PNGBLOGS

by JAMES MAKOP Air Niugini has always been a part of my life. From the first flight I experienced, going to high school in Madang in 1976 on a Fokker Friendship F-27, it has always stirred wonderment in me. The shrill and melancholy whistle of the Rolls Royce Dart engines is something deeply embedded in my head it is something I cannot shake off to this day. I used to walk all the way from Catholic high school, now DWU, to the airport every weekend just t o watch the Fokker F-27 land and take off. The pilots in their uniforms left an indelible impression on me, and the handful of nationals at that time were larger than life.   The likes of Captain Minson Peni, Late Nat Koleala, Aria Bouraga and Paun Nonggorr. To finally have made it to the fold was a humbling experience. I cherished the privilege, was fortunate to work in an airline which demanded the best from its crew and never compromised on safety.   There was little or no political interference then and every g

by BRYAN KRAMER MP Following the recent Air Nugini Boeing 737 crash in Federation States of Micronesia on Friday, I've started making inquiries into the affairs of the airline. Firstly, while many expressed their disappointment about the footage of country's national flag carrier sinking to the oceans floor it is important to note we never actually owned the plane. The plane is one of the five Boeing aircraft owned by Iceland Air and leased by Air Niugini to service its international routes. Right now the immediate issue for Air Niugini is what are the financial implications following the crash. As the Shadow Minister for State Owned Enterprises I'm not just concerned about its financial situation but more importantly the welfare of its 1,200+ employees. It is no secret Air Niugini is facing a serious cash flow crisis which probably explains why Prime Minister Peter O'Neill made the decision to appoint Chairman of Bank of South Pacific Ko

by CYRIL GARE Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill’s decision to officially visit Wewak, East Sepik province, three days before Independence Day must be applauded and well accepted. Further to PM’s major project announcements and launchings in Wewak Thursday – Sep 13 – projects worth nearly K500 million, the visit itself goes to show the appreciation of the Prime Minister, his ruling Peoples National Congress (PNC) party and the coalition Government as well as the 8 million people of Papua New Guinea of East Sepik’s contributions to our nationhood 43 years on. As a Sepik myself, I say thank you, Prime Minister and PNG…happy 43rd Anniversary celebrations! I am sure Prime Minister O’Neill and the Grand Chief would have shared some wonderful moments together in Wewak and reminisced from discussions. It was East Sepik regional Member, then Michael Thomas Somare (now Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare - 1968-2017) on 16th September, 1975 that led this infant nation into Independence from

by BRYAN KRAMER MP High-level discussions are underway between National Alliance (NA) Party Leader and Peter O'Neill to join O'Neill Abel Government. Inside sources have alleged Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has made an offer of 7 Ministries to the NA block to convince them to join his Government. NA caucus are meeting late this afternoon to consider the offer. If true why would O'Neill be so desperate to have his former Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch back in his ranks. It is not the first time O'Neill has desperately tried to lure NA block across the floor, four other attempts failed resulting in two NA Members breaking from their party joining PNC. NA returned from the 2017 elections with 15 MPs, 4 defected to join Government. They included: Member of Ijivitari Open Richard Masere (joined PNC); Member of Kerema Open - Richard Mendani (joined URP); Member of Maprik Open - John Simon (joined PNC); Member of Usino Bundi - Jimmy Uguro (joined PNC). The

Mr. Speaker My Questions are directed to the Minister for Public Service as it relates to public service neglect and also in breach of Office Allocation Committee procedures and Minister for Finance to note as it relates to abuse of CSTB process and Minister for Housing to take note. SALE OF NHC PROVINCIAL OFFICES WITHOUT BOARD AND GOVERNMENT APPROVAL The provision of housing and shelter is a national function. Housing is a service that is provided to the people of PNG through the operations of 22 provincial offices with staff paid by NHC. The National Housing Corporation is a state entity established to provide housing to citizens of PNG or those approved persons or entities gazetted as such by Minister for Housing. Also any houses or public offices that are to be sold by NHC must be approved by the NHC Board and gazetted. Further, any offices used by NHC comes under the ambit of Government Office Allocation Committee to rent or sublease or to sell and if necessary to put out o

by JUSTICE SEEKA Once upon a time, the township of Mt Hagen was considered as one of the beautiful towns in PNG. Sadly, that is history as we speak. The now Mt Hagen City has turned into a pigsty. The streets are adorned with rubbish. Pocket pickers, rascals, drunkards, and the like riddle the streets and disturb city dwellers, locals and the general public. The informal sector has seen a rapid growth in the last 2years and is slowly but steadily outnumbering business by local farmers and business houses who have contributed largely to the city's initial development. Tribes living on the outskirts of the city, Jigas, Moges, and the like (once owners of the land upon which the city was built) have been grabbing the land acquired by the State from their forefathers and have set up mini structures (illegally on State land) to conduct business. Amidst all this, the sale of pigs in town has become a norm. It is now a major commercial activity! Half of the multi-million kina marke

You may have read today's news concerning the removal of MTSL by the Securities Commission and the appointment of a new company called Oxley Securities to manage PBSL. Apparently, the former CEO of MTSL resigned in July 2018 and formed this new company, which has now been appointed to manage PBSL. It is interesting to note what the Securities Commissioner said about this change, according to the Post Courier:   "Mr Tongayu responded last night that MTSL was insolvent and that the issue was a long standing matter as there had been several failures by Mr Stephens to provide information requested by the Commission, among them, the audited financial statement for Melanesian Trustee Services Limited between 2013 and 2017 and the report on the K6 million loan advanced to a director of the company, and whether repayments to the above loan has been made by the director concern (also include loan agreements, the manner in which repayments are to be made)." IF this statemen

by BLOOMBERG BUSINESS One of Asia’s poorest nations may be about to test the nerves of dollar bond investors in the region at a fraught time, just as concerns about trade and emerging-market contagion mount. Papua New Guinea is set to meet investors from Wednesday for a possible note offering in the U.S. currency, according to a person familiar with the matter. Proceeds of $500 million to $1 billion are expected by the end of September from the inaugural sovereign bond, according to a budget strategy paper dated Aug. 29. The southwest Pacific nation has considered dollar debt offerings since at least 1999 . “With EM sentiment still quite fragile, this seems like a rather peculiar time to bring a low-rated debut issue to the market,” said Nicholas Yap, a desk analyst at Nomura International (HK) Ltd. in Hong Kong. “We believe PNG will have to offer investors a sizeable premium to get any