State may defer poll

Source: The National, Monday 27th Febuary 2012

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

THE government is considering postponing the 2012 general election by at least six months to ensure the common roll update is completed, deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah said.
It will also allow election officials time to put in place a bio-metric voting system to ensure a fair and just election.
Namah told a media conference yesterday that Enga Governor Peter Ipatas, Madang regional MP Sir Arnold Amet and Western Highlands Governor Tom Olga had accepted that the electoral roll was incomplete.
“There will be a failed election and the government will take a position on the deferral. We will introduce a bio-metric system using electronic voting to save costs,” he said.
It will take up to six months to have the electronic system in place and the government, through parliament, will decide on March 20, when parliament resumes.
“Now we will have to make wider consultations to seek views of all stakeholders on the next course of action – to delay the election or not,” Namah said.
Parliament last Friday dedicated the session to debating a statement to the House on the preparation for the general election presented by the leader of government business, Moses Maladina.
The government questioned the report by Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen on the election preparation that the electoral roll “is about 60% complete, meaning 2.4 million of PNG’s four million adults are eligible voters”.
Maladina told parliament that 40% of the common roll update was incomplete for the highlands provinces, especially the new Jiwaka province, Enga and Western Highlands.
“I have since received independent reports that this is not correct,” Maladina said.
“Yesterday afternoon (Thursday) the electoral commissioner admitted that there were some ‘pockets’ within the regions (Southern, New Guinea Islands and Momase) which were incomplete.”
Maladina said he had received independent reports that electoral rolls for the nation’s 89 open electorates had not been returned to many electorates.
In response to the report, tabled in parliament but not yet available to the public, Maladina gave a six-month approximate deadline for the introduction of bio-metric technology.
It identifies people through a characteristic unique to them, such as fingerprint. The system had been considered by the government of Sir Michael Somare following allegations of voter fraud in the 2007 election.
“This government has now re-engaged with the Indian government and entered into an agreement with the Indian Unique Identification Authority to establish a bio-metric identification scheme in PNG,” he said.
“On current estimates, it will take at least six months for a bio-metric system to be put in place.”
Former attorney-general Sir Arnold told the chamber he would consider supporting a temporary suspension of the election if it meant that they would be free and fair.
Sir Arnold said he would be supporting a bi-partisan push to suspend the election.
“Forty per cent (unregistered voters) at this point is grossly unacceptable,” he said.
“It may be in the nation’s interest that the election be deferred for an appointed time.”

Election will clash with royal visit, says deputy PM

Source: The National, Monday 27th Febuary 2012

DEPUTY Prime Minister Belden Namah has questioned the wisdom in holding the general election during a visit by the Prince of Wales and his wife in June.
He raised the concern in parliament in light of also the incomplete common roll update by the Electoral Commission and security preparations.
Namah said during debate last Friday that Papua New Guinea was part of the Commonwealth and election was a key feature of its member countries.
He said the royal visit in June, when there was likely to be election-related violence, was not good.
Namah said it was in the interest of the nation that a fair and just election be conducted using the bio-metric system which would take at least six months to be commissioned.
The other reason he raised to warrant the putting back of the election was the LNG project construction which should peak between March and September this year.
Tari-Pori MP and chairman of Hela Transitional Authority James Marape supported that view, saying the LNG project created 3.5% of the growth rate enjoyed by the country.
He suggested that the two events should not overlap.
Marape said Southern Highlands had experienced a failed election in 2002 and election-related violence should not be underestimated.
He said the number of trucks carrying cargo on the highway from Lae to the project site in Southern Highlands would increase from 200 a month to 1,000.
Election-related issues could result in delaying the LNG project schedule.
“The LNG project cannot afford to have a one-year delay.
“There will be huge cost build-up and it also needs to meet market deadline.
“The election process must not impinge on a very important project for the nation,” he said.

Parinjo killed in mob attack

Source: The National, Monday 27th Febuary 2012

By GABRIEL FITO and THOMAS HUKAHU

WEWAK police station commander Snr Insp Charles Parinjo was allegedly killed when he confronted a drunken mob obstructing traffic while on his way home last Saturday night.
The mob was obstructing traffic at a section of the West Coast highway at Kaindi and, in a bid to disperse them, Parinjo was attacked and killed.
He was heading home to Boikin village when the incident happened between 8pm and 8.30p“During the confrontation with the mob, Parinjo was hit by a PMV and dragged for several metres before being left to die,” East Sepik provincial law and order chairman Timothy Wani said.
Parinjo was rushed to the hospital by lawyer Michael S Wagambie.
An examination at Wewak General Hospital revealed Parinjo, who was pronounced dead on arrival, had suffered multiple injuries to his body.

