PNGBLOGS

Growing unhappiness in Madang against the proposed Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) is beginning to make the scam promoters nervous. The PMIZ is nothing more than a sophisticated land grab to transfer the rights of a valuable piece of real estate into Chinese hands. If the PMIZ project goes through, a beautiful pristine piece of Madang Province near Alexishafen will be converted into a stinky collection of tuna canneries just like what you see today in the Philippines and Thailand. These are the kinds of projects that end up mostly exploiting local people instead of bringing 'development' to them.

THE KINGPIN CONMAN IN THE LAND GRAB

The main character in the PMIZ scam is Gabriel Kapris, former Somare government minister who long ago established his reputation as a whirlwind of corrupt activity.

With respect to the PMIZ, Kapris was instrumental in pushing through a K202 million Chinese Exxim Bank Loan to the PNG government while he was still Minister in the Somare government. After losing the 2012 election in Maprik to the competitively corrupt John Simon, Kapris became Managing Director of the shady "Aces Ventures" group. Aces Ventures then managed to illegally gain control of certain land areas to be used for PMIZ.

The only difference between the corrupt Gabriel Kapris and the late criminal William Kapris is that William Kapris stole from the rich and threw the money to the poor, whereas Gabriel Kapris steals from the poor and gives to the rich. Neither of them are to be admired, but at least William showed some compassion. Compassion isn't a word in the vocabulary of Gabriel Kapris, Certified PNG Konman.

The moment Gabriel smelled money at PMIZ, he forgot all about his people back in Maprik and started making Madang his home. He smelled the money and that's how the Chinese came to smell him.

At first, things proceeded okay for Gabriel Kapris and his scam, despite some temporary setbacks due to the fact that some Madang landowners smelled a rat from the beginning. There were a series of protests and complaints by the landowners over the last few years as they've figured out the realities of the tuna cannery project that promises to bring nothing other than stinky air, polluted subsistence fisheries water, and poor paying jobs. Still, project planning proceeded.

But things clearly got worse for Kapris after last week's impressive recent demonstration. For the first time, Kapris and PMIZ on the ground local tea boy Sali Tagau acted visibly nervous in public but it was at a particular recent PMIZ protest at the Madang Provincial Government office that Kapris, never known for his intelligence, made one of his stupidest moves.

To "convince" the Madang landowners of the winning nature of the PMIZ project, Kapris brought a group of highlands people who displayed the winning "conman" combination of large bellies and stupid looking Australian outback hats. A parade of goofy hat/big bel money grubbers it was, and naturally they had been drinking. How can a Sepik con man, accompanied by drunk Highlanders, possibly 'convince' Madang's papa graun how badly they 'need' PMIZ unless they were all carrying weapons? Well, they weren't armed and the PMIZ Madaun protesters didn’t take long to confront one of the big bel stupid hat wearers, with one man strongly poking his finger into the chest of one of the Kapris clowns and calling him and Kapris out. The result was a PR disaster for Gabriel Kapris, which begs the question, WHERE IS THIS GUY'S PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMON SENSE???!

O'NEILL GOVERNMENT CONMEN START WORRYING

A week after that protest, Madang Sumkar MP Ken Fairweather appeared on FM Talk Back Show with Roger Hau’ofa to strongly support the Bel people in their fight against both the national conmen and the international aggressors in the background. Fairweather laid out all the lies of the PMIZ scam and explained why the proposed project would NOT bring more benefits than costs to the majority of people in the long run. What was particularly refreshing is that Fairweather didn't offer any scam of his own as an alternative to the Kapris scam. He simply laid out the facts.

Fairweather also addressed the potential environmental problems that PMIZ will bring to the Madang area. These are issues that the PNG government has conspicuously avoided talking about (PNG apparently has no Dept of Environment and Conservation??) . He questioned again where the missing K30 Million in government funds for this project is and what is the role of Aces Venture in the scam. Fair questions to which the 'developers' refuse to give answers.

