PNGBLOGS

by MICHAEL.J PASSINGAN Last month Prime Minister Peter O’Neill publicly stated that the nation’s annual GDP growth rate is 9.2 percent. He said Papua New Guinea’s growth rate is the envy of many world economies – “9.2% is miles better  than the global average, which is about 3 percent or less”. That was untrue when he said it, and the Prime Minister knew it to be untrue. The growth rate for the year, according to the 2016 Budget, was 4.2 percent. But in fact PNG’s GDP growth rate at the time Mr O’Neill lied to the people was less than 4.2 percent. Confirmation of that comes with the release yesterday of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook. That authoritative document estimates PNG’s annual growth rate this year is 3.1%. This is very bad news for Papua New Guineans. It puts PNG’s GDP growth amongst the lowest in the world. But the accompanying graph shows that the situation is even worse than that. Under the corrupt, reckless and wasteful PNC Regime of Peter O’Neill, national

by PAUL REINBARA Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Health Minister Michael Malabag are allowing Papua New Guineans to die because of their refusal to fund the national fight against tuberculosis. A secret letter from O’Neill to Malabag shows that the Prime Minister would rather spend money on wasteful showpieces and events than preventing TB and saving lives. Cabinet approved urgent tuberculosis spending of K20 million more than six months ago, but the Prime Minister is refusing to release the funds. Instead, he has directed Malabag to commit K8 million of existing funds. But this is only for Daru in Western Province – and TB experts say it is nowhere near enough to tackle the TB crisis there. Many more Western Province people will die because of  the refusal of O’Neill and Malabag to approve new funds for the nationwide TB campaign. There is also a TB crisis in NCD and Gulf and Central Provinces. But O’Neill and Malabag have decided that people there can die, too.

by SAM KOIM Is Political stability the main driver of investor confidence? I have been led, and I believe many are, to believe that political stability is needed to give investor confidence and growing the economy. This misconception of synonymising political stability to economic stability has it’s seldom appearances in public grandstanding and political discourses. This is what I've discovered in debunking this illusion. Political stability talks about the length of time a government is in power. In terms of investor confidence, it means the investors can count on the current (negotiating) government for durability and certainty of the current position. Yes, in countries and time periods with a high propensity of government collapse (political instability), growth is significantly lower than otherwise but is it really political instability that really caused decline in growth? Economists may articulate it more clearly than I, but I gather that economic s

by BRYAN KRAMER The news of O'Neill Government's decision to adjourn Parliament to March 2016 brought a smile to my face. A decision that was very much anticipated and welcomed. As predicted Peter O'Neill would do so to avoid facing the motion of vote of no confidence. It's my view it is typical of O'Neill to act like a coward demonstrating weak leadership by manipulating democratic processes to serve his own interest. Evidence of this fact was when Fraud squad members served him a warrant of arrest in June 2014. They kindly asked him to accompany them to be interviewed, he instead fled like a common criminal to hide out in Parliament House. Section 155 (Parliamentary Privileges) Constitution states Members of the Parliament are free from arrest for civil debt during meetings of the Parliament and during the period commencing three days before, and ending three days after. At the time Parliament was not even in session but nonetheless it didn't stop O

by BRYAN KRAMER This Part 2 of a two part series providing an insight into the looming vote of no confidence (VNC) against Peter O'Neill planned by the Opposition during the current session of Parliament. Part 1 covered the constitutional and procedural process that must be followed before Parliament may consider a VNC. To recap, the Constitution (section 145) stipulates that a motion of VNC may be proposed by any member of Parliament; however it must name the next Prime Minister, be signed by no less than 12 MPs, and give no less than one week’s notice in accordance with the standing orders of Parliament. Standing Orders stipulate the notice of VNC must be delivered to the Speaker of Parliament and tabled before Private Business Committee on a Wednesday to determine the motion is of national importance. It must then be delivered to Clerk of Parliament to be listed on the Notice Paper on a Thursday sitting (Private Business Day). This article will discuss ho

