Enga alcohol, drug cases on decline, says Lakari

Source: The National, Thursday 31st January, 2013

 

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
ALCOHOL, homebrew and marijuana-related problems in Enga are on the decline.
Former provincial police commander Supt Martin Lakari said things had calmed since New Year and the province was quiet.
Lakari said abuse of homebrew, marijuana and alcohol in the province was hopefully a thing of the past.
He said social problems associated with substance abuse had declined dramatically, resulting in people settling down well in their communities.
“I want to commend the people for cooperating with the police and listening to their leaders to give up their bad habits and live a peaceful life,” Lakari said.
This, he said, paved the way for developments, delivery of goods and services.
Lakari said as the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had declared this year as the “year of implementation” and news that more than K10 million would be given to each district to provide goods and services, there was an air of anticipation to see services reach the people.
“I think the people of Enga have at last decided to settle down and prepare to work with their local MPs towards receiving goods and services,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lakari also appealed to the community and church leaders to continue working with the police to prevent trouble.

SHP okays vehicle use plan

Source: The National, Wednesday 30th January, 2013

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA
ALL vehicles for the Southern Highlands provincial government and administration will be delivered through a private partnership with the provincial government.
Governor William Powi said the provincial executive council had endorsed the arrangement for effective service delivery and control of all provincial government assets and funds, so all vehicles services would be provided through the private-public partnership to prevent misuse.
He said the partnership would be transparent through a tender and procurement process.
During a provincial assembly meeting at the Agiru Centre conference room last week after the council passed the resolution a day earlier that the arrangement could well save costs and prevent or minimise unnecessary travel and abuse of vehicles by public servants. These often incurred high costs.
Powi said the provincial government was spending more than K20 million on vehicles and maintenance each year and the new arrangement will see costs reduced to about K3 million.
Private owners would supply drivers and vehicles would be returned to storage after use, he said.
The private owners would also be responsible for the care and maintenance of vehicles to provide effective and better service to the government and the provincial administration.
Powi said his provincial government could support the national government’s private-public partnership suggestion to encourage local entrepreneurs.
Powi said his government would look at local businesses with the capacity to provide services.
Partnership with state-owned enterprises would be fostered after a meeting with the minister. PNG Power, PNG Water Board, Telikom and the National Development Bank are among those enterprises plus training and recruitment through departments such as police to increase manpower could be done through partnership.
Powi said banking services were also available in the province with BSP Rural Banking arriving there and the opening of an ANZ branch in Mendi.
The fencing and reopening of the Mendi airport has taken place to allow Air Niugini flights into the province.
Meanwhile Business Coalition Against Corruption chairman Garry Kulangil is calling on Powi and his government to revive the public transport board.
He said the provincial government would buy more Land Cruisers from the K3 million for the public servants to use.
“It’s best to buy the vehicles and give it to the Works Department in the province to manage it and lease it out of the public servants to use them,” he said

Corrupt people don’t rule forever

yutok

Tuesday 29th January 2013

I WOULD like to point out that we have a political mafia gang network operating in the country siphoning public funds.
The good news is that this mafia network will one day be destroyed and all those responsible will be punished and all their looted wealth wherever they are will be transferred back to the people of Papua New Guinea.
In history no government has ruled forever at the expenses of the sufferings of the people. Dictators have been toppled and justice has prevailed.
The Arab Spring has brought into light the future ahead if we continue to travel down the same path. Or the extreme case of some African and Middle East states where extremists and war lords rule may be our next destiny is waiting ahead.
We also know from history that the corrupted regimes (such as Suharto of Indonesia, the Marcos of Philippines, Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya) have not lasted forever. In the end justice was waiting and finally caught up with them when they least expected it.
Some flee and live in exile, some imprisoned and some killed. Even the worst evil in the history of mankind never lasted.
Adolf Hitler regarded as the incarnation of absolute evil in the history of mankind perished with all his deeds.
In the face of tyranny, always rise the believers of justice. Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Martin Luther King Jr. of US, and Karamchand Gandhi of India are the beacon of the human rights and freedom of the voiceless, oppressed and deprived.
They lived their lives no one else lived.
They saw things no one else saw. They believed in things no else believed.
They sacrificed their lives but become the legends.
Their legacy lived on.
May we not forget, “A Rich Country Yet Poor”?