During the programme, listeners rang MP Fairweather voicing strong support for his stand or confirming what he was saying about the idiocy of the whole project from the standpoint of PNG long-term interests. That evidence of strong support is probably what kickstarted the next event.

ENTER KINGPIN CONMAN #2: CHRIS HAWKINS

Peter O'Neill's government couldn't help but notice the growing support for stopping PMIZ both on the ground in Madang (through petitions circulated and the public demonstration), combined with the support on social media for the Bel landowners, and topped off by MP Ken Fairweather's support of the Bel people that went across the nation on Talk Back radio.

O'Neill publicist Chris Hawkins quickly swung into action on Peter O'Neill's behalf.

Who is Chris Hawkins, anyway? We're not talking about another Chris Hawkins who works for APEC but lives in Brissie. We're talking about the Aussie good ol boy Chris Hawkins who came to PNG armed with a not very impressive education but was successful anyway and whose own money making 'deals' have remained covered up very well over the years. What is not so hidden is his willing association with the top spivs of PNG. For example, he was former PM Bill Skate's government spokesman in the days when Skate was mucking up the economy, then making secret deals with the government of Taiwan in exchange for cash, all of which Chris Hawkins was tasked with making bad news somehow look good.

Because of his proven ability to quickly spew government propaganda into empty heads throughout PNG, Hawkins was appointed as the head of Peter O’Neill’s Public Relations “department”. Much of the government propaganda currently being blamed on the corrupt Isaac Lupari, O'Steal's right hand man, is in fact written up by Hawkins.

Chris Hawkin's main job is to monitor “PNG communication” and sense which way the wind is blowing. He then tries to change the wind's direction by putting out lots of propaganda to promote whatever O’Steal wants. The Post Courier and National, neither of which have reporters who ask probing questions any more, usually print the Hawkins news releases with little change, which is exactly what the government wants.

O'Steal observed Hawkins back in the Bill Skate days and developed such strong confidence that Hawkins can nicely cover O'Steal's butt when necessary that usually when Hawkins releases a news statement under the PM's name, seldom does O'Steal bother to read and approve it beforehand. O'Steal was actually attending a conference in Japan when he was supposedly dictating his support of PMIZ. Even though the PM didn't write the release, we can assume he supports PMIZ. After all, it means more money going into the pockets of his cronies.

Immediately after Ken Fairweather made his impressive showing on Talk Back, Hawkins put together a news release on behalf of the PM that “reassured resource STAKEHOLDERS" that PMIZ will proceed anyway. That non-sense word "stakeholders" actually originates from early land grabs in the USA from the customary redskin American Indians and is a favourite phrase of O'Steal and his fellow thief Hawkins.

In other words, it doesn't matter what local people want or don't want. PMIZ will proceed anyway. It doesn't matter if we proudly proclaim PNG to be a democracy or not. PMIZ will proceed anyway, proceed anyway, proceed anyway. Does that not smell of dictatorship?

Talking about bad smells. Mr Chris, just like the rest of O'Steal's inner circle, has never smelled big money without becoming infatuated with getting his share. The Aussie good ol boy has the unstated job of protecting all the money this regime can get into its own hands, and has permission to join the chase for floating cash whenever he sees opportunities.

When MP Fairweather appeared on Talk Back, Hawkins was not only listening in but one insider reports that Hawkins felt that the PMIZ issue was getting out of hand and could ultimately be damaging to the PM's interests. That's why Hawkins completed and was distributing his press release less than two hours after the radio interview!

The news release made an attempt to rebut everything that was discussed in the Fairweather interview. In typical Hawkins style he made an effort to argue point by point a number of issues that Fairweather and call-in supporters were revealing about PMIZ. The problem is that he stuck to vague arguments some of which are obviously misleading. For example;

“The PMIZ will generate more than 20,000 jobs for local communities through direct employment and the generation of small business.”

The same promise was made about the RD tuna cannery nearly 20 years ago. Not even close to that many jobs have been created and the "generation of small business" promise is always a scam.

