The State of Marient Constituency in Kandep today

This is a photography display of the current state of the Marinet Constituency in Kandep district, Enga province. These photograph were taken when the author visited the area during the 2011 Christmas holiday and new year period. It specifically focuses on the condition of infrastructure development that has taken place and the stage it is in at the moment. This the home to the most senior state minister and founder of "Triumph Heritage Empowerment (T.H.E)" party, Honorable Don Pomb Polye. These photos will show how much he has delivered for the simply grassroots who have been so loyal to him both in good and bad times since 1997 elections.

STATE OF THE ROAD NOW

STATE OF SCHOOLS NOW

 Kolopa Elementary School

 Kambiya Elementary School

Last Karints Elementary School

STATE of HEALTH SERVICES

 Current state of Kambiya Sub-Health Center in Mariant constituency. 

 Current state of the building where patients are being treated.

STATE OF CHURCHES

 Marinat Catholic Mission

 Wamandak CAF church

 Kambiya Apostolic Church.

From all these photos, one can conclude how the most basic services have reached the people and how they have changed. The author was unable to make it to momode, pura, segin, last wert and the road going to Gini, to kondo, lakalap, winja etc. and the other two constituencies of Wage and Lai. One can even conclude the state of the other two constituencies.

Spin around Kandep Station

These are all the photograph taken by the author during a recent visit over the 2011 christmas. Random shots taken while staying around the station for a couple of days.

CAF 50th Anniveristy Jubilee, 2011 Xmas

The Kandep Polic Cells at far end - blue building

Wiikam field, notice the ground stand and erection of canvas for nigh program duing the Jubilee.

Kandep Primary School

New administration block

A short cut road to the adminsitration block was in construction put on hold due to the only excavator used sinked at this location where it took them 2 solid weeks to get the machine out. The pothole crater is evident here

Kandep Council Chambers

Straight section of road from Mogaip to Sawi

Kandep's only Pelipaspas (beer club), currently in operation

new road construction leading to margarima covered by water due to heavy down pour.

Vanimo focus of Frieda River project

Source: The National, 01st March 2012

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

VANIMO town in West Sepik province will be the focal point of development in relation to the Frieda River copper-gold project, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill announced yesterday.
O’Neill said the government would be talking with developer Xstrada to relocate the project to the township of Vanimo.
Speaking at Vanimo yesterday, he said the country’s economy would double and even triple over the next few years with major resource projects coming on stream.
He said the government would like to see host provinces taking ownership of major projects and to equally benefit from other spin-off business activities and employment opportunities.
O’Neill said Frieda River project was in Sandaun and rightfully so Vanimo should be the project capital.
He said PNG would get two LNG projects: one to start production in 2014 was in Southern Highlands and the second LNG project would be in Gulf province.
The government had asked that the project be based in that province and not Port Moresby.
“In the same way, we will relocate Frieda project operations to Vanimo because Wewak, Madang and Lae have already developed,” he said.
“In the same vein, we the government through Petroleum and Energy will be meeting with Frieda mine developers to relocate the project to Vanimo.”
When the LNG project begins in 2014, the economy would double from K10 billion budget this year to about K20 billion, he said.
“If we cannot manage K10 billion,  how can we manage K20 billion?” he said.
“And that is why we need good quality leaders who have the country at heart to manage the huge revenue inflow.”
He said the second LNG project would come on stream and mining at Wafi, Bulolo, Yandera, re-opening of Bougainville, extension on Ok Tedi and Lihir would further increase economic growth. –  See Editorial Page 35

Business skills training helps people find jobs

Source: The National, Wednesday 22nd Febuary 2012

MANY people who take part in a basic business skills training have gone on to find employment in the private sector, an official said.
Some have used the knowledge they have gained by improving their small businesses.
The latest batch of 120 graduated last week at Joyce Bay, Sabama, Port Moresby – thanks to the Digicel PNG Foundation.
Yumi Lukautim liaison officer Lawrence Martin said 70% of the 800 people who participated in Ginigoada’s basic business skills training had gone on to do job training in various organisations and subsequently retained as permanent employees.
“You have been at the crossroads and Digicel Foundation and Ginigoada have shown you the way.
“The decision is yours – if you plant a seed and neglect it, it won’t flourish.
“With the basic business skills that you have acquired within the two weeks of training, go and plant a seed, nurture it and it will flourish,” he said.
 Martin encouraged them to stay focused and use the certificates to their benefit.
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, course participant Dorothy Lua said: “We have learned so much in these past two weeks.
“I am a mother who has a market stall and the money I make all goes to buying food for my family.
“Before undertaking this training, I had no knowledge of budgeting and the importance of saving in case of an emergency.
“I have learnt the importance of budgeting and saving and I am ready to put that into practice and improve my life and that of my family.”
Dorothy was also proud to notice the changes at the Joyce Bay community since the inception of the training.
In the past two weeks, she said youths there had changed their ways after taking part in the business  course.
“I used to walk down the street and youths would throw beer bottles and swear and often would get drunk and fight,’’ she said.
“During and after the training, nothing like this has happened.”