The Patriot
Papua New Guinea

Mangape happy court battle is now over

Highlands Region

Thursday 24th January 2013

Laigaip-Porgera MP Nixon Mangape says he would now focus on delivering tangible services in his electorate following his recent election petition victory.
His election win was disputed by former MP Philip Kikala but during a competency hearing, the National Court at Wabag dismissed the case after it found that the petition was incompetent and did not warrant a trial.
A relieved Mr Mangape said the election petition had interrupted his work plans for his electorate and he would now focus on delivering services to his electorate.
He said in a statement that Laigaip-Porgera was a large electorate with a population of more than 100,000 and many issues to attend to.
The issues such as the mining review for the Porgera Gold Mine, outstanding MoA commitments and law and order issues. He said his first task would be to develop a five-year-development plan for his electorate.
As per the Prime Minister’s declaration of 2013 as year of implementation, he said he would focus on indentifying significant impact projects in the electorate and engage suitable people to implement those projects.
He said he would also consider capacity in the districts before commencing the projects.
He thanked his supporters and family members for their patience during the court challenge

The banks are milking from our simple people

yutok

Thursday 24th January 2013

I WOULD like to express my frustrations over the banks attitudes regarding their services to the people who give them business.
Most of all, it is the small people who deposit in small sums that adds up to the banks declaring multi-million kina profits in PNG which adds to the multi-million dollar profits declared worldwide. It is with great sadness to say that in normal circumstances it is usually the “hand that gives which is above the hand that takes”.
In the banking situation, it is the hand that takes that makes life for the small people more difficult by making them stand in lines for hours to deposit more money for the banks to use or withdraw their money from their savings.
The service sector of the banks are down to zero or below zero when comparing with banks overseas and using a scale factor to ten(10)..
As one of the famous Federal Reserve Bank governors of the USA predicted, and I quote; “The rich will strive to establish their dominion and enslave the rest. They always did and they always will....!” The government of the day seems to be living in oblivion unaware of the situations the people are going through. All the fees when one takes out his or her money from the bank using the ATM or withdrawing from the counter is just too much. Just for letting your money in the bank incurs fees also. On top of the tax the people are paying from their salaries or from purchasing we pay the GST tax, we are again burdened with these usually unscrupulous fees.

Riwi Rindi Kiunga, W.P

Wahgi River threatens to wash away road

Highlands Region

Friday 18th January 2013

By PEARSON KOLO

HALF the section of the Highlands highway, along the new Jiwaka province, has been washed away by the flooded Waghi River early this week.
And if heavy rains continue in the Western Highlands and Jiwaka province, where a quarter of their population are flooded and under water now, the remaining road will be washed away completely, putting a halt to moving traffic.
The Jiwaka Provincial Administration has declared a state of emergency along that section of the road and has engaged police to control the flow of traffic along the highway.
Major companies like ExxonMobil, Waghi Valley Transport and several trucking companies who use the Highlands highway have come together to fix the road. They have decided to divert the Waghi River away from the road, but that will take some time because landowners from Waghi Bruk, the affected section of the road are demanding some form of payment from the Government and companies before work can begin.
Officials from the Jiwaka Provincial Administration, the Western Highlands and Chimbu Provincial Government with officials from major trucking companies have held discussions with the landowners on Wednesday.
Nothing good has come out from those meetings.
Waghi Valley Transport has provided 15 containers which will be packed with boulders and placed the along Waghi river to redirect its course.
The Post-Courier was at the scene assessing the condition of the road and observed that the remaining section of the road will be washed away if nothing is done soon to divert the river away from the road.