“The communities of Kananam, Rampi, Baiteta, Riwo and Malmal will be amongst those that will received direct benefits from the project, particularly during the construction phase.”

Well, we all know this promise. ExxonMobil also promised it for its landowners. It is the "particularly during the construction phase" statement that says it all. What it means is that most of the jobs are very short term, menial work at low pay and as soon as construction is finished, the jobs are finished and the pay cheques stop.

Hawkins has his job cut out for him in trying to mislead the public on who's really going to be the big beneficiaries of the PMIZ (the Philippino RD Tuna, the Chinese groups and Papua New Guinean conmen organised by Gabriel Kapris). However, as the opposition to PMIZ grows, Hawkins is also learning to his frustration that his own government is prone to issuing PR-stupid statements that then mess up the Hawkins feel good messages. The latest is by Minister Richard Maru, another Gold Star O'Steal Money Grubber, who made a strong official government statement that the land belongs to the government and there's nothing that local residents can now do to control their own destiny. That heavy handed tactic in PNG is nearly always guaranteed to turn smoking ashes into a spreading fire.

In PNG, such government misteps are usually what ends up infuriating and energising the people against whatever government is planning. So it goes for the PMIZ issue. Looming in the background is a landowners court case that had been dropped but apparently is about to come back into the pictures through a coalition of local and international lawyers united by the human right implication of this Chinese land grab. The Bel people, of course, continue to spread the word that this current Spiv Project could easily occur on other Madang people's land.

All told, it looks like exciting times in Madang with Gabriel Kapris frantically maneuvering to protect his stolen 'investments' and the Bel people of Madang making a noble effort to stand up to the most corrupt government in PNG's history for the sake of their children and grandchildren.

So stay tuned, Chris Hawkins. You always do.

by Zara Zulu-noknok
Never in PNG's history has a son so successfully sunk the name of a respected father into ridicule as our Parliamentary Speaker Theo has destroyed the once respected Zurenuoc name reputation created by his former MP father the wise Zibang Zurenuoc. Today the word 'Zurenuoc' has become another term for 'hysterical laughing at lunatic actions'. Zurenuoc's behaviour has become even more mysterious than that of PNG's other self styled mystic, Andy Agiru. Together they carry on like a new generation of the infamous Black Jesus Steven Tari: All 3 of them seem to be wise at first. But listen for a while and come to realise that their brains are full of cross wires and short circuits.

And thus did the Idiot Zurenuoc, supposed symbol of self righteousness and Supreme Good Sense, use the cover of darkness on Monday night to leave the PPP party (under the leadership of self proclaimed Black Fitness Guru, Ben Micah!) to join the People's National Congress of the Intimately Corrupt Peter O'Neill.

Either Zurenuoc decided that its Peter O'Neill, not himself, who is the real black Jesus or Zurenuoc has been bought out by PO. If we dare asume that Theo doesn't have his price, what would have brought revelations of PO's holiness to him? Was it O'Neill's fake worshiping during the recent arrival of the King James Bible hoodwinked Zurenuoc into thinking that Peter O'Neill is holy holy holy. Or maybe the revelation came when O'Neill promised him protection over the mis-use of over K700,000 in public funds on the recent taxpayers funded trip to the Holy Land aka United States.

Dear Friends, hopefiully events of the past year and more have convinced you that Peter O'Neill is far from holy and Theo Zurenuoc is less than sensible? .Instead Zurenuoc has no good sense but PO is incredibly sensible and crafty. This is because Zurenuoc's defection to PNC, added to Tobias Kulang's, takes Peter O'Neill 2 sizeable steps further towards his goal of a one party dictatorship. His PNC membership that now has majority control of parliament with over 60 members. Nothing different from the Australian political numbers, you say? Hardly so! Peter O'Neill is in government, he has control of government and still he poaches MPs from political parties that are supporting him. What Aussie PM has ever done that? Also, the Australian government system is complete with working checks and balances on power, whereas the PNG system has virtually none. Remember how PO became PM in the first place? He smiled and ignored the Supreme Court judgement that Somare was the legitimate PM.