Ok Tedi posts net profit of K1.24bil

Source: The National, Friday 02nd March 2012

By BRIAN GOMEZ
in Sydney

OK Tedi Mining Ltd has announced after tax profit of K1.24 billion, down 40% from K2.03 billion in 2010, on sales revenue totalling K4.5 billion, down from K5.09 billion in 2010.
The company, which is now fully PNG-owned following the buyout of the 18% stake held by Canada’s Inmet, also maintained its status as PNG’s biggest corporate tax payer.
Corporate tax last year amounted to K604 million, down 30% from the K840 million the company paid government   in 2010.
The comparable corporate tax figure for the country’s second biggest corporate tax payer, Oil Search Ltd, was K509 million, up from K196.6 million in 2010.
Other payments made by Ok Tedi show the incredible depth of the contribution the company is making to PNG even though its operations is scheduled to be shut down by early 2014 in the absence of a government agreement to allow its operations to continue.
After paying off K881 million to purchase the remaining foreign equity in the venture, Ok Tedi paid out dividends totalling K774 million to PNG Sustainable Development Corporation and to the national government.
Additionally mining royalties, which fell by 8%, amounted to K42.9 million paid to the Fly River provincial government and a similar sum paid out to mine area landowners.
Other payments for compensation and benefits amounted to K70 million.
OTML reported that total taxes paid to the national government, inclusive of pay-as-you-earn deductions from employees and the mining levy, amounted to K1.2 billion.
It also noted that purchases of goods and services from PNG suppliers were valued at K988 million last year.
The annual results statement from OTML did not make any reference to badly-stalled negotiations with the national government on the possibility of mining operations continuing until the end of the decade in the light of ongoing feasibility studies.
However, it said copper and gold production had fallen by 18% and 14% respectively to 130,456 tonnes of copper and 417,236 ounces of gold after a month-long shutdown caused by the rupture of the pyrite concentrate pipeline last May.
Copper concentrate shipments fell by 10% due to lower head grades, suspension of production and a force majeure declared by Japanese smelters in the wake of the tsunami that hit that country.
OTML realised an average copper price last year of US$3.73 per pound, slightly higher than the US$3.68 per pound received in 2010

Did you know that ticks are harmful to humans?

Source: Weekender, Post Courier, February 25-26, 2012

By Deborah Moses

Have you even realised that the health of your dog can contribute towards a healthier you? I suppose you may ask, why worry? Well, here are some reasons why we should be conscious. Firstly, one of the most common health issues with pets is the tick and flea problem. This problem can be easily identified amongst many pets in PNG. However, we fail to see this as a threat to our well-being. Ticks are small spider-like animals that bite to fasten themselves onto the skin and feed on blood. Ticks live in the fur and feathers of many birds and animals. Tick bites occur most often during in hot/wet season and in areas where there are many animals and birds. Most ticks do not carry diseases, and most tick bites do not cause serious health problems. But it is important to remove a tick as soon as you find it. Ticks can be harmful if you are bitten during feeding. Many of the diseases ticks carry cause flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and muscle aches. Therefore, it is important for us to prevent this from happening.
The RSPCA vet clinic sells shampoos and tick collars, which could help prevent tick bites. However, another option would be to keep an open eye for RSPCA ads in the media for RSPCA pound dog baths or Community Dog Dips to rid your pet of the tick and flea problem. The RSPCA will be hosting pound dog baths every first Saturday of every month. So, if you’re interested, the RSPCA will be hosting a dog bath on the Saturday 3rd of March. Community Dog Dips are an outreach program organized with the help of various communities. If you think, your community would like RSPCA to conduct a community dog dip in your area, please do not hesitate to come into the clinic to enquire or call us on 325 2363. During this organized dog baths, Dogs are washed in medicated warm hydro-baths, and later, trained RSPCA staff ensure that the dog is cleared from head to tail and toe from ticks and fleas. Picture caption: A dog being treated for tick problems during a RSPCA pound dog bath

