PNGBLOGS

by BRYAN KRAMER MP Up to 80% of sitting Members of O'Neill Government are expected to lose their seat following 2022 General Elections. Why? Corruption and mismanagement of the Economy. The last time our economy nose dived was in 1997 and 1998 under Skate PNC Government, a Government Peter O'Neill was a key adviser to. In just two years under a PNC led Government Kina plunged in value from being one and a half times stronger than Australian dollar in 1994 to less than 37 cents by end 1999. Interest rates on Government Treasury bills was as high as 24% which would normally be between 6%-9%. Lack of confidence in Skate Government also saw investors and private sector rush to send funds out of the country, concerned over the Kina fast losing its value. This caused a serious shortage in foreign currency reserves that went from US$500 million in 1996 to as low as $80 million by middle of 1999. In 1996 the debt levels were around 36% in less than one year under Skat

by BRYAN KRAMER MP While Post Courier published the front page headline "Yes We Did It'! the rest of the international media reported No we didn't! For the first time in APEC Summit history, leaders of 21 Nations were unable to agree on a formal written declaration. The purpose of APEC is to enhance economic growth and prosperity for the region and to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community. The Guardian reported O’Neill denied the failure to agree on a declaration was a humiliation for his poverty-hit country, which was hosting the annual gathering of the 21 nations for the first time. So how did it go so wrong? Look no further than the Chairman of APEC Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, while in PNG politics where he divides others in the pursuit of his own personal interest this time round it back fired on him. Never in the history of APEC has the host country made the blunder of staging a State visit at the same time. In this case O'Neill knowing the d

by JAYLON JACOB Everyone knows the history and international politics, I will just give a brief ... Power in international relations is defined in several different ways.. Those states that have significant amounts of power within the international system are referred to as Superpowers, big powers, middle powers, and small powers respectively. The power is measured by military and economic power. Countries like the US, Russia, China are a superpower...Example of Big power countries are Great Britain, France and for middle power in Australia and few others...So PNG fits into small power group...That means PNG can be easily influenced by Super Power countries in terms of money via aid and military by conducting an exchange training programme or other means. Going back to political history..The Cuban Missile Crisis, in 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union concerning American ballistic missile deployment in Italy and Turkey with consequent Soviet ballist

MRDC is the Trustee of funds belonging to Landowners of major resource projects in the country. It makes "investments" on behalf of the landowners. Peter O'Neil in his capacity as PM owns the shares of MRDC and Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari is the Chairman of the Board. In 2012 CEO Augustine Mano and the MRDC board bought the fledgeling Resort in Fiji with much fanfare. The resort boasts an 18 hole golf course and numerous swimming pools. This transaction was rushed despite opposition from landowners and against the advice of experts in the hospitality industry in Fiji. MRDC not only purchased the resort but it also invested heavily in the construction of a new wing. It appears that the resort is now in serious financial strife with very low occupancy rates and dwindling income. Rooms are believed to be offered now for as low as K120 as no one is going there. The financial status of the resort and all other MRDC investments cannot be confirmed as the financial statem

Dear Prime Minister Greetings to you and the Cabinet. This morning (Monday) 22nd of October 2018 I visited the Cancer Ward at Port Moresby General Hospital at 1:13 am. The purpose of my visit was to see and feel the life in this ward. Hon Prime Minister the first feeling that engulfed me as soon as I opened the door was similar to walking into a morgue.   There was no life in this building except the lights from fluorescent tubes. I will bring you to the realities in this place.   Hon Prime Minister, if you stand where I stood you will see a stretch of corridor. If you look to your left and right, you will see curtains hanging lifelessly on the doors. I believe you would vividly know what is behind those curtains. If you peep through these curtains you will see our mothers, wives and sisters awaiting their deaths. Looking at their lifeless faces and you see Death is inevitable. They expected it to come to them any moment. There are about 36 innocent patie

