PNGBLOGS

by GEORGE SMITH There is a particular group named Toale Hongiri, a sub clan of the Imawe Bogasi group, who have been abusing the government Printery in attempt to revoke several gazettals and ministerial determination over the past few months. They have being using the government printer as a private printer to demonstrate their cowardly act, thinking the public and institution may not go notice. They are the same group of people who have come out in the media (Post Courier) several times making baseless accusations on the principal landowners of Gobe Project. They have even gone to the extreme with the intent of bribing a state Minister but was out rightly refused a dozen times. And their final act on this, their sins have caught up with them. First and foremost, a ministerial determination was made by the DPE Minister- Nixon Duban recognising Wolutou ILG as the principal landowners of Gobe Petroleum Project PDL 3 through Gazettal NG. 25 of 2017 on Jan 19th 2017. A minimum of

by PAUL FLANAGAN This is the third and final posting on PNG’s 2016 IMF Article IV report.  The two previous posts have focused on PNG’s growth rate being much lower than claimed by the O’Neill government and PNG’s weak external position. The focus of this blog is on fiscal and monetary policy. The IMF report estimates the 2016 budget deficit will be K628 million greater than estimated by the government (so reaching 4.4% of GDP), and this feeds into greater debt levels. Government debt at the end of 2016 is estimated to be K967.3 million greater than stated by the government (and this does not include build-ups in off-budget debt such as the K3 billion in borrowings for Oil Search shares). While commending the government for its actions in the 2016 Supplementary Budget and “prudent” 2017 budget, there are concerns about where expenditure cuts have been made, the lack of effort on raising revenues (in particular from the resource sector), and the need to improv

PNGBLOGS Motu-Koitabu customary landowners around Port Moresby and Ahi landowners around Lae face new land grab threats if Peter O’Neill and his PNC party are re-elected this year. Customary land in the two cities is the choice target to be the home of new factories, offices and residential areas planned through his Small-Medium Enterprise Policy and Master Plan. In addition, Motu-Koitabu landowners face further threats from NCDC’s Poreporena-Napa Napa Local Development Plan, which was publicly revealed only after the election of the O’Neill Government in 2012. It had been kept secret by Governor Powes Parkop in the lead-up to the election. Parkop, O’Neill, his crooked lawyer friend Jimmy Maladina, their former partner in crime Ben Micah MP, and their political and business cronies, have been working on ways to profit from the redevelopment of Port Moresby. They have been doing so mainly through kickbacks from inflated contracts, secret partici

by PHILIP TEE Should we all join the Minister for Justice, Hon Ano Pala to welcome the establishment of an office in Port Moresby by the global legal firm, Norton Ross Fulbright?. The Minister in charge of Justice matters in the country did so. The firm which was founded in 1794 has about 58 branches around the world and PNG will now be added to the franchise. The firm’s turnover for 2014 alone was around US$ 1.815 billion. It is believed the firm’s Sydney Office had been very instrumental in opening the Port Moresby Office. Whilst the firm’s long standing reputation as a global franchise in the legal industry is unmatchable, the firms Sydney Office has a special connection with PNG, especially the Peter O’Neill Government. There is a Sydney Partner of the firm called Anthony Latimer who has a very special relationship with two known fraudsters, namely Jimmy Maladina and Peter O’Neill. He had been facilitating a number of “legal work” for Jimmy and O’Neill for a number of ye

by STEVEN ANDRE Renowned Economists monitoring our economy are telling us that the "free health" policy is costed at only K20 million a year.  Clearly, this is nowhere near the level that would be required to actually deliver a "free health" service of any quality in PNG.” The National Budgets of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 do show us that the Free Health Services was allocated only K20 million in all those years. The highly-acclaimed Vision 2050 envisions that PNG will be a healthier nation by 2050. Are we heading there? Has Peter O’Neill’s Government worked towards that goal? The reality is that, all the health services in PNG have deteriorated since O’Neill got into power. There is acute shortage of medical supplies, both equipment and drugs. Kundiawa General Hospital and Daru General Hospital were among the few that hosted fundraising dinners in Port Moresby to raise much needed funds for their daily operations in 2016. Recently, Dr Jacob Yackopua, directo

