PNGBLOGS

by BRYAN KRAMER MP Prime Minister Peter O'Neill was caught lying and misleading Parliament during question time when it resumed its first session in 2018 on Tuesday. O'Neill was responding to a question raised by the Governor of Western Province, Toboi Yoto asking when his people would benefit from Oktedi Mine and when they would receive the share certificates. Western Governor explained that since the O'Neill Government took over the mine in September 2013 it had failed to transfer the share certificates representing 33% interest in the mine to the Western Province people. Further, still, they had yet to receive their dividends. In response, O'Neill claimed when his Government took over the mine from BHP, who at the time wanted to shut down the mine for not being profitable. He said the Government inherited a loss-making machine. He confirmed his Government has yet to transfer 33% interest to the landowners, claiming it was because of stamp duties issue.

MORE LIES FROM THE MASTER OF LIES Once again the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Mr Peter O’Neill, has lied to Parliament and the people of Papua New Guinea . He told the House yesterday that when he illegally took over Ok Tedi, the company was making a loss. That is a lie. The accompanying figures, obtained from Ok Tedi’s own publicly reported accounts, show that Ok Tedi was at its most profitable when majority owned by PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd. Since Mr O’Neill’s illegal expropriation in 2013, reported profits have been slashed to less than one-third of what they were. In 2012, the last year of PNGSDP majority ownership, profit was K913.3. In 2016, the last reported year of O’Neill ownership, profit was K384 million. Average annual profit under PNGSDP was K1172 million. Average annual profit under Mr O’Neill was K98 million. Returns to Western Province through development programs have fallen to virtually zero. Western Province has also not be

by JOHN E. KUA Deceit by definition is keeping the truth hidden to get an advantage. So did the prime minister deceive the people of Western Province on the 33 percent shares in OK TEDI MINING LIMITED? Yes, he did lie about the transfer LIMITED? to the people of Western Province as no open dialogue or consultation was conducted by the government or its agents ,including the Mineral Resources Development Corporation ( MRDC ), the Department of Mining or the Department of Environment & Conservation to distribute the share equity amongst the different classes of landowners and the provincial and local level governments. The O'Neill government was applauded for nationalising the mine in 2013, from BHP and it's trustees nominee PNGSDP in lieu of catastrophic environmental damages done to river systems along the OK Tri river and the Fly river which flows 400 nautical miles into the Gulf Delta, displacing almost 100.000 people who have depended on the river systems

by JOHN E KUA Over the past few months government propagandists have craftily colluded with the mainstream media to portray to nation,n , that all is well, and the nation is growing at leaps and bounds in contrast with the stark reality, that the nation is in a serious financial crisis, undergoing resuscitation from the international financial institutions in the hope a windfall of mysterious proportions would happen to end the current financial quagmire. Inside sources from the Bank of Papua New Guinea confide that the Governor of the Bank is not a trustworthy person as he lives out of his suitcase, globetrotting on trivialities, irrelevant to the core functions of the Bank, and is unable to apply the brakes on government spending and borrowing. Meanwhile, the government tries its best to conceal an open secret that all is well by manipulating the mainstream and social media, that the government is doing what it has to do in so far as the welfare of the nation is concerned. T

by NEMO YALO In my last article relating to the appointment, suspension and revocation of appointment of Chief Executive Officer (hereafter “the CEO) of a statutory authority I concluded by stating that under the relevant laws the ultimate decision to appoint or suspend or dismiss a CEO rests with the Head of State (hereafter “the HoS”) and none other. I further stated that I will write about a particular statutory authority that has made two acting CEO appointments and terminated the incumbent CEO in breach of the relevant laws. Here I write about the Accident Investigation Commission (hereafter “the AIC”) board illegally appointing an expatriate as acting CEO. The AIC is the statutory authority entrusted to investigate aviation accidents and incidences (occurrences) in order to determine the cause(s) so as to prevent similarly or the same incident or accident occurring in future. The AIC board comprises the Chief Commissioner who must be a National Court Judge or lawyer with 10

by Eragairma Yal Recently I wrote about how tax can be effectively measured and collected and how Asians were evading taxation matters by violating the norms and practices of business in PNG. Does anyone get to know or question why we have cash flow problems in the country as of or about the late 90s to date? Asians have taken over all reserved businesses and own about 95% of all shops from tucker shops to trade stores, Kai bars and up to retail stores, supermarkets and wholesale. About 80% of these businesses don't have an operating bank account with our commercial banks. However, they store cash in their safe back in their bedrooms. And listen carefully what I will share with you. Nearly all these businesses are not owned by the so-called managers and handymen who run the shops but are owned by their millionaires and billionaires back in their own countries. These Asians who are here are least significant and those that have no real values back in their place of orig

by IAN LING-STUCKEY MP # The biggest negative impact will be on family food budgets. There have been a massive set of price increases facing families – 518 areas where family food budgets will face increases. PNG Families to suffer from government’s tariff increases “PNG families will be facing much higher prices in 2018 because of poor government policies. Since forming government in 2017, the National Government has organised to increase prices on 918 items. These price increases will start coming through early in the new year. A government more in touch with the high cost of living facing our people would not deliberately increase prices that mainly suited their business besties” said the Shadow Minister for Treasury and Finance, Ian Ling-Stuckey. “The biggest negative impact will be on family food budgets. There have been a massive set of price increases facing families – 518 areas where family food budgets will face increases. The major ones are the 25% increase in milk