Peter O'Neill, the same man who still engages a clan of lawyers to delay justice on his referral to a Leadership Tribunal for more than a year now, and who has yet to answer for the clear evidence in the NPF Commission of Inquiry that he is guilty of conspiracy and mis-use of superannuation funds for his personal benefit. Yes, that's the man who Theo Zurenuoc has decided doesn't have enough MPs locked up in his harem of paid political prostitutes and needs one more. That's the Peter O'Neill whose party Zurenuoc and Kulang have joined with such joy and happiness.

What would Jesus think of your actions, Theo Zurenuoc? What scripture can you quote us to justify your actions? Perhaps something about Judas?

28TH MAY 2015

By the close of Business today –May 27^th2015 Guandong Rising Asset Management [ GRAM] of China will have taken over 86 % controlling interest over the small Australian Mining Company Pan Aust Ltd which as I have pointed out over the last two years does not have the Financial resources to fully develop the Frieda R4iver Deposit in the West Sepik Province. Pan Aust Ltd entered the Frieda Project by stealth a year ago and have now again disappeared in the same way as they first appeared in Frieda in 2013. The cost of their involvement in Frieda put a cool USD$950 million on the value of Pan Aust Ltd. In his address to Pan Aust Shareholders on Friday the 22^ndof may 2015 the Chairman of PNG reported to the Australian Stock Exchange that Pan Aust Share Holders after holding out for a year have now accepted an offer of US$950 million to sell out to Guangdong Rising Asset management a company owned by the Municipal Authority of Shenzhenand listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in Southern China.

Now What does the Future hold for PNG and the Frieda Project in view of the Chinese take over of Pan Aust Ltd ?

In November 2015 Exploration licence number 58 which covers the main area of the Frieda River Deposit will come before the registrar of mines for a 2 years renewal. The exploration licence remains the property of the Government of PNG and is issued subject to terms and conditions that is imposed by the Head of State acting on Advice of the NEC[ National Executive Council].

The National Executive council in Decision 265/2014 in special meeting no 23/2014 based on Policy Submission No 242/2014 [ see attached documents] agreed in principal to take over ownership and control over the Frieda river Deposit and to develop it in a manner consistent with the National Goals and directive principal of our National Constitution. It is therefore important the GRAM knows of this decision and that all agencies of the Government align themselves to this decision to ensure that this important National Resource is not sold off cheaply again to fly by night companies such as Pan Aust Ltd. It is also important for Government Agencies to watch out for PNG Compradors representing foreign Multinational Companies such as GRAM, Pan Aust Ltd and others who may wish to pull the wool over our eyes just as many have done over the last 40 years.

Now before August 24^th 2015 and prior to the renewal of Exploration number 58 in November 2015 GRAM will have to pay another US$50 million to Xstrata Mining Ltd to satisfy the terms of the deed of sales initially entered into between Pan Aust Ltd and Xstrata-Glencore Mining Ltd for the purchase of the Xstrata Glencore interest in Frieda River Ltd, the company that owns EL58. This piece of transaction is contentious in view of Decision 265/2014 and it is my fervent appeal to the Government and its Ministers and the Prime Minister in particular to take control over Agencies of the State and to provide leadership to ensure that the national Interest remains protected and that our resources and developed and shared in the manner enshrined in our Constitution and that we should never again allow our Resources such as Frieda to be sold Cheaply to any Foreign Interest.

The Future of Frieda.

I re iterate my views that have been Stated elsewhere that Frieda must be 100% owned by the State and that Frieda be developed by the State through Contract Mining and Management through Profit Sharing Arrangement away from a rent based regime and that Frieda should form the basis of the way we should develop our Extractive Industries differently going forward in the next 40 years.

