditional media has also failed to inform the public about this case. Social media has moved to take up the slack. Introducing Late MP Peter Waieng Peter Waieng, of Gam Kane heritage and Simbu’s Nar Ku people, was one of the youngest (28) ever elected MPs. Having already earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Wollongong, he went into politics in 1997, being elected to serve as Kundiawa-Gembogl MP and Minister of Defence. Mr Waieng only served one term. After his 2002 loss, he shifted his attention for th

by GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE INSIDER The circus clowns of Waigani have come out again to display their insanity making all Papua New Guineans look to look like a stupid fool. A junior officer at the Sate Solicitor Officer who recently graduated from UPNG in 2009 with a Law Degree has been appointed the Acting Managing Director of Climate Change & Development Authority. The appointee Mr. Ruel Yamuna is the biological son of Ron Yamuna the current District Administrator of Ialibu Pangia Electorate of which Prime Minister Peter O’Niel is the local member. The Yamnuna family are a distant relative of Prime Minister O’Niel. The other Uncle Oscar Yamuna is the Deputy Chief of Staff of Prime Minister. This is gross abuse of Public Office and bluntly conflict of interest in which the said person has been appointed when he does not have the necessary credentials nor does he posses the right experience to hold such office. He was never a Principal Legal Officer, line Manager, neith

by SOLOMON KEPAS The mystery of who murdered former MP Peter Waieng illustrates how badly the formal justice system of both courts and police has failed the people of Papua New Guinea.   An informal replacing system of seeing justice done has started to appear as a result, just like it has in so many places overseas.   Indications are that Peter Waieng’s murder investigation was quietly abandoned in the hopes that the people of PNG would forget.  This strategy probably would have succeeded if not for the rise of the PNG social media and internet access by hundreds of thousands of Papua New Guineans.  Just as social media outside of PNG has created Courts of Public Opinion that ultimately have convicted and punished well known personalities from their countries, PNG’s social media is producing sites and activities for citizen involvement.  The Peter O’Neill government complains about defamatory, slanderous speech and unfounded rumours.  Looking at the overall picture, it only has

by GREG MANDA Secrecy of financial arrangements and obfuscation of government budgeting has risen dramatically in the last two years.  The Switzerland UBS loan is now history and no accounting has been given to Parliament or the people of Papua New Guinea.  In the wake of the UBS loan, the country has been saddled with a new K1.5B loan from Credit Suisse.  Has the Prime Minister invited any discussion from his ministers and the full Parliament on this new loan? Most Members of Parliament are in the dark about the essentials of the UBS loan.  Every MP should be demanding full disclosure of all the details on the UBS loan.  What we know is the loan totaled K3.0B, making it one of the biggest loans in the history of the nation and greatly increasing the indebtedness of the country.  The Prime Minister needs to realize that the UBS money are public funds and therefore need a full and public accounting. We also know that most of the UBS money was used in March 2014 to bu

by WILLIAM KEP According to a survey of world cities by the Intelligence Unit of The Economist 2014, Port Moresby is one of the world's least livable cities (ranked 139 of 140 cities rated). Is the above statement and rating misleading and unacceptable at least to its residents? The answer to that, is that the rating is so true, the statement is not misleading and the rating is a bitter pill of reality of life for the residents and also visitors of Port Moresby. Question now should be, what are the reasons for the above result? The reasons are vast but the obvious are as follows. Standard of the infrastructure and utilities of the City Attitude issues, no care and reckless mindset of its people Social life in the City non-existent Social services in the City are unreliable and substandard Crime and rampant raskol gang activities The reasons for the rating can be many (depending one’s own orientation), but the major one and the root cause is that Port Mor

The K30 million Peter O'Steal took from his Remington Group of companies was not his after all. Wildcat Developments is owed K10 million, and it was money to be used to pay employees. Wildcat staff have not been paid for six weeks. O'Steal cares more about bribing Members of Parliament than his own workers.