by NEMA YALO LLB The recent saga in relation to the appointment of the Secretary for the Department of Commerce and Industry has prompted me to write this article for public benefit. The process relating to the appointment, suspension and revocation of the appointment of a departmental head is provided for under the Constitution, the Public Services Management Act 2014 (hereafter “the Act”) and the Public Services (Management) (Employment of Departmental Heads) Regulation 2014 (hereafter “the Regulation”). This article should answer two primary issues, namely, what is the process involved in appointing, suspending and revocation the appointment and who ultimately makes the appointment, suspension and the revocation of appointment. For space reasons, some detail aspects of the process are omitted. Appointment of Departmental Head. The appointment of a departmental head is provided for under Section 193 of the Constitution and Section 27 of the Act. A detailed procedure is presc

by PNGI A Member of Parliament is elected to serve his constituents, and is paid handsomely to do it; a minimum of K330,000 a year in take home pay, according to Madang MP Bryan Kramer. For this princely sum, surely an electorate should expect their member will spend every working hour striving to support their struggles and advance their interests? After all, K330,000 a year is 45 times the national minimum wage and more money than most people could even dream of earning. If an MP is given the added honour of serving as a Minister of State his take home pay is increased, to reflect the added duties and responsibilities, to a cool K546,000 per year. After all, said Minister now has not only the weight of responsibility of serving his own constituents, he now has responsibility for a whole government department, hundreds of staff and numerous local, national and international obligations. No time here, clearly, for personal business interests, nor should there be. After all, that i

by DAVID LEP I While the PM’s warrant of arrest saga has dragged into another kaleidoscope of a turn, valuable lessons can be learned from this experience. I particularly came across two important lessons. First and foremost, it is extremely important to note that never allow personal vendetta and political ambition get in the way to overthrow a mandated government by using state apparatuses and slip in the law. Perhaps not only legitimate but the most dignified and honourable manner in taking on a government in our parliamentary democracy is on the floor of parliament and square it out using smart political maneuvering, tactical statecraft or popular policy intervention in amassing the required strength in numbers to form a government or overthrow a government through the vote-of-no confidence. Resorting to other shabby and malicious means is for the weak and desperate. It is said that in natural selection the weak always try to bring down the strong given their a

by JOE PETER JOKSEY The mandatory SIM card registration peddlers are trying to sell you an old, costly and discredited idea. They say it is needed to fight crime. But a closer look would reveal that the measure suffer from the following fatal flaws: 1. It is impossible to implement: We have millions of SIM cards in circulation, with millions more roaming SIM cards used. These SIM cards are used not just for mobile phones, but also for tablets, payphones, landlines, modem, routers, and other devices. We also have thousands of tourists and visitors going into the country bringing in roaming SIM cards. Exactly how would all these SIM cards be registered? Is this even possible? Would it disrupt government services and businesses – for how long? 2. It is costly: The tedious registration process is expected to be costly, and there would be separate costs for setting up, maintaining and safekeeping the database. Who will pay for these costs? The telcos? The taxpayers?

  by JOE NARONG "For the benefit of the public" a coin has two sides ; As far as this case is concerned the petition filed by Peter Yama against Nixon Duban for the 2013 Madang Open By Election has gone as far as the 3 men bench Supreme Court and slip rule . Nixon Duban scored 18,000 votes,  Bryan Kramer 7000 votes and Peter Yama 5000 votes. That’s the final 2013  By Election result. Peter Yama filed an election petition on errors and omissions and requested a recount . His arguments were centered around 6000 papers found at his mother’s grave yard.  The 2013 By Election was done without any issue of missing ballot boxes or ballot papers either during the counting or polling . How the 6000 papers ended up at the cemetery remains a fraud matter to be fully investigated. On record the ballot papers were never part of the Madang Open By Election. All candidates who contested the election are fully aware of this fraud . Since Madang Open 2013 By Election was completed without

by APO KEFAMO Words cannot fully express the disgust that is now felt throughout EHP on the stupidity, immaturity and criminality of the new governor of Eastern Highlands Province, Peter Numu. His ascension to power was never though a honest and fair game, Mr Numu himself cannot deny this fact! He was the only candidate in the 2017 National election in EHP that extensively used deceit, bribery, sorcery and external forces to get to power. Most of us at the counting venue know about these facts and also know that the petition case filed against him is a very competitive one, thus passing through listing and pre-trial hearings last month at Waigani National Courts without a single challenge to its competency and is listed early in February next year for trial. Just as this court was reaching its peak, Numu led mobs, street drug bodies and opportunists into looting the shop of the fellow candidate, who is also the petitioner. What a way to be a governor! Numu was alway

by DANIEL POLONSKI IEA school system has been hitting the headlines on the dailies in the last few weeks, and all for wrong and dubious reasons, it would seem. In doing so they may have unwittingly exposed a greater evil that belies IEA. It was only a matter of time anyway. IEA and its Board, admitted its Chairman, Mr Mea Ravu, (Post Courier 1st Dec 2017), has voluntarily made press statements to a female National Newspaper journalist who published under the headline “ K7 Million Gamble Hits IEA”.  That article was published by Mr Ravu and Mr Joe Lali the CEO, to explain why National IEA teachers had to suffer pay cuts and reduction in terms and conditions, while the Chairman himself, the CEO and Management, and expatriate teachers enjoyed pay and benefits increases at the same time. The level of exchanges in the media has sparked my interest in this organisation and I started digging and asking around. I have an interest in this school system because I am a fee-paying parent, and o