G.Ramoi LLB

Port Moresby 27^th May 2015

SPEAKER DEFENDS HIS DECISION TO MOVE TO PNC WHILE I HAVE A STORY TO TELL ABOUT PIGS' PERSPECTIVE OF PNG POLITICS AND GREENER PASTORS

by LUCAS KIAP
The speaker has defended his decision to leave PPP and switched to the PM's ruling party, PNC. He may sound logic with his reasons but I have lived long enough in this country and I know what has been going on. I have a better way to tell the people of PNG and make them understand the way I do. This is my story.

Once upon a time there lived a group of pigs numbered seven to eight million in thick jungles surrounded by fast flowing rivers, steep mountains, deadly enemies, and cunning friends. They had everything they needed to survive. The foreign world of civilisation never found them.

On a fine morning, a group of healthy pigs decided to take a tour of the thick jungle. By nightfall, they came back with great joy, singing, dancing and jumping. Confusion and amazement was that evening's reaction among the other pigs. They excitedly announced a world beyond reachable, a world of greener pastures, a world of milk and honey.

No pig slept that night. Their thoughts filled with imaginations of this new discovered world, denying them rest, take them beyond, and forever. The next day came, and on every pig's lip, old and young, small and big, talked passionately about the new discovery.

For the time being, no more slaves and no more masters. They all wanted to discuss who would be on the lucky ticket to the new world. The clever pigs that discovered the world realizing what at stake argued vigorously to be the first ones to go there. The day hardly ended without disagreeing and fighting. Houses burnt down, food gardens uprooted and they killed each other. They laid the rules and came voting. The lucky pigs with money and wealth, voting was a fair game for them.

But to get to the greener pastures was not that easy. The poor pigs before they killed each other now they have to endure the risks of enemy attack, climbing stiff hills, and crossing fasting flowing rivers to get their elected pigs to the greener pastures. No one cares. There was a mood of hope and optimism, as what the greener pastures would bring, once their representatives are taken there. And they all were willing to pay the price for a share. They succeeded.

After taken the elected pigs to the greener pastures, the poor pigs waited for their share of the greener pastures. Years gone by without a sign of them (the elected pigs) showing up.Famine broke out and all kinds of diseases developed on their skins. Still no sign of a rescue mission was on its way. They fasted and prayed but their prayers were unanswered. They hoped and wished but their hopes were hopeless. They dreamed but their dreams were meaningless.

The elected pigs on the other hand, were race against time to feed as much as they can before some other animals chase them away. They want to be the conquerors of Mt. Everest before others. They want to reach the North and the South Poles. They want their initials curved on some sea-sea monsters. They want to fly their flags on the moon. They want to travel to Jupiter before the NASA scientist.

This is the end of my story. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

byLUCAS KIAP

IS PETER O’NEILL GOING TO DO BETTER THAN SIR MICHAEL SOMARE?

Ten (10) years political stability under NA party and SIR MICHAEL SOMARE has resulted in the disappearance of billions of kina (from high commodity and mineral prices) without traces. Will political stability under PNC party and PETER O’NEILL look after the PNG LNG revenues well?

Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O’Neill and his PNC party are becoming more powerful than ever in the political history of this small country as more and more MPs from other political are abandoning their parties to join the ruling party and others are lining themselves up for the PM to marry them into his ruling PNC party. Any possible chances of a successful vote of no confidence against the PM are now seem unlikely, at least for now.

The movement of MPs from other political parties into the major ruling party is not happening for the first time in the history of this country. When the government of Sir Michael and his NA party were in power, we had seen the same influx of MPs from smaller and other political parties into the ruling party. They had the same reason of political stability and also other nonsenses such as to benefit from development funds.

Because of such overwhelming support for Sir Michael Somare and swelling of MPs for NA, the old man had 10 years of political stability from 2002 to 2011 when he was toppled by the current PM Peter O’Neill and his mobs in a coup like power struggle in 2011.