by BRYAN KRAMER A hot political issue right now is the looming vote of no confidence against the O'Neill Government. It's an issue I have been tracking for some time and carried out a degree of research into. So will the Opposition succeed? Well it may not succeed in changing the Government but it may initiate a course of action that just succeed in removing Peter O'Neill as the head of the Government. On October 12, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare dropped a political bombshell announcing he had tendered his resignation from the National Alliance Party. It was reported Somare was concerned about how the economy was being mismanaged. He could not remain in the Party that supported the O'Neill Government and what he termed as the habitual illegal and negligent actions of Peter O'Neill as the Prime Minister. Somare's decision fuelled speculations that a vote of no confidence against O'Neill was imminent. Peter O'Neill was quick to res

by BRYAN KRAMER   The National Alliance Party convened its first formal caucus meeting on Saturday (26/9/15). The meeting was called by four party members led by former Attorney General Kerenga Kua and Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare to discuss the concerns about the state of the economy and whether it was in the Party's best interest to stay in Government going into 2017 National Elections. Political insiders confirmed that Pruaitch met with Prime Minister Peter O'Neill the day before he agreed to the meeting. It was alleged Prime Minister put to Pruaitch in no uncertain terms if he fails to get NA's house in order they would be sacked from his Government. Senior Ministers close to the Prime Minister were openly boasting on the eve of the meeting Pruaitch would sack both Somare and Kua from NA. The meeting was convened around mid-day and attended by the full 14 Members of NA. The motion was moved and seconded whether it was in the best interest to stay in Government. Eac

by BRYAN KRAMER The Prime Minister's office released a media statement " Prime Minister Hon. Peter O'Neill Highlights the Importance of Political Stability - Notes Supreme Court Decision on Constitutional Amendments" Author of the press statement said the Prime Minister has received the Supreme Court ruling and parties respected the decision but it is important that the reasons behind the amendments are understood as it is an issue that will likely return again in the future. "This legislation was designed to further enhance the stability in the Government of the nation,” Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill said. “This was for current and future Governments. “It should be noted that since the passing of the integrity law that came into effect in 2002, and these further amendments in 2012 and 2013, the country has enjoyed sustained economic growth averaging 8 per cent. “This is largely because of the political stability that is in our country. "As

by BRYAN KRAMER I came across an article and research paper by Dr Bill Standish Consultant, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group published back 1999. I've pasted a number of extracts from the article that interestingly enough are very much relevant today. CRISIS OF GOVERNMENT: THE SKATE ERA The Skate Government attracted international attention after its most senior ministers were videotaped discussing bribery and thuggery; and other personal scandals shocked the PNG community. Catholic bishops warned of popular revolt against declining levels of government services and increasing social misery and crime. It appeared that the independence of the Central Bank and the Judiciary had been seriously compromised. Having pushed through his harsh yet partly unfunded 1999 Budget, on 4 December 1998 Mr Skate used his numbers to adjourn PNG's National Parliament for over seven months. The effect of this was to delay by five months a motion of no-confidence which the Opp

PNGBLOGS   They were once not the best of buddies so what has brought them together? Read some inside info on Tiffany Gaye Nonggorr (Tiffany Twivey), courtesy of DR Susan Merrell “Her legal practices, set up with Maladina, I believe could be a front for laundering money through her trust account.  The amounts that it's mooted she was paid for her advice is far too high.  It's a way of getting money, supposedly legitimately, out f (sic) government coffers.  Maladina is a very shrewd and crooked politicain (sic) (great shame, I've met him and liked him a lot) Had a drink with him one night in POM when Tiffany had left for Lae.  (She'd introduced me.) Didn't know then about the affair - found out the next day when she returned.  But the private date had obviously been playing on her mind.  It was moses idea and was perfectly innocent apart froma bit of harmless flirtation.” “At a guess, I'd say he's hanging on to the relationship because he's using h

by LUCAS KIAP IS PETER O’NEILL GOING TO DO BETTER THAN SIR MICHAEL SOMARE? Ten (10) years political stability under NA party and SIR MICHAEL SOMARE has resulted in the disappearance of billions of kina (from high commodity and mineral prices) without traces. Will political stability under PNC party and PETER O’NEILL look after the PNG LNG revenues well? Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O’Neill and his PNC party are becoming more powerful than ever in the political history of this small country as more and more MPs from other political are abandoning their parties to join the ruling party and others are lining themselves up for the PM to marry them into his ruling PNC party. Any possible chances of a successful vote of no confidence against the PM are now seem unlikely, at least for now. The movement of MPs from other political parties into the major ruling party is not happening for the first time in the history of this country. When the government of Sir Michael an