LLG presidents’ election by popular vote will create problems, says former MP

Source:The National, Friday 18th of January, 2013

FORMER Kandep parliamentarian John Yakka has asked the government to review its decision on electing local level government presidents by popular vote.
Yakka, who is the Kandep LLG president and a member of the Enga provincial assembly, told a leaders gathering in Wabag town recently that Kandep would face the worst if the election of the presidents was held outside the chambers.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said last year that LLG presidents would be elected by the people when they vote in new ward councillors in May.
LLG presidents were previously elected in the chambers by ward councillors.
Yakka said his district had lost more than 400 people in election-related violence in the past 10 years and the death toll would double if the people were allowed to elect the presidents outside the chambers with “wild campaign programmes”.
“More than 400 people have already died in election-related problems in Kandep,” he said.
“Tribes are heavily engaged in tribal fighting with high-powered guns.
“Therefore, it’s advisable that the government changes its decision in order to prevent more people from dying,” he said.
He said the ongoing violence in Kandep started when the Court of Disputed Returns ruled in favour of a submission by runner-up and prominent lawyer Alfred Manase for a by-election against incumbent MP Don Polye’s election victory in the 2007 general election.
The by-election, which was held in 2009, did not end well as heavily armed supporters of the two candidates threatened free a election by chasing away voters and preventing officials from doing their duties in polling areas before Polye was declared winner in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, where counting took place.
He said the problems became worse last year with the daylight killing of a man near Wabag market when supporters of the two candidates clashed openly during the counting period.
Enga police said the trouble was continuing, with many deaths as innocent children, mothers and old people flee to the neighbouring Southern Highlands and other parts of Enga.
Enga Governor Peter Ipatas has appealed to leaders in Kandep, including Polye, to play a leading role to bring the conflicting tribes to a round-table discussion on restoring peace in the community.
He said the members of his Operation Mekim Save (OMS) were sent to the affected areas lately to negotiate peace but they could not do much with the help of local authorities on the ground.

Miner thanked for repairing Wapenamanda road

Source: The National, Wednesday 02nd of January, 2013

By ADRIAN MATHIAS

THE Enga Provincial Administration is grateful to its works department and the Pogera Joint Venture (PJV) for facilitating and maintaining the Wapenamanda section of the Enga Highway that links the province to the rest of the country.
“It is timely as the festive period was approaching, we will celebrate with ease of mind knowing that at least for now the bumpy rides, the sore backs that we have been experiencing travelling this section of the highway and the exorbitant vehicle maintenance cost incurred by operators is minimized,” the provincial government said in a statement on behalf of the people of Enga.
It said this section of the Enga highway had been causing inconvenience for too long to the travelling public and stakeholders in the province and had affected operations of businesses and the livelihood of the people there.
The provincial government thanked provincial works manager Mark Gunua and PJV for maintaining the section of the highway

