Former DPM accuses Polye of bias

Source:
The National - Thursday, September 15th 2011

MEMBER for Wabag Sam Abal has accused Treasury and Finance Minister Don Polye for politically selecting and closing treasury offices around the country.
He alleged this was a calculated move in pre­paration for the general election next year.
Polye had named se­veral districts in Enga, Southern Highlands and Western Highlands for immediate audits to be done. However, no reasons were given for the audits.
Districts in the spotlight were Lagaip-Por­gera, Wabag, Kompiam-Ambum, Mul-Baiyer and Komo-Margarima.
“Somehow, Kandep is not included.
“Did Polye run a clean district with no corruption? We all know that it is not true,” Abal said in a statement.
“This is a political witch-hunt.”

Polye in Pole Position to be PM

Source: The National - Tuesday, August 16th 2011

IT must have been the Grand Chief’s wish that Don Polye never becomes the prime minister of Papua New Guinea.

NA went to general election in 2007 as the Somare-Polye regime.
Immediately after the election, the governor-general invited the party with highest number to form the government of which the Grand Chief, as party leader, was the automatic choice to be the prime minister.
The nation believed the Somare-Polye regime would continue, as Polye, who was the NA highlands bloc leader, delivered the most seats for NA.
But being the master political tactician that he is, Sir Michael Somare opted for Sir Puka Temu, a Papuan, as his deputy.
Knowing that this would be his last term before retiring from politics, the Grand Chief groomed Sir Puka to be next prime minister.
In my opinion, Polye started plotting and, with a bit of stir here and a push there, saw Sir Puka,  Bel­den Namah, Charles Abel and Dr Allan Marat, among others, crossing the floor of parliament to join the opposition.
Polye, who thought his mission was accomplish­ed, received another shock when Sir Michael opted to pick Sam Abal as his deputy.
After the leadership tribunal where he was handed a two-week suspension, the Grand Chief passed
the leadership to Abal as acting prime minister.
Polye was then sacked as minister for insubordination and the split in NA widened.
Things became very fluid from here on and Abal was then suspended by the NA executive for two months, preventing him from attending the party caucus in Minj last week.
Abal then called for a meeting of NA highlands MPs where he reportedly ousted Polye as the highlands deputy parliamentary leader.
In return, Polye called for a highlands NA meeting in Goroka the following week and claimed he was still the leader of the highlands bloc.
Everything came to a climax on the first day of parliamentary sitting on Aug 2 when a motion declaring a vacancy in the office of the prime minister was accepted by the speaker and a vote saw Peter O’Neill elected as prime minister.
When the NA held its party caucus in Minj last week, Polye was elected as the party’s parliamentary leader, putting him in pole position to be the next prime minister.
There is no doubt Polye is a powerful man at the moment.
Sata Goloso
Kimbe

Laiagam to Kandep Road Trip

This blog is about the authors road trip from Laiagam to Kandep station. It was fortunate for the author to have at least have a camera in hand to take pictures along the way from Laiagam to Lyian and then to Kandep District head quarters (Station).

This is the Laiagam to Kandep road and photograph was taken in 1965, possibly when the road was new and in a better stage. See the following pages to see how this road has turned out to be as today.

This is the Current stage of the Laiagam to Kandep road. Photo was taken in August 2011 during the author's road trip to Kandep.

Section of road after reaching the newly built Pilikambi road junction and up within few meters. Notice the highly visible pothole that has developed.

Beyond this corner is the recent landslide that has cut-off the road in early May this year, also reported in the National of May 4, 2011. Next slide below shows this section of the road.

The recent landslide that has cut-off the road in early May this year, also reported in the National of May 4, 2011 to be almost 50 000 people affected.

A closer look on this section of the road reveal a huge crater with up to 0.3 metres high, a section of the road where sick people and pregnant women would really hate to travel.

Section of road after reaching the little creek where travel have a fresh cold water from the natural environment.

Section of the lyian road before reaching the recently erected Digicel tower that provides communication link to Kandep. 

Section of road before reaching the lyian check point manned by the newly formed people's security services

Photo taken at Lyian mountain check point and facing towards Muyan. from this on, the section of the road is a quick decent towards Lawe and mangap bridge.

 Just after the first bend while descending down form lyian border check point is huddle that the travelling public have to overcome while travelling up hill to wabag and laiagam. For PMV's all passengers will have to get off from their seats and contribute a hand so that they continue their trip or get stuck there. 

 Lawe downhill towards magap bridge after a steep decent down towards Kandep station.