During the time of Sir Michael Somare, the country had budget surpluses of billions of Kina and the foreign reserves were high. These were driven by high prices of our minerals and commodities. At one stage, Somare’s government had 10, 000 trust accounts opened with commercial banks and billions of kina were parked there. Today, where are those billions of kina disappeared to as nothing is on the ground to show for those funds?

The same MPs who teamed up with Sir Michael Somare for political stability but can’t account for the disappearance of those billions of kina are now teaming up with Peter O’Neill for the same reason of political stability.

Can we trust them this time?

The current Prime Minister Peter O’Neill was part of the former NA government holding key ministerial portfolios including most of the top ministers in the current government.
But what is the guarantee that they are not going to rob the country again?
Under Somare and NA, billions of kina from the revenues of minerals and commodities were disappeared without traces.

Now under Peter O’Neill and PNC, let’s hope they won't put their old dirty hands on PNG LNG revenues.

Sorry it’s too late, PNG. They had their dirty hands already on the PNG LNG revenues.
They are getting loans in billions (such as K6 billon Exim Chinse Bank loan and K3 billion UBS loan). They are getting their cuts from these loans. This is a fact too. This is what they have been good at doing for the last 40 years.

While they are still alive they want to benefiting as much as they can from the PNG LNG revenues so that the future generations will continue to suffer and repay back those loans and still remain poor.
Sooner or later we will find out that again have nothing to show for the PNG LNG project and its billions in revenues.

These are the same MPs that have been robbing the country for the last 40 years.

VOTE ALL OF THEM OUT IN 2017.
TRUST ME ONCE, NOT TWICE. I GUARANTEE, PNG WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN AFTER THEM.

by PETER BALOS

The newly NEC appointed Police Commissioner Gari Baki says that he is awaiting “…the decision of the Supreme Court on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s case before he decides on what action to take.”. People of PNG, the question we should ask is: ‘Which Supreme Court (SC) case regarding Mr. O’Neill is Baki adverting to?’ Let me clarify what appears to be wilful misinformation by Baki to confuse the bulk (of us) and delude us into thinking that there is a SC case regarding O’Neill currently afoot.

The Reality

On 12 June 2014, the Port Moresby District Court constituted by her Worship Chief Magistrate Nerrie Eliakim, on application, issued a warrant of arrest against the incumbent PM pursuant to section 8 of the Arrest Act 1977. The National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Squad (Police) and Investigation Task Force Sweep accused that PM engaged himself in official corruption, viz., issued direction to the then Finance Secretary Steven Gibson that remarkably excessive sum of money (PGK7.1 million) was dishonestly and unjustifiably paid to Paul Paraka Lawyers allegedly under the costume of legal bills for State’s case brief outs, thereby contravening section 87(2) of the Criminal Code Act 1974.

On 16 June 2014, the irked PM terminated Sir Toami Kulunga from Police Commissioner’s post and appointed Geoffrey Vaki as Acting Police Commissioner. 1 July 2014,the latter was confirmed the permanent position.

On 14 July 2014, Vaki and O’Neill ran to the National Court (NC) and commenced Judicial Review (JR) proceeding by way of Originating Summons (OS) to review her Worship Eliakim’s decision dated 12 June. The file reference number created was OS (JR) No: 485 of 2014 and it was before his Honor Justice Les Gavara-Nanu.

On 31 July 2014, Justice Gavara-Nanu raised six Constitutional questions and referred them to the SC under section 18(2) of the Constitution for its interpretative opinion. The resultant SC file reference number created was SC Ref No 2 of 2014.

On 2 October 2014, the five-man SC bench consisted of Justices David Cannings, Colin Makail, Don Sawong, Goodwin Poole and Lawrence Kangwia pronounced their verdict and returned the matter to the NC constituted by his Honor Justice Gavara-nanu.