PM: Decision on Tuesday

Source: The National, 01st March 2012

By JEFFREY ELAPA

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has told landowners camping outside Morauta Haus that he would make a decision on their money next Tuesday.
The landowners claimed they were owed funds under the memorandum of agreement, business development grants and infrastructure development grants.
They had been holding under siege the Morauta Haus and Vulupindi Haus in the past two week.
They claimed government ministers had been delaying the payment for too long.
Last Friday, the landowners stormed Morauta Haus after being misinformed that they were going to be paid on that day by Finance and Treasury Minister Don Polye.
But early this week, O’Neill removed the ministry from Polye, saying there would be a cabinet reshuffle soon.
He told the landowner leaders at his Morauta Haus office that they would be paid but he had to receive all submissions from the various departments before he could make a decision.
He would meet the leaders again on Tuesday to announce his decision.
But the landowners told him that all infrastructure development grants should be paid directly to them and to their respective provincial governments.
They wanted this done by Tuesday.
In another development, a group called from Hides asking O’Neill to consider the submissions endorsed by the developers and their partners who knew who the legitimate landowners were.
They alleged that there were many “paper landowners” in Port Moresby trying to claim funds belonging to the clans and warned the government to consider the submissions.
Ipuele Wap, the chairman of Ira Lama Aya Tamea and Chief Tayali Ola from the Tamea clan, said they were waiting for the payment in the village.
“Government must consider the cries of the landowners at home because we have never benefited from any government assistance even since the BP and Oil Search operated 20 years in the area.
“This is our first time, especially for the PDL 1 areas of the Hides LNG project. Therefore, we want the government to consider our application.”
They warned that many of the project activities were taking place on their land and if they missed out on the payments, they would take their land back.

Namah: Give me 12 months

Source: The National, 01st March 2012

By ISAAC NICHOLAS
DEPUTY Prime Minister Belden Namah has announced that parliament is looking at deferring the general election for 12 months to allow the government to fully implement its major po­licies.
He said if he had the support of the prime minister, he would use all his resources to ensure Peter O’Neill was returned as prime minister after the election.
Namah made the announcement yesterday at the Independence Oval in Vanimo in front of O’Neill and half his cabinet ministers plus members of parliament.
Namah had invited the national parliamentarians to West Sepik province for two days.
He said this in response to O’Neill’s address to hundreds of people that the government would be funding major projects in West Sepik totalling more than K140 million (see story, page 5).
The prime minister had earlier told the Sepik people: “We had to change the government and give it back to the people.
“We have introduced free education for a total cost of K700 million and have already front-loaded K300 million to all schools.
“We have sold the Falcon jet, which has been used as a private PMV and given the proceeds of that sale, K350 million, to the health sector. We have introduced basic free health care for our people.
“This government is people-focused and people-friendly. In seven months, we have shown our true colours compared to nine years of waste,” O’Neill said.
He said the government he led was for the people, not for one man or one family.
Namah, in reply, told his home crowd that he would use all available resources at his disposal to retain O’Neill as prime minister for a new five-year term after the general election.
He stressed that there was no guarantee that a new government would support the development package that the O’Neill-led government had introduced in the past seven months.
Namah said the Electoral Commission had failed the people, the national population census had failed and PNG needed a system for a fair, just election so that quality leaders were elected “instead of coming through the window”.
On O’Neill’s reference to the scheduled election, he warned: “You said to hold the election by April 27 this year and a new government comes in. The projects will not be implemented and the government policy of free education and free health care will be dismantled.
“This government must continue.
“How do you make a comparison between a government of nine years and government
of six months?
“The Electoral Commission has failed the people. The census has failed. We do not know how many people are in this country?
“There are a lot of mistakes in the common roll. For example, a ward in Koroba has 467 eligible voters and that number has soared to 4060. We must have been working very hard overnight.”
Namah said 40% of the roll had not been completed in the highlands region alone.
He said the new bio-metric system must be in place to ensure a fair and just election.
“The government has plans to delay the election for 12 months to fully implement government policies and ensuring a fair election.”