by FONTENU BULLETIN Most Papua New Guineans watched the telecast of Wednesdays Parliament seating with utter disgust and disbelieve. I for one was very sickened to hear a response from the Prime Ministers mouth on the floor of the honourable house on the question put to him both by Lae MP John Rosso and Madang MP Brian Kramer. In his responses, he did three reckless and senseless things: 1. He LIED in broad daylight about the total sum of loans 2. He THREATENED to suffocate an entire district from development funds 3. He FORCED everyone to only trust what comes out from his mouth and not from any internationally independent organizations and observers This write-up is a comprehensive analysis that will not only maintain that O’Neill has lied, but will go ahead and expose ALL loans for everyone to calculate and confirm whether O’Neill loan figure of K24 Billion is correct or the reports from International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank of K70 Billion and K60 Billion respect

by PAUL FLANAGAN Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel’s credibility was on the line. Did he actually deliver on the 100 Day Plan promised reduction in PNG’s 2017 budget deficit from unsustainable levels? The answer is almost certainly “no”. The actual 2017 budget deficit is conservatively estimated at over K1 billion larger than claimed – largely due to not paying bills or GST refunds. The conservative estimate would lift the size of the 2017 Budget deficit from 2.4% to just under 4% of GDP. However, the upper bound deficit estimate is K2 billion larger – or more than double – the K1.8 billion budget deficit reported in the 2017 FBO. Even a 4% outcome would have better than the budget deficits of 2014 to 2016. However, the reductions were made in the wrong way. Expenditure was cut entirely in areas key for PNG’s future growth and concessional loan projects were delayed. Even using FBO figures, the blow-out in operating expenditures entirely consumed the claimed incre

by MICHAEL PASSINGAN Minister Duma is scheming again to buy more assets own by MVIL after the much publicised Manumanu land purchase issue has been subsided. Pac Re Limited is a Re- Insurance company based in Port Moresby. Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited is a major shareholder owning 53 percent of the shares. The balance of the shares is shared between Tower Insurance and QBE Insurance. MVIL also owns the land and the houses at Koki in Port Moresby next to the Koki Primary School. The value of the property is estimated to be around K14 million. The Minister is now working around the clock to buy MVIL shares in Pac Re Limited and the Koki properties deceptively through the normal company asset disposal plan. However, it is not easy to get the asset disposal factored into the MVIL annual plan at the management level and obtain final approval at the Board level with the current Chairman ofMVIL Dr. Ken Ngangan and the Management. The Minister has to remove the head of the Managem

by BEN NEGINTS Joseph Goebbels was a contemporary of Adolf Hitler and a very smart media personality Hitler used during the Nazi's Reign of Terror.  He was the Minister for Communications and Propaganda and his job was to brainwash the ignorant German population on anti-Semitic views, the superiority of the White and the Nazi race  and many other lies. Through his persistent lies and propaganda, the Jews were nearly exterminated from the face of the earth. Through his persistent lies and propaganda millions of soldiers lost their lives during the WW1. Only God knows the damages done to human lives and properties  as a result of one cunning persistent liar spreading false  news and propaganda. Behind this backdrop of history,  I am saddened to see  a Joseph Goebbels look alike in  Sonja Barry Ramoi who without any shame persistently spreading O'Neill's lies and propaganda  through both Social and Main Stream medias on a daily basis. To be honest,  every time I see a Pres

by RODERICK KANAMA Those of you who condemned the actions of the people of Southern Highlands in Mendi should have been more scared about the judiciary being compromised The demarcation in authority and separation of powers between the three (3) arms of Government – the Judiciary, Legislature and the Executive is there to protect against apprehension of bias which may emanate from just the Government acting alone. Unfortunately, this separation of powers has been breached. Breached in that for the first time in the history of democracy as we know it, ordinary citizens can deduce quite correctly that there is an apprehension of bias in the ruling by the Court. This is quite evident with the recent burning of the Air Niugini aircraft and the Court House in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province. In any democracy, a vibrant, exceptionally strong and independent judiciary and legal system, free of any influences, corruptible or otherwise, sworn to uphold the rule of

by MARK TOKUNAI One of the top brains of this country, Sir Mekere Morauta once described the scale of corruption in this country as “Systemic and Systematic”. Many others have labelled it as having permeated throughout the fabrics of the society. Corruption is said to have widespread in Government and is prevalent in how businesses are conducted both in private and public sectors.  We are experiencing unprecedented number of prosecutions of leaders both by police and the Ombudsman Commission. These are leaders mandated by our people but the law is keeping a check on their exercise of powers. Eventually, their fate will be ultimately determined by the judiciary. Thanks to the Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, who is an unapologetic member of the bench and sending a strong message with the number of people he is sending to jail. Sir Salika seems to be motivated to send wrong doers to jail and has no time hunting escape routes for criminals.  The judiciary, though

