PNGBLOGS

by TED TEMO James Marape is the biggest liar, betrayer and hypocrite of all time. He is the definition of a wolf in sheep's skin. He was PNC, part of PNC and served as the longest serving Finance Minister for seven (7) consecutive years in the PNC Party government. He resigned from PNC Party and lied to this country and her people that he didn’t want to be part of a corrupt O’Neill government. However, to date he has not produced one single evidence and or laid one single complaint with Ombudsman Commission or Police National Fraud and Anti Corruption Directorate on his claims.   He was never genuine from the start. He said he only wanted to remove O’Neill and never wanted to be PM. However, in Laguna camp, he forced himself by putting his name down on VONC Motion Paper has the candidate for PM hoping that he will attract the numbers. Needless to say, he never attracted numbers and so fall short of the required majority (magic number) which is 56 MPs.  In failing his bid, he then w

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 A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IN SINGAPORE Part 1 – How Peter O’Neill and Peter Botten cost Papua New Guinea at least K1 billion The Oil Search Annual General Meeting in Port Moresby earlier this year confirmed that the company is acutely aware of the extent of corruption in the Papua New Guinea government of Peter O’Neill. Oil Search executives privately commented to attendees after the AGM closed that "... everything here in PNG is corrupt …" “… the government is so corrupt …”, "… PNG has a lot of corruption issues …" and others in similar vein. The cost of O’Neill Government corruption is high, estimated to be several billion kina a year. Now the contribution of Oil Search’s own questionable dealings with the O’Neill Government has come under public scrutiny. Late last month stockmarket trading announcements revealed that the nation has lost at least K1 billion in an illegal sweetheart deal organised in secret between Prime Minister O’Neill and O

Speaking to the Sunday Chronicles, Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch made the following statements. 1. PNG will have budget deficits for next 5 years; 2. PNG govt borrowed up to K21.6 billion excessive borrowing; 3. Formal sector jobs have fallen since 2014; 4. K3 billion govt borrowing to buy Oil Search shares hidden in Kumul Holdings books; 5. Govt owned entities such as PNG Power, PNG Ports, Telikom, Air Niugini, NAC, Eda Ranu, etc owed millions by govt and struggling to exist even to pay their employees' salaries; 6. PNG Embassies in overseas whose staff are not paid their salaries for 10 months. As a result their children kicked out of schools and offices closed for non payment of rentals; 7. PNG LNG Landowners after 3 years of Spirit of Hela making shipment gas to Asian markets not even a toea is paid as a royalty to landowners; 8. Spending in extravagant projects built at highly inflated costs; 9. Employers reducing their staff level because foreign exchange crises; 10. In

[PRESS RELEASE] Former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta said today the skeletons in the closet that the Prime Minister has been trying to hide have now been laid bare for all to see. “Mr O’Neill can no longer pretend that everything is OK,” Sir Mekere said. “He must drop the spin and the deception and let the people of Papua New Guinea know the full scale of the economic and financial disaster that he has caused.” Sir Mekere said Friday night’s speech by the Treasurer, Patrick Pruaitch, and the release at the same time of the 2016 Final Budget Outcome, demonstrate conclusively that the Prime Minister has been misleading the nation. “Everything that I have been saying for the past five years, along with Opposition Leader Don Polye, his deputy Sam Basil, and respected economists and other commentators, cannot now be denied,” he said. “The nation is in crisis, and the only solution is to get rid of the Prime Minister and his advisers who are responsible. The longer it takes for

by PATRICK PRUATCH Greetings and welcome….Sir Michael, Party President and executives, NA candidates, members and supporters.. Introduction: After serving as the Ruling Party for two consecutive terms in 2002 and 2007, the National Alliance Party was ousted in a parliamentary coup in 2011. Subsequently, a Government led by the Peoples’ National Congress took office in 2012. Looking back it is clear that management of the PNG economy was at its best during NA’s two terms in office from 2002 to 2011. I intend today to help all NA members and candidates to cast away any doubts that this may not be the case. This is an important part of our claim that NA deserves to form the next Government. NA and its candidates need to campaign in a confident and purposeful manner to ensure the return of an NA-led Government. I am confident that as head of the next Government, and with the right team behind me, National Alliance will once again be able to restore sound economic policies and ris

by JOSEPH GAWI PATRICK PRUAITCH STANDS OUT AMONGST THE WHOLE GANG OF WHITE COLLAR CRIMINALS IN PARLIAMENT: He honestly believes that no matter how corrupt he is, he will never be prosecuted. This belief is made ever more strong by the fact that he has been caught or nearly caught many times. But nothing ever results in a conviction and Patrick Pruaitch remains free to smirk at the world knowing he has his protectors. Is it true that he actually believes it is God's will that he remain free to perpetuate his life of bribery and kickbacks? Or is it actually the devil at work here? More than any other PNG politician today, Patrick Pruaitch is the symbol of a system of justice breaking down nearly in its entirety whenever it comes to prosecuting VIPs or virtually any white collar criminals. Yes, Paul Tientsen got prosecuted and sent to jail but that's because he wouldn't do things the way the loose knit mafia of politicians who run our country expected him to do. He wouldn&

NATIONAL BUDGET SPOOKS PRIVATE BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT IN PNG   by WILSON TALAG Economist Paul Flanagan's recent remarks that appeared in PNG Blogs and elsewhere highlight 8 key areas of what looks to be looming financial disaster.  Mr Flanagan's enlightening report is the basis for this discussion and why the performance of each one of the key areas has started to  spook business and investors.  The seriousness of PNG’s current financial situation is becoming very clear.   A little over a week ago the government came very close to failing to come up with the year end public servant pay.  This near disaster occurred despite supplementary budgets designed to avoid such unexpected money shortages.   Another red flag flying high and warning that behind the scenes, PNG's finances are rapidly deteriorating under the O'Neill government. The 8 key areas of concern are (1) Government lies over the actual size and growth of the PNG economy, (2) Discrepancies  ove