 Section of road just after leaving magap bridge and after leaving the gravel pit.

Section of road before reaching yapum. Notice how pot holes have are developing on the middle section of the road. This is one section where road has been built recently.

 Section of road before reaching yapum bridge. Once a straight section, the section of this road has slide off and has a fall of up to 0.2meters on the road. being a first time traveller, the author was lucky to have been assisted by a person who was aware of the condition of the road. The author feels obliged to make this known to a first time traveller as it is seriously a thread to the public.

 This is Yapum Bridge, one of the bridge Kandep has received with the initiative of National government's infrastructure development, in particular bridges.

 Section of road after leaving the base station for the talked about million kina weed project at Murip for Kandep district.

 On the right is Kandep Provincial High School  at Kokas, the birth place of many of the Kandepian elites of the modern era.  This is in fact a resource that has to be well looked after by the people and leaders alike because that is gold for Kandep.

 This is wara yangip, before reaching paruli commonly know as Kandep station. The white and the black marks here reveal the beginning of sealing around the station.

MPs' pay rise

Massive 52% rise also for departmental heads and others

By JEFFREY ELAPA

MEMBERS of parliament yesterday voted to give themselves a hefty 52% pay rise before adjourning for a six-month holiday, The National reports.

Opposition MPs walked out of the chamber when Public Service Minister Moses Maladina, appointed to the portfolio less than 24 hours earlier, presented the 36th report of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

Parliament adopted the report on voices without debate.

The vote by parliament raised the base salaries from the prime minister down to an ordinary MP by 52.08%.

The base salary of departmental heads, provincial administrators, provincial assembly members, the chief justice, his deputy and judges, the chief magistrate and others classified as appointed leaders also went up by the same percentage.

The rise in their base salary was backdated to last year, and this rise alone will cost taxpayers K33 million, an appropriation not provided for in the 2011 budget approved early this week.

The rise in the salary rate was based on a review conducted by Hay Group Consultants in 2008.

Maladina said they had found a huge gap in the remuneration of leaders that had developed since the last review in 2000.

He said the report stated that over the nine-year period, leaders’ base salaries had increased by only 5% compared to 52% in the public sector.

During the same period, official CPI increased by 53%, hence, the real value of leaders’ salaries had fallen by more than half while the public sector average salary level was projected to have increased by not less than 10% between last year and next year, Maladina added.

The rise in the base salaries of MPs came after they recently voted to give themselves a 100% increase in housing and vehicle allowances. A total of 750 people will be affected in the salary rise.

The prime minister’s base salary will rise to K262,762 per annum from the current base salary of K172,770. The speaker’s will rise from K146,645 to K223,029; Deputy PM and opposition leader from K134,518 to K204,585; ministers from K104,814 to K159,408; MPs from K52,595 to K79,991; governors from K36,920 to K56,151; and assembly members from K12,885 to K19,597. The chief secretary’s salary will rise from K134,515 to K204,585 while the chief justice will be paid K261,601 annually from K172,007.

The report also recommended that the security allowance for the public solicitor and the the public prosecutor be upgraded from K6,000 per annum to K12,000.

It also recommended for the prime minister’s overseas travel allowance to be increased from US$100 per day to US$500, which would also include the speaker of parliament and the chief justice

MP gives K700, 000 for Roads

Source: Post Courier, Highlands Post

Wednesday 31st December, 2003

 Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Don Polye has committed more than K700,000 for road infrastructure and other developments in the Kandep electorate in Enga Province.
Mr Polye presented hard cash totalling K760,000 while visiting two separate locations in his electorate over the Christmas weekend.
A major component of the funds was for road infrastructure development.
This commitment was part of Mr Polye’s policy to focus on infrastructure and agriculture development in Enga Province.
The Marainds-Kandep feeder road received K200,000 for maintenance work while other trunk roads got K125,000.
Mr Polye said the allocated funds would create employment opportunities for the local people, adding that the district administrator would engage local people to kick-start the maintenance works early next year.
Electricity in the electorate would be rehabilitated and the maintenance works would also start in January next year, with a commitment of K20,000 to PNG Power.
Walupi and Karmbia Health centres got K10,000 and K14,000 respectively for maintenance to the parts of the two buildings.
Winja community school received K10, 000 while K15, O00 was committed for Tinji community school classroom maintenance.
In other development areas Kandep airstrip received K18,000 for maintenance and K22,000 was allocated for transportation.
A major sawmill and a wheat project have been allocated K10,000 and K40,000 respectively.