That bad side of cell phones

Source: The National, Tuesday 08th January, 2013

A TEACHER in the Southern Highlands is reported in the paper today claiming that mobile phones, that gadget which has linked up Papua New Guineans like never before, is partly to blame for poor academic performances of students.
The teacher, Samson Yoanis, has gone in to bat for his colleague teachers against criticisms that they alone are to be blamed for poor marks of students.
Yoanis has gone so far as to suggest that mobile phones are responsible for teenage pregnancies and early marriage for female students.
“Many of the female students are spending their free time talking to phone friends and, as a result, most leave school due to pregnancy while others get married,” he said.
He said most of today’s students had phones and even elementary students knew how to send messages and make and receive calls.
“This is a serious issue and pastors, community leaders, parents and guardians must teach their students not to spend time on phone during school days,” he said.
This is one more point to ponder as we plot a new school year along with phasing out outcomes-based education, aging infrastructure and a host of other issues affecting the education sector.
What really is the extent of influence they have on young impressionable minds when these gadgets bring the world closer to them at the press of a button?
Without any comprehensive study into the phenomenon we are unable to answer the question authoritatively but without the shadow of a doubt mobile phones have changed the way anyone, young or old, conducts his or her daily lives, not just in PNG but the world over.
These pocket-sized computers have far greater influence than we credit them with.
They are undeniably convenient. There is no need to go in search of a phone booth, which in PNG is non-existent. There is no need for the embarrassing queues outside the homes of those with land lines.
Mobile phones allow a student (or anybody else) to inform a parent or reach a friend quickly in times of need so it is a security tool.
Young people can now have fun taking and sharing pictures with the mobile phones and contact everyone on their contact list, provided they have enough credits to do so.
With research material, encyclopedia, free dictionary, and help with grammar in just about all major languages of the world, one would think that mobile phones should be more of an aid than a distraction for students.
And yet, undeniably the phone has become a thing of distraction in our schools and in our communities.
Yoanis is right of course The mobile phone is used for all the wrong purposes. Too much time and credits (which translates to money) are used in calling, texting or chatting on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Pornographic sites are at their fingertips and many young people’s minds are poisoned by these sleaze.
There was far greater control on the use of the landline in the house once upon a time. People would know who was on the phone. There was little privacy.
Today, the teenage daughter might be planning an escapade with an older man in her room next door without the parents having the faintest idea.
The husband could be talking to a girlfriend on the verandah while the missus is cooking dinner. And so on.
It is time there was a study conducted on the effects of the mobile phone upon society and especially upon the student populations.
Many schools have banned use of mobile phones in schools and that ought to be encouraged and applied right across the education sector.
The government, through the censorship board, has to start talking to mobile services providers to see how internet content can be controlled to stop use of mobile phones for less than helpful pursuits.

Enga’s poor health facilities fatal

Source: Post Courier, Tuesday January 8, 2012
By JOHNNY POIYA

THE number of preventable deaths in Enga has increased as rural health facilities, including the Kandep, Laiagam and Maramuni health centres in the mineral-rich provinces are run down.
The deteriorating conditions of these major health facilities have caused patients to travel the long distance to Wabag general hospital, with many of them on the verge of death, over the last 10 years.
The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Salan Ere said yesterday that the Kandep and Maramuni district health centres were closed for 10 and five years respectively, while the Laiagam health centre was rundown with medical staff using candle light for delivery and other emergency cases.
He said if it was not for the church-run health facilities and the Wabag general hospital, which functions under the national government, the number of deaths in the province would be much higher.
He said Wabag hospital has seen an influx of patients in very critical conditions in the recent years, especially people from Kandep, Laiagam and Maramuni areas.
Enga is privileged to have the Lutheran Church-run Mambisanda hospital in Wapenamanda, the Baptist Church-run Kompiam hospital and the Catholic Church-run Yampu and Londol hospitals in the Ambum Kompiam district.
One of the top hospitals, the SDA-run Sopas hospital outside Wabag town, was closed 10 years ago following a tribal fight in the area, while workers in the Kandep centre fled for their lives as election related tribal warfare raged in the valley.
Mr Ere expressed his concern at the manner in which politicians have not helped health services, adding they were only fit at criticising the operations of the existing facilities.
“We can’t deny that we have people in very critical conditions brought in and they die on arrival. These deaths could only be prevented if all provincial health facilities in the rural areas are fully operational,” Mr Ere said.
Referring to public comments that a lot of deaths were caused by mismanagement, Mr Ere said though Enga hosted a world class open pit gold mine in the world, much of the millions of kina pumped into the provincial coffers were never translated into quality health service for the people.
“We don’t have the equipment except from the national department of Health, there is no internal support,” Mr Ere said.
“Most of these preventable deaths could not have happened if there was efficient provincial health services in the rural areas. We can’t perform miracles if we don’t have the equipment and a well run provincial health service.
“It’s funny that people, especially the Enga provincial government, can easily blame us and say mismanagement by the Wabag hospital is the cause of deaths,” Mr Ere said.