The SC basically gave standing to Vaki to challenge the decision of her Worship Eliakim. But the Court clearly stated that Police Commissioner or any other member of the Police Force has power under Section 197(2) of the Constitution to direct or control another member of the Police Force from executing a warrant of arrest issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The Status Quo

Currently, it has been a long time that the NC is prolonging this case. We, the people of PNG, fail to know why it is taking this too long. Is it the case that the parties are not pursing this case? Even then, the NC should issue necessary orders to speed up the case. The courts must not operate in isolation. As they are people’s courts, they must efficiently and effectively manage cases and respond to people’s aspirations and interest. In that respect, due concession and priority must be given to certain cases of special nature and overwhelming public anxiety and interest, like this PM’s case. Why undue holdup in/by the Judiciary? Judiciary has a moral duty to explain why this high profile case is being held-up. Reasonable delay is justifiable. But, in the words of learned Author Edmund M. Morgan, a “(p)rompt decision on the merits is imperative, for justice delayed is often justice denied. Sometimes wrong decision made earlier is better than a right decision made after undue procrastination.”. As his Honor Justice Sawong J. emphasized this in Pipoi v Seravo [2001] N2120, unreasonable delay in the administration of justice denies justice, diminishes the quality of judgement, or even results in decision that could not have been reached if it was reached earlier. His Honor said:

“Delay reduces to quality of justice. Indeed justice delayed is justice denied. Witnesses disappear, witnesses die, memories fade, and documents get lost. A claim which will fail if brought promptly might succeed to twenty (20) years later when key witnesses are dead and vital documents lost. Conversely a claim which would succeed if brought promptly might fail if brought many years later. Most countries prevent stale cases being brought by statute of limitations.”.

With due respect, I fell that the delay by NC in regards to OS (JR) No 485 of 2014 is by now undue.
Baki’s falsehood

Respectfully speaking, Baki must stop starting confusing the people of PNG. If he was not in PNG and does not know, then the onus is on him to first get his common/primary facts right. Enough of media talking! In fact, media talking is unnecessary and unwanted. It only amounts to media propaganda. People of PNG are observant, just take the acquired action. Positive words are not positive actions that the very words may speak of. Positive words are not wanted. Positive actions are wanted. And no paper bullshitting!

by PAUL AMATIO

What is trust? We cannot touch it or feel it let alone see it. Yet it is one of those intangibles that form the core of the animal psyche. It defines who we are, what we are, how we take or enter into relationships, the commitments we make and indeed how we live our lives. Every relationship and interaction in the animal world involves some degree of trust (or mistrust).

Trust is born from deep within an animal. Some kinds of trust are instinctive and automatic. Like that of a child to a parent or teacher or religious leader. Others are developed over time based on observation and acknowledgement of capability and are conditional.

Yet others are based on shared experiences, either good or bad which gives a person an appreciation of whether the other person can be depended on and in what circumstances. And then there is the trust of a husband and wife or a man and a woman on their mutual relationship which forms the basis of human procreation. And finally we have that “public trust” which we give as a collective to one or more persons who we see or perceive as leaders. People whom we believe will take that trust on a personal level and use it to OUR benefit. Yet this the trust is so very often abused to the detriment of those who appointed and anointed them who are left holding the bucket. The betrayal of this trust affects not just one household but indeed the entire nation.

Trust is not something given by God or any other divine being. Hence I personally find the justification that “leaders are anointed by God” to be repugnant and an assault on the intelligence of a human being. Trust is given at a personal level from one person to another. When that trust is abused, it creates a feeling of anguish, pain, helplessness and yes, sometimes hatred. But there is a paradox in this, especially in Papua New Guinea, the country that is said to be a mountain of gold floating on a sea of oil (cushioned by gas?). PNGeans have a tendency of choosing to believe in the impossible.

We trust and continue to trust people who have clearly and continuously break our trust. We uphold those who continuously and repeatedly let us down. We see very clearly and visibly signs of those we trust getting rich overnight from a background of nothing. We see the “services” they provide which are temporary in nature and poor in quality and poor in thought and execution and continuance. And yet we continue to trust them and mandate them to be our leaders.