Peter O'Neill has successfully silenced and neutralised three of his biggest and most vocal critics who were in the opposition benches in the previous term of Parliament. With a highly corrupt and heavily manipulated election process, Don Polye stood no chance as O'Neill targeted his Kandep Electorate with very heavy police and military presence during election 2017. The result is that Don Polye was ousted under a questionable election process, the outcome of which is yet to be decided by the courts to this very day. The court process to hand down a decision on the Kandep seat is being unnecessarily delayed and this indicates that the judiciary may not be operating freely from political control and interference. Kandep was one of the seats that experienced violence during the election and how they managed to conclude the election process and declare a winner remains a mystery. Belden Namah and Sam Basil managed to get through the first hurdle by winning t

by CAPTAIN JAMES MAKOP I have warned time and again that our people have patience but that patience is not infinite.  Our respect for those elevated to leadership status have always been given without question or reservation but the manner in which that respect had and continues to be abused has now brought about a paradigm shift in our perception of political and societal leadership.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED TIME AND AGAIN YET YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN HEED. YOU HAVE WROUGHT UNWARRANTED SUFFERINGS ON 8 MILL ION PEOPLE AND PERVERTED THE RULE OF LAW TO ENTRENCH YOUR VESTED INTERESTS.  JUDICIARY, YOU STAND GUILTY OF COMPLICIT IN ABETTING THE CRIMINALS IN POWER TO MAINTAIN STATUS QUO. WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED NOW IN THE BURNING OF AN AIRCRAFT BELONGING TO THE NATIONAL AIRLINE, SUBJECTING THE LIVES OF CREW AND PASSENGERS TO GRAVE RISK IS DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO YOUR HANDLING OF MATTERS OF LAW IN THE DELIBERATE OBFUSCATION OF JUSTICE. MORE WILL FOLLOW AND THE BLOOD SPILT WILL BE ON YOUR HANDS.  Peo

SO BASIL CLAIMS I'M A LIAR? by BRYAN KRAMER Today the Post Courier published a front page story under the headline "Uproar in the House." The article was in relation to Member of Wau Bulolo and Minister of Communications & Energy Sam Basil's statement (personal explanation) on the floor of Parliament following question time yesterday. Basil's statement was in response to my article published on Facebook in relation to the recent defection of the Member of Wosera-Gawi Open from Opposition to O'Neill Government. An article authored by reporter Jeffrey Elapa, which I'm of the view was biased confirmed by the fact the reporter made no attempt to get my comment to balance the story. The central theme of the article and Basil's statement were expressed in the following terms: 1) Basil: the comments labeling me as “dumb and a stupid member of Parliament”, I felt obliged and convicted to stand up and speak as Mr Kramer’s comments are unaccept

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.

by PAUL FLANAGAN The new Treasurer released his first budget on 28 November. This was an opportunity to demonstrate the second term of the O’Neill government would help turn the corner on PNG’s economic mismanagement. So how did it do? Overall, there are some wonderful sentiments in this first Abel budget. My sense is that he is very genuine in what he is trying to achieve. But he seems to be let down by the realities of PNG politics. Protecting politicians electoral funds, finding money for APEC, trying to regain the upper-hand on the rhetoric of protecting health and education – all within the confines of fiscal responsibility – was simply too much. What has given way in this equation of trying to be responsible while dealing with the political spending pressures has been revenue credibility? Ultimately, he fails in his attempts to explain why we should believe his claim that revenues will suddenly jump by over 20 percent in 2018. This is an increase of over K2.2 billion and