PNGBLOGS

Former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta said reported attempts by the Prime Minister to secretly sell valuable public assets to foreign interests, if true, are a sign of his desperation for cash to save his sinking ship. “Ad hoc decision-making like this, not as part of a comprehensive package of rescue measures, will make the nation’s problems worse and reduce the options for properly considered reconstruction in the future.” “We are virtually in the caretaker government period, at which point no significant decisions should be made, especially decisions that rob shareholders and landowners of their rights and the general public of their assets.” Sir Mekere said he had been given reliable information on three asset sales that are allegedly being negotiated behind closed doors – of the State’s 67% share in Ok Tedi Mining Ltd, the State’s 20% share in the Star Mountains Plaza hotel and 100% of APEC Haus. These sales involve very valuable assets, and the risk of selling them

by TERRY SEMBO STEP BACK MENTALLY AND CONSIDER FOR A MOMENT WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS DOING IN THE NAME OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT: They have opened the door to every Tom, Dick and Harry foreign invader to come into the country. Too many are worthless carpetbaggers smelling the prospects of big profits for their pockets and not giving a damn about PNG or its peoples. The reason why we attract so many unscrupulous investors is because our country is, overall, a poor investment prospect in terms of high risk. Yes, high profits, but only if you get around all the risks. The government acts like the Supreme Pamuk in dealing with foreign investment and foreign investments. There is a story from the early 2000s when InterOil came sniffing around PNG and had a meeting with Mining and Petroleum Engineer department top cats. The InterOil representatives apparently were neither polite nor tolerant of melanesian niceties. They got straight to the point and said, you either do things the InterOil wa

by KARK SEMANU WHAT ARE TRUST FUNDS Outside of PNG trust funds are normally established as either medium term holding accounts whose contents at a specified date are turned over to a beneficiary, or to an account maintained in perpetuity, where the principal is never touched and only the earned interest monies are ever withdrawn. CORRUPT USAGE OF TRUST FUNDS:   1. LEAVING THE PRINCIPAL BUT STEALING THE EARNED INTEREST In PNG, the trust account concept has been corrupted in many directions. The most common reason for a politican or a government bureaucrat to want control of a trust account is to steal the interest monies accrued. That is a corruption of the traditional trust account in that they have no authorisation to do this. The interest monies earned belong to the government. The corrupt government official's actions escape the government's attention in many cases in this way: A government disbursement of a quite large amount of money is secured, let's say K2