Hela group claims land

Source: The National, Wednesday 02nd of January, 2013

A GROUP claiming to be the rightful landowners of Mt Tundaka in Margarima district, Hela, want authorities to consult it before carrying out mining activities.
The group is led by paramount chief Lombaya Yuwi, Buga Lombaya, Kane Lombaya, Wabi Arali and Kebaya Egali from the Mt Tundaka area.
In a statement, Yuwi said Mt Tundaka was part of Southern Highlands before the formation of Hela as a separate province.
He claimed there was another group of people claiming to be landowners of Mt Tundaka.
Yuwi said he represented the people of Margarima, upper Wage, lower Wage and central Margarima.
He said his group found out that another group was inviting outsiders to explore Mt Tundaka.
He said he and his landowners were the “only legal group to handle any negotiations on mining exploration”.

Kairuku-Hiri awaits by-election

Source:The National, Thursday 3rd of January, 2013

By ELIAS NANAU

 

TWO 2012 election petitions have been upheld so far by the court of disputed returns and the Electoral Commission is expected to conduct a by-election for one of them - the Kairuku-Hiri open seat in Central.
The commission is yet to make an announcement regarding that.
David Isoaimo, a petitioner challenging Paru Aihi successfully sought the relief for by-election after Justice David Cannings concluded that Aihi, a member of the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s People’s National Congress (PNC) Party, committed bribery to procure votes, won and returned to parliament.
Tony Waterepu Aimo was another petitioner and he was declared as an MP for the Ambunti-Dreikikir open seat, East Sepik, by the court.
Justice John Kawi declared Aimo as member elect after he found that Ezekiel Anisi was not of legal age (under age) when he was elected and Anisi’s name was not on the electoral roll.
Anisi had filed for a judicial review to challenge Kawi’s decision and the matter was heard by Justice Derrick Hartshorn. The decision is pending.
Several election petitions have either been dismissed or withdrawn by petitioners from an initial record 105 petitions registered after the 2012 elections.
The election petition website calculated that 17 cases were dismissed and
eight withdrawn or discontinued.
The latest dismissal, just after Christmas, was the election petition by Jimmy Maladina challenging the win by second-term Alotau MP and National Planning Minister Charles Abel.
Abel is a member of the PNC Party.
Maladina had disputed that Abel had bribed voters and exerted undue influence during campaigning.
But Justice Sao Gabi found that Maladina failed to justify his grounds to convince the court.
Maladina said he would be appealing the decision in the Supreme Court.
“I have very strong grounds to successfully review this decision in the Supreme Court,” Maladina said in a statement.
Most election petitions have been slated for full trials at respective national court houses in the provincial centres near the electorates and these are expected to start when the justice department resumes work.
There had been applications to move trial locations because of security concerns but election petitions judge administrator Colin Makail was firm that it was the responsibility of petitioners and elected members to ensure supporters behaved

Polye: Poll payments next month

Home

Source:The National, Thursday 3rd of January, 2013

By SHIRLYN BELDEN

MONEY to pay 2012 general election service providers will be ready by next month, Treasurer Don Polye said yesterday.
More than 300 service providers in the country, including private businesses and election contract officials, would receive K34.4 million for services provided during the June-July general election last year.
The money was delayed last week due to processes in acquiring and making available the funds as the financial year closed.
The delay included screening the number of service providers and their claims.
Polye said instructions had been given to the Finance Department to clear and release the money to the Papua
New Guinea Electoral Commission by next week.
He apologised for the delay.
Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen had pledged to pay the service providers by Christmas but that did not eventuate.
Trawen had blamed the Finance Department for not releasing the money.
More than K29.8 million would be used to pay for vehicle hire. Others such as boat hire, catering and hotel accommodation would make up the balance.
Service providers in the highlands would get K17.9 million followed by Southern K5.7 million, Mamose K5.6 million and New Guinea Islands K1.2 million.
Trawen had said, in addition, the commission owed contract officials K4 million, bringing outstanding payments to K34.4 million

