PNGBLOGS

  by ZOE MEERS & KIM YI DIONNE - WASHINGTON POST Papua New Guinea’s parliamentary elections took place June 24 to July 8, and there was significant controversy. During the election, officials went on strike in the capital city, Port Moresby, and violence broke out at polling stations in Enga province, where at least 20 people died. Election officials worked slowly to tally the votes, delaying the announcement of results as a way to protest lack of payment. It wasn’t until late September that the last undeclared seat was filled. Despite these and other setbacks, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill formed a new government in Papua New Guinea in early August. Here’s what you need to know about this country’s complex voting system. The electoral contest was particularly crowded In Papua New Guinea’s ninth election since independence from Australia in 1975, 3,340 candidates ran in races for 111 parliamentary seats. Half of those candidates came from 44 political parties — including

 by DANIEL TULAPI LLB In my one term of Member of parliament 1992 to 1997 , I , Daniel Bali Tulapi have stood up to Julius Chan ( PM) and foreigners when I was in NEC . I was sacked by Prime Minister Chan as minister for standing up to him for "telling him what to do in NEC. " I told PM Chan.. " I submitted a NEC policy to adopt the Saudi Arabia model of hard KINA policy and not to devalue the KINA at the world market currency trade market." I told National Executive Council (NEC) cabinet not to listen to foreigners and foreign governments. " I said the Kutubu oil when exported will be paid for and purchased by USA our KINA not by USA Dollar. That means and I said " K 1 = 3 USA Dollars. At that time K1 = 1.5 one Dollar 50 cents USA DOLLAR. I said we PNG maintain hard KINA policy and adopt Saudi Arabia model of the Riyal currency of Saudi Arabia 1 riyal = 3 USA dollars. Saudi Arabia was the largest oil exporter in the world at t

Former Attorney General of Papua New Guinea warns potential investors – Nautilus is a risky deal! PAPUA NEW GUINEA | Sir Arnold Amet, former Attorney General and Minister for Justice of PNG has joined the growing opposition against Nautilus Minerals Solwara 1 deep sea mining project in the Bismarck Sea. “It is understandable that Nautilus shareholders want to protect their own financial interests but new investors should beware – the Solwara 1 project is very high risk” said Sir Amet. “The muddy puddle at the so-called test site at Motukea Island is not fit for purpose. It will not provide any evidence that these machines won’t malfunction at the intended operating depth of 1.6 km. The hulks are already deteriorating in our tropical conditions.” Canadian company Nautilus is still desperately seeking funds for its flagship Solwara 1 deep sea mining project. Commercial operation has been delayed year after year since it received its licence to mine the floor of the Bi

by IAN S JOHNS The National Broadcasting Corporation(NBC) has been an iconic institution ever since the pre-independence era. It is the largest media organization in PNG. This organization has provided vital news and information through its broadcast to the general population such as Government policies, the school program broadcast, current affairs, sporting news, health information, entertainment, weather reports and much more. The population of this country has been kept abreast with vital information from NBC over the last 40 years. This once prime media organization has seen its demise in the last decade since the exit of MD Dr. Ninkama. Successive management has further pushed this organization deeper into oblivion. The current management had its acting Managing Director is confirmed by the cabinet to the position for a period of 3 years, the MD and his new batch of senior management inclusive of the Board were seen as the savior of this organization. However, this is on

by PNG BLOGS 1. Marked Boxes in Kandrian Gloucester in West New Britain were set aside and not counted for Sunday polling WHEREAS all boxes containing votes cast on Sunday for Ialibu Pangia Electorate in Southern Highlands were counted and the winner declared. 2. NCD Election Manager was caught red-handed with more than K180,000 cash and marked ballot papers with a purported agreement between a candidate. Secretary for Finance who administered funding for elections stated that all payments of allowances for electoral officials were directly remitted to their bank accounts WHEREAS Gamato claimed the substantial cash was for allowances for election officials (in a metropolitan area where most have their personal bank accounts???). 3. Joseph Tonde’s declaration for the Port Moresby North East Electorate was rejected because the Returning Officer was not the one on duty WHEREAS Nick Kuman’s declaration by a dead Returning Officer for Gumine Open was accepted. 4. William Duma’

THE TRUE STORY OF THE UBS LOAN AND OTHER DEALS BETWEEN THE O’NEILL GOVERNMENT AND OIL SEARCH Part 2 – Sweetheart  deals cost taxpayers and landowners BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IN SINGAPORE Comments by Oil Search executives and directors at the company’s annual general meeting earlier this year raise serious concerns about its knowledge of many specific instances of corruption in Papua New Guinea relating to its business, and its corporate behaviour. These instances are separate to the illegal UBS Loan which Oil Search helped to arrange, as detailed in Part 1 How Peter O’Neill and Peter Botten cost Papua New Guinea at least K1 billion. Some of these issues were the subject of questions in in the Australian Senate, but no satisfactory answers were provided by the Australian officials responsible. For example landowners in the PNG LNG project are owed hundreds of millions of kina in royalty payments and other entitlements, much of which is paid to the Government by Oil Se

by DAVID LEPI Whilst the recent Oil Search share offloading by the government is attracting a vast array of discussions that are now gaining momentum by the day and the Prime Minister said to make public the facts surrounding the share sales perhaps it might be good we go back where all things started and take a look at the chronology of events. IPIC Loan It started in 2009 from what is known as the largest investment decision ever made by any PNG government. The Somare led government was investing in the 11 billion Exon-Mobil led LNG project in taking up equity of 16.8 percent by borrowing 1.68 billion Australian dollars from a little-known fund called International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) in the Middle Eastern oil state of Abu Dhabi. This took place at a time when the economy was feeling the global credit crunch and a dramatic drop in commodities prices that had made finding funds for new resource projects very uncertain. Arthur Somare, the then state enterprise m