by JOE NASANOL Mr Mahesh Patel's high level appointments to Govt positions, Chairman, Director and such of our country's largest scale, most complex SOE, prompts curiosity about his qualification suitability and caliber. A simple check on his Linkedin bio reveals little, but education cited as "Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education" - what is this you ask, further inquiry reveals somewhere between a online course and a live in course with acceptance criteria being payment of a fee, and NO post nominal qualification of anything whatsoever on successful 'graduation',, not even a lowly MBA qualification. Additionally he boasts a "Diploma in Pharmacy - Central Institute of Technology New Zealand" - what is this one - it is a Certificate level course allowing individuals to be an assistant in pharmacy work, a store assistant or similar, presumably to get a trading business underway in Fiji importing 3rd grade pharmaceuticals fro

UN announcement highlights recent problems with the PNG Government's payment of bills Comes after state-owned electricity provider cut services to several government agencies over failure to pay bills Five other countries — Venezuela, Libya, Sudan, Cape Verde and Vanuatu — have also lost voting rights for non-payment Papua New Guinea has lost its vote in the United Nations General Assembly because it failed to pay its annual contributions. Papua New Guinea has lost its vote in the United Nations General Assembly because it failed to pay its annual contributions. PNG needs to pay the UN at least $180,000 to regain voting rights. It is one of six countries whose voting rights have been suspended for non-payment — the others being Venezuela, Libya, Sudan, Cape Verde and Vanuatu. The UN's announcement highlights recent problems with the PNG Government's payment of bills. It comes after the state-owned electricity provider, PNG Power, cut services to the country's n

by PNGBLOGS STAFF WRITERS   It seems ICCC is in bed with Telikom’s Chairman Mahesh Patel on the so called merger of Telikom, Bmobile and DataCo issue. A number of key points for the public to note here: Telikom Board’s term of office has expired. As such, Telikom effectively has no Board to act on its behalf at the moment until a new Board is sworn in. How can Mahesh Patel claim to be speaking on behalf of the Board when insider information has it that there has never been a Board Meeting convened for this purpose? He therefore is acting alone, and for whose interest? Clearly, if you link the dots together, it would be in the interest of the team: The Prime Minister Peter O’Neill , Mahesh Patel himself, John Mangos and Michael Donnelly , the ousted CEO of Telikom PNG. This article has it that Mahesh, the Chairman of Telikom PNG went into discussions with ICCC boss, Mr. Paulus Ain. How can he, Mahesh, discuss the merger while acting as the Chairman of another

by MICHAEL PASSINGAN The Government’s Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari who heads the Country's Public Service machinery has once again come under the spot light of corrupt activities. Lupari who not long ago was identified to be at the center of the K3.7 million fraud by the Finance Department Commission of Inquiry. (but was never prosecuted). This time Lupari has been seen to be using the office of the Prime Minister and his position as the Chief Secretary to steal. On December 2015 Chief Secretary  Isaac Lupari advised the Prime Minister's Department by writing that the Prime Minister approved K1 million from the PM's Commitment Funds for the Ipatas Foundation Inc in which he is the Executive Chairman. The Ipatas Foundation Inc is a non-profit organisation established by the Enga Provincial Government. The foundation is registered and certified under the Association Incorporation Act of PNG and is run by a board who are appointed by the Enga Provincial Executive C

by STEVEN ROLLAND As the country is fast sinking into debt and economic ruin, we are seeking answers. We know Prime Minister Peter O'Neill is a failed businessman, having failed in three (3) businesses he started before joining politics. His true success in business came when he put his hands into the public coffers. The rest is history. We cannot expect miracles from him. He is like an inexperienced mechanic who enjoys stripping all the parts of a vehicle in the pretext of fixing it but really does not know how to fix it. It will be moments when he will disappear without fixing the mess he created. Behind O'Neill's shonky economic management were a number of spivvy characters. One that PM O'Neill relied most was Dr Jacob Weiss, who provided most of the advise on structuring and procuring more loans. Jacob Weiss would attend Government Caucus meetings and mislead all the clown/naïve Members of Parliament that it was okay to borrow excessive from overseas and domes