IT gear boosts Radio Southern Highlands

Home

Source: The National, Thursday 3rd of January, 2013

By PETER ESOP WARI

RADIO Southern Highlands has been boosted with K80,000 worth of information technology equipment plus K100,000, thanks to Governor William Powi.
The IT equipment and the K100,000 were part of the K46 million of the 2012 preliminary budget paid for projects by Powi aimed at transforming the province.
Station manager Jacob Mambi said they received six laptop computers, five desktop computers, external hard drives and other accessories.
Mambi said Radio Southern Highlands had not progressed in the past because of the lack of IT equipment.
He said of the K100,000, K20,000 would be given to service providers and K80,000 would go to broadcasting and IT equipment.
He said the majority of people lived in rural areas and radio was the only means of information that could reach them.
“Media is very important and radio, unlike TV and the print media, can help the illiterate rural population who do not have access to town and electricity,” he said.
Mambi said Radio Southern Highlands was still having problems covering the province as the 10-kilowatt shortwave transmitter damaged a few months ago was not repaired.
He said the majority of the people benefitted from the shortwave.
They expressed concern about the situation but parts for the transmitted could not be found in the country.
Mambi said a report that Radio Southern Highlands had received K1 million was not true.
“I would like to make it clear that I, as the manager, received K100,000 plus the IT equipment, nothing apart from that,” he said.

Support Mangape’s good work

Source: The National, Thursday 3rd of January, 2013

LAGAIP-Porgera MP Nixon Mangape is ma­king waves in his electorate.
Although he is a firsttimer in the political arena, many people in the electorate are beginning to call him “Mr Action”.
His latest project – the highway to link Porgera and Tari that costs K10 million – is one of the examples of how he got his nickname.
The road will be a relief for the people of Tari and Porgera.
They have been using the other route to go to Mendi for services such as banks and hospitals.
The new highway will only take one hour for them to reach Porgera since it has all the servi-ces needed.
Tari, on the other hand, is the host of the multi-million LNG project.
Therefore, the people of Tari can always come to Porgera to spend their money or even invest in one of the world’s largest gold mines.
The people of Porgera can also do the same up there in Tari.
It would be good if
Hela Governor Anderson Agi­ru and James Marape were to step in and assist Mangape in this important project as it would be­nefit the people of Hela.
We are the Huli-Openas, so let us work toget­her and make things happen.
I admire the work of my MP Mangape and I truly believe that he is the man that my people and I have been waiting for.
Now that we have the right leader, let us put aside all our differences and work together for the better of Lagaip-Porgera and Enga as a whole.
Izzy Kings
Via email

Focus on other areas too, Mangape

Source: The National, Thursday 3rd of January, 2013

I REFER to the recent report on Lagaip-Porgera MP Nixon Mangape to spend K10 million from the JDP&BPC trust ac­count to construct the Porgera to Tari road. In my view, this allocation of money will not benefit the bulk of the population in the district. The Porgera-Tari road is not really “a must” for the Lagaip-Porgera people because they do not need that road to access basic services such as banks and post offices in Tari. There is also no one li­ving in that particular section between Por­gera and Tari. Instead, we are in dire need of roads linking the rural areas known for their agricultural activities to the main market. Mangape should not be so worried about the Taris benefiting from the ser­vices available in Porgera and avoid the notorious Nipa section when trying to access services in Mendi or Mt Hagen. The initiative should be taken by Hela MPs and Mangape can then show his support. The K10 million ought to be spent on projects that would result in tangible benefits for the bulk of the people living in Por­ger­a, Paiela or Laia­gam linking Wabag via Pilikambi LLG. Mangape should submit a proposal to the Na­tional Executive Coun­cil and other appropriate key stakeholders instead of using the Lagaip-Porgera JDP&BPC funds as the Porgera-Tari road is outside the priority areas.

Tony Sulupin
Lagaip-Porgera