Tension was high in the area yesterday as police sought out the suspects, Wani said.

He said police had burned down several houses near the scene of the killing.

A suspect was in custody while the search is continuing for others involved in the officer’s death.

Police from Aitape and Vanimo townships joined their Wewak counterparts in the manhunt yesterday.

Wani denounced the killing of the young senior officer who had stood “by the books” to enforce law and order without fear or favour.

“He was a respected policeman. He had done a lot in a short time to improve working conditions for police in the province,” he said.

“His killing should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”

Wagambie, who was travelling with a group of people to Wewak from Hawaiin, said Parinjo’s death had happened near a local club that sold alcohol.

The group was confronted by a man armed with an iron rod when they stopped the vehicle.

The man was pulled away by bystanders who told Wagambie and his group to assist Parinjo.

Wagambie’s group put the injured Parinjo into their vehicle and took him to hospital.

Wagambie said the community’s failure to curb alcohol, homebrew and consumption of illicit drugs was behind many of the country’s problems.

“Homebrew particularly is the problem in communities. Failure to contain its production and consumption has resulted in violence, conflicts, deaths and related issues,” he said

Please speed up overdue road payments

Source: yutok, Post Courier, February 27, 2012

IT IS imperative for the O’Neill-Namah Government to intervene to make road improvement payments to people living along the 20 meter corridor on either side of the road along the Sirunki- Laigiam Section of the Highlands Highway. The frustration over the delay in these payments has culminated into people setting up a road block along the Apanda to Lymala section of the Highlands highway in Enga.
The ADB funded road sealing by Lorma Construction has been completed and Works Department has failed to honour its commitment of making the road improvement payment by June 2012.
We the beneficiaries of the payments served several other letters to the bureaucracy of the department as well as several MPs without any results.
We feel we have exhausted every other avenue in pursuing this case, and now it is only fitting for us to seek the ultimate intervention of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his deputy Belden Namah to exercise their prerogative to direct a speed up this payment as many old men and women who are beneficiaries of the payment are dying.
Their intervention would further cement the affection the populace have for them for delivering free education and free health care.
The last resort left is to completely shut off the said section of the Highlands Highway if nothing prevails come 2012 election time.
We stand ready to fight for our right tooth and nail if things never turn out as we desire.
Komson Nick Kome
Sirunki

Abel wants PNG to export more goods

Source:Post Courier, February 27, 2012

By PATRICK TALU
 

Papua New Guinea should have its own downstream processing facilities to refine and process its natural resources and export the final products to the offshore markets.
Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industries Charles Abel, in light of the demands for PNG’s natural resources especially making reference to the European markets demands for PNG tuna and palm oil, said PNG should have its own downstream processing onshore.
Minister Abel when asked whether his talk on having an onshore processing facilities was just a consideration or an actual policy for the government, told this reporter last Friday during a signing of the second interim economic partnership agreement (iEPA) with the European Union that it was consistent and in line with the government’s Vision 2050 plan.
Minister Abel said currently PNG tuna loins and palm oil are major commodities that have high demands in EU markets and in order to maintain and remain competitive.
He said PNG in the long term should look at improving the markets by way of having onshore processing facilities.
Already, PNG has several tuna facilities in Lae, Madang and Wewak and the current Pacific Marine Industrial Zone in Madang which is said to be a flagship fishery project that will underpin the country’s major tuna export to EU and other markets outside of EU.
Mr Abel, while signing the second iEPA with EU Director General for Trade Peter Thomson, witnessed by EU Ambassador Dr Martin Dihm and acting Foreign Secretary Ambassador Lucy Bogari and other EU trade delegates, said economic and social development opportunities that are anchored in the iEPA are important for PNG.
He said PNG is to make use of the preferential market access opportunities and development assistance enshrined in the agreement.
Mr Thomason commended the PNG-EU partnership stressing the importance of one hand making the most of the iEPA and on the other hand exploring options for a way forward.
“The parties noted that this could include the possible accessing of other African Caribbean Pacific states to the iEPA and expansion of the agreement to include further areas of corporation such as services, investments, fisheries and development,” Mr Thomson said.
The agreement is expected to see a creation of 53,000 employment opportunities that will see many of PNG women being employed.
The EU comprises of 27 member countries in Europe.
It is the world’s largest trading entity and most lucrative consumer market.