by STAFF WRITERS 1.  PIH is a business entity whose primary goal is to make money. No money, No treatment. 2.  PIH does not care about your health. 3.  PIH recruits a few good doctors only to boost its public relations image, just like any business. 4.  PIH  thrives on the health misfortunes of Papua New Guineans to a large extent. 5.  PIH is just part of  network of corruption that extends to government agencies and companies. Pacific International Hospital (PIH) was registered under suspicious circumstances. When the issue of registration came up with the Medical Board of PNG (chairman late Dr Pangatana), there were many issues the PIH had to fulfil before a licence was granted to operate as a hospital. The Health Minister at the time used his ministerial power to order the Medical Board of PNG to grant the licence. It was common knowledge at the time that the particular minister a “very close” friend of the principal owner of PIH. The ownership issue of PIH has to b

UNDECLARED DIVIDENDS OF K20 MILLION PAID TO KUMUL CONSOLIDATED HOLDINGS LTD AND SALE OF TELIKOM ASSETS; LANDS AND BUILDINGS The current interim Chairman of TPNG Mr Mahesh Patel’s National News Paper publication dated 6th February 2017 page 25, saying that Telikom PNG paid a K20m dividend to Kumul Consolidated Holdings Ltd is yet another lie from Mahesh Patel to justify his existence in Telikom PNG. According to Telikom PNG Monthly Management Accounts as at June 2016, Telikom PNG actually made a loss of K3.7m earnings before tax. Therefore, this K20m is an undeclared dividend payment. This ‘money was drawn from either; the cash savings from Telikom staff prematurely retrenched through the illegal Spill and Fill exercise carried out in 2015 or from unused capital works/project funds. The withdrawal of funds was most probably charged to the Government Capital Grants Accounts or the Owner’s Equity Account. If it was a dividend declared profit, then Chairman should have properly de

by AUGUSTINE EMIL Music Industry, like the Sports Industry,should be given a thought from the Government to generate income and revenue from the raw and unique talent that it possess. Sports and Music are fairly identical talent oriented fields in which the govt has overlooked the potential in the Music Industry to fund it, nurture it, and expose it abroad combining it with our unique diverse culture and the admirable tradition that we have anywhere in the World. Successive Govts have prioritised Billions of Kina in Sports in which I think its a complete desolate waste but should give a balanced nod on both fraternities alike. The heavily funded Sports like Rugby League, Union, Soccer, Basket Ball and others has never brought pride and jubilation to our country in the International arena. The rewards and achievements of Gold, Silver and Bronze attained by Sporting elites has no economic value in revenue aspects for PNG but remain simple household decorations that only the famil

by PAUL FLANAGAN Summary The recent IMF report indicates PNG’s international economic situation is much more frail than the picture presented by the O’Neill government. Indeed, the IMF calls the foreign reserves position ‘weak’. PNG has less than one third the recommended level in its international bank account. And this is despite the foreign exchange rationing that is hurting PNG business, investment and jobs. PNG’s published import coverage ratios are misleading and out of step with internationally accepted definitions. Specifically, PNG claims foreign reserves cover 13.0 months of imports while the independent umpire, the IMF, says the figure is only 3.2 months of imports. The suggested level for a country such as PNG is around 10 months of imports. PNG has less than one-third the prudent level. PNG says the import coverage ratio for non-mineral sector imports has increased by 28% over the last five years.  This appears to show a healthy improvement in PNG’s external

by MICHAEL PASSINGAN PNG BLOGS has learnt that Prime Minister PETER O'NEILL has directed Kumul Consolidated Holding  (KCH) Chairman and O'Neill rubber stamp PAUL NERAU to engage the services former Digicel PNG CEO, JOHN MANGOS as a super consultant to the Public company in a bid to sell off TELIKOM and its subsidiaries to DIGICEL and you guessed it REMINGTON Group of Companies. PNGBLOGS broke a story today about the recent engagement of Mangos in a plot to sell off three of PNG's State owned Telcos Telikom PNG, B-Mobile and DataCo. T elikom has a good track record of being independent unlike Air Niugini or PNG Power, they have diversified their business into the areas of television (EMTV) and retail (DATEC). JOHN MANGOS is Peter O'Neill's puppet and a Digicel plant to take over the Communications Industry in PNG through the sale of TELIKOM PNG and its subsidiaries. He has been around Papua New Guinea after he was promised the role to sell off Telikom and ma