LNG money dispute spills to PM’s office

Source: The National, Monday 27th Febuary 2012

By LESLIE OMARO
ANGRY landowners from Southern Highlands province’s liquefied natural project site came close to storming Morauta Haus last Friday after the government failed to pay them as promised.  
On Feb 15, Finance and Treasury Minister and Kandep MP Don Polye assured the landowners at Vulupindi Haus that they would receive their Infrastructure Development and High Impact Project grants by last Friday.
After lunch on Friday, more than 300 disgruntled landowners marched to Morauta House, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office and several government departments and blocked the main gate.
The landowners demanded to see Prime Minister Peter O’Neill so he could explain why their
payments had been delayed “again”.
The landowners from the project impacted areas including Hides, Moran, Gobe, Kutubu, Angora and Juha were made to wait outside Vulupindi Haus until lunch last Friday.
When they found out they were not getting any word from the ministers responsible, they marched to the PM’s office to demand an
immediate explanation for the delay.
Police mobile squads from the Highlands and National Capital District were on stand-by, providing security in front of the PM’s office and protecting the premises and staff from the rowdy crowd.
Kuyalo Angro, a chief from the Alo clan, said clan leaders were upset that the government had not lived up to its word again.
“The government must stop telling lies and pay us our money quickly,” Angro said.
“Don Polye told us that we would be getting paid today (last Friday).
“Where is he? Can he come out and explain why he lied?”
But at 4.50pm, an agreement was reached between the landowners and the prime minister’s office to meet and discuss the issue.
Tepele Tope, from Southeast Mananda, in Kutubu, PDL 2, said on Saturday O’Neill met with leaders Thomas Gamu, from Angorom and Tom Paul from Juha and assured them that the government would pay the landowners tomorrow.

Kandep has oil and gas

Source; Post Courier, February 22,2010

By MOHAMMAD BASHIR

He was barely two years old but recalls seeing 15 left hand drive American made vehicles in his village. At that time in 1972, he did not have a clue what those vehicles and Americans were doing but now realises that oil and gas exploration activities were being undertaken.
Legend has it that Kandep, home of the Openas, is floating on a sea of oil and gas. While major oil and gas projects are being undertaken on the Huli side of the region, one Kandepian and his clansmen are adamant that his district is the engine room for oil and gas deposits in the country.
Muniah Ker Las Aku reckons Kandep in Enga Province has the biggest oil and gas deposits. Armed with a map printout of some geological survey undertaken some years back, Mr Aku walked into the Post-Courier newsroom to declare that his people want developers to go into Kandep.
He said the gas and oil developments in Southern Highlands Province were only leakages from Kandep, which he said was the core and mother of all deposits.
Mr Aku said according to legend, Porgera, Mt Kare, Kutubu, Juha, Angore, Gobe and Hides were all results of prophesies told hundreds of years back but the only one left to be fulfilled was Kandep.
Several company representatives have already visited the area to identify the oil and gas deposits.
Some drilling was also done some years ago but to date, no activity is visible in the area.
Mr Aku and his clansmen have been busy in recent months trying to lure a developer. He said when developed, Kandep has the potential to pass 100 years life span and will be bigger than the current multi-billion kina PNG LNG project in the Southern Highlands.
Kandep is part of the Huli-Opena region and is on the Opena side but shares the same border with Angore, Juha and Hides in the Huli side

Bringing Enga forward . . .

Source: Weekender, Posr Courier, December 3-4, 2011

Peter Ipatas is investing in human resources in Enga Province, a move hailed by many as a step in the right direction to ensuring that one day, Enga will no longer be known as the last frontier

By DAVID MURI

I COULDN’T precisely recall here but sometime in 2009, Peter Ipatas called me from Jacksons Airport that he was on the morning flight to Mt Hagen.
Governor Ipatas wanted me to accompany him to cover a presentation at the Highland Lutheran School at Amapyaka where he’d donate a brand new vehicle. The vehicle, a fully kitted Toyota 10-seater troop carrier was awaiting pick-up at the Ela Motors yard.
It was bought with savings from the Enga Children’s Fund – the councillor-cum governor’s own brainchild. Ipatas arrived with former EM TV personality and his long-time sidekick John Eggins. We met at Ela Motors where he got the keys. Even though we had extra drivers on our convoy the Ipatas decided to drive his children’s car himself.
As his nickname goes, the “action governor” wasted no time. He wanted us to move right away. He started the car and I hoped on. We headed straight for Wapenamanda. His escorts followed us closely.
We had a brief stopover at the border of Western Highlands and the governor checked who were on the procession. He was bitterly frustrated when he realized that John Eggins was not in the convoy. Eggins delayed his stay in Mt Hagen for family matters but caught up with us later.
We had to proceed without Eggins even though he was an important member of his entourage. The governor didn’t want to waste any time because there were much more important people than us waiting at Amapyaka. These were students and the teachers. That’s how Governor Ipatas holds every Engan school child with high esteem. He can do anything in their name.
Others can make presentations on his or the Enga Provincial Government’s behalf in other occasions but when it comes to education, you will not miss him. The point I’m trying to raise here is that Governor Ipatas is one man who is promoting education in his province big-time with his various policies and schemes. He is trying to change that “wild west” tag into a province that will one day become PNG’s human resource backbone.
I was prompted to write this article after several prominent people from my own Western Highlands fear that Enga will rule PNG in the near future with its well-educated population. And there’s no doubt! Engans are educated in every field today and not many people are realizing this important investment their governor is spearheading.
My own governor Tom olga admitted in a lunch-hour meeting at Parliament House last month that there is no doubt Engans will rule and reign in PNG within the next decade.
“Governor Ipatas is certainly investing in education and his people will shortly control this nation,” says Governor Olga, who also focuses on promoting education in his own province.
Another Western Highlands businessman James Yoka Ekip made similar sentiments in an earlier discussion. “Ipatas is putting money into a very fundamental area in human resource development which is poised to bring his province out of the doldrums. Many governors are ignoring what he is doing but in 15 years we’ll be surprised to see that Engans will hold very important positions in both public and private sectors,” Yoka predicts.
He said Ipatas is wisely investing the royalties from the Porgera gold mine into developing the human resource of the province.
After the Porgera mine Enga will still sustain itself through its investments human resources.
His investments are reflected in the high number of students in tertiary institutions. Thirty-five per cent of students at PNG’s premier university, UPNG, are of Enga origin. He has also established a branch of the Institute of Business Studies in Wabag recently. The Enga Teachers College at his Irelya Village is into competition and new teacher trainee intake will be early next year. He is also sponsoring Engan pilots.
Many students are also being sponsored through the Ipatas Foundation chaired by Issac Lupari. The winning Sir Tei Abel Secondary School in the2011 IBS school debate competition was also sponsored by the foundation. Many Engans will become successful shortly and those successes will be attributed to this governor’s foresight and vision. Ipatas is a man who will have left so many legacies to be remembered by many successful people
Watch out PNG! Enga will not be the last frontier anymore. As the saying goes; the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Company records show 5 boat mishaps

Source: Post Courier, February 24, 2012

By GORETHY KENNETH

RABAUL Shipping, the company that owned the ill-fated MV Rabaul Queen which sank with hundreds on board three weeks ago has had five of its vessels involved in maritime accidents in the last 10 years.
This is also the shipping company that owns Kimbe Queen, the passenger boat that ran into a reef in Abau three weeks ago with 170 passengers.
This week the same ship ran aground on a coral reef near Kimbe with 34 passengers and is now docked at the Bialla wharf.
Works and Transport Minister Francis Awesa revealed this yesterday from a report he said he would table in the inquiry into the Rabaul Queen disaster.
Mr Awesa said there was also a report detailing discrepancies over the shipping operation but did not detail the latter because that report was due to be presented to the investigations and inquiry into the Rabaul Queen sinking disaster. Mr Awesa said that the report before him would be tabled to the investigation team.
According to the report, the ships that have been involved in accidents and sinkings in PNG waters in the past decade, specifically Milne Bay, East New Britain, Kimbe, Bougainville and now Morobe include MV Chris, MV Moime, MV Trader, MV Samazen and MV Kuanua and recently MV Rabaul Queen.

Police warn locals against roadblocks

Source: The National, Wednesday 22nd Febuary 2012

AEPANDA and Lyamala villagers, in the Laiagam district of Enga province, have been warned not to disrupt transportation by setting up road blocks.
Provincial police commander Martin Lakari issued the warning yesterday after the villa­gers chopped trees down to block a 3km section of the Wabag-Porgera road, bringing traffic to a standstill on Monday.
Chief Supt Lakari said more than 100 policemen had to be called in to clear the roadblock between Aepanda and Lyamala.
Police, using axes, chainsaws and dump trucks needed nine hours to remove the trees from the road.
Lakari said the road belonged to the government and the villagers did not have any right to block it and cause inconvenience for road users.
They were proper procedures to follow if the villagers had any grie­vances with the Works Department on road improvement payments.
Taking the law into their hands would not help solve any problem and would create another problem, Lakari said.
The villagers had blocked the road to protest the prolonged delay by the Works Department in paying them for improvements to the road.
Lakari said the assessment on the improvements on the sides of the road were carried out by the Works Department when construction began two years ago, but so far no payment had been made.
He said the villagers held a secret meeting on Sunday and on Monday morning they chopped down trees growing by the roadside.
Police will now monitor the area and will arrest anyone setting up a roadblock.