We continue to see the people make laws in Parliament which are clearly designed to circumvent existing processes and procedures for their benefit and we accept their excuses that it is all in the name of speedy delivery of services. We keep our mouths shut when we see that there are a plethora of laws that are overdue for review and updating which continuously get ignored because it is not in the interests of those vested with the authority to change these laws and we do nothing.

I have long pondered why we continue to accept this as the norm? I have been shocked when people say that is okay because it is their chance so let them have it. What chance? How is it ok? Others have the gall to tell me to stand for parliament. I wish I could but I cannot find two ten toes to rub together so where will I find the K10, 000 from?

So who are we going to trust to do the right thing for the country and by extension, for us the downtrodden? Shall we continue to accept the current situation where our guaranteed freedom of expression and public demonstration are continuously denied us by those we trusted on the excuse that they cannot trust us? Why can’t people see that we have already come to accept that we cannot demonstrate our guaranteed freedom of expression and public demonstration in this country? Why are we sitting back and allowing that to happen? Why is it that we have allowed those whom we have endowed with our trust to turn around and betray us by depriving us of some of our very basic rights? Like the right to a good quality education, the right to decent health care, the right to collectively voice our protest at what we perceive to be injustice or unjust dealings or illegal dealings that implicate them? Is it the fact that because the majority are so ill educated, they just cannot properly and logically reason things out? Just why are we so lazy that we cannot get up and fix what is wrong with us? Why do we celebrate and bow to those who have clearly acted dishonourably?

There are a few voices in the wilderness calling out and I urge those who can see and understand what is going on to start taking note and stock of what is going on and seriously look at changing the way this country is governed. Let us do away with the old stock and try to open the windows and let in some fresh are and clean out this foulness that we have been forced to endure. Let us try to get back something for the trust we give freely and see if we can get something more than promises and poor quality services and poor laws and poor governance.

When your trust is misplaced and the person you have trusted turns against you, that is called BETRAYAL. It is the act of a Traitor. Do not trust a Traitor. Once a Traitor, always a Traitor. We are given one opportunity only every five years to do away with all those who have turned traitor and betrayed us. So come 2017, Let Us Make It Happen. Give our trust to someone Trustworthy and Honorable.

by DR JAMES NAIPAO

National Doctors Association negotiates with the Department of Health and Department of Personal Management for good salary packages for its members and doctors working in the public health systems including health tertiary institutions and departments such as School of Medicine and Health Science, UPNG and Defence Force, respectively. The recent award signed (2014-2016) is being implemented while some are yet to be implemented.

Award signed is a legal document, and all public health agencies, public health institutions and departments employing doctors must honour the award to its fullest.

The award does not talk about appraisal as a conduit to the implementation of the award. If hospitals are doing that then it is wrong. Appraisal is designed to do three things; (a) to monitor workers so that workers salary points can be maintained or increased, (b) to asses whether the worker keeps his or her job when the term of the employment expires, and (c) to promote a worker to a new job above his or her current job.

The last three awards signing to date including the current one has overwhelmingly reduced the attrition rate of national doctors leaving for greener pastures. The government of Papua New Guinea must be happy on this one and give credit where it is due.

To the connotation that doctors are highly paid is ludicrous. In comparison to other countries, Papua New Guinea Doctors are lowly paid. I am in Israel now, and its doctors are highly paid here. For example, a resident medical doctor is paid ten thousand American dollars a month. Israel has twenty thousand doctors working in Israel that has a population 8 million people. A resident doctor in PNG gets close to two thousand kina a month after tax. A specialist medical doctor that has taken him/her 27-32 years of his/her education life to be a specialist medical doctor does not even get a good package. Sadly, the specialist doctor is paid 30% of what is paid to the first year Resident Medical Doctor in Israel in a month. Do you call that a high pay?? The doctor to population ratio in PNG is one doctor to 17,000 people. The government of PNG and people must salute the doctors for serving the government of PNG with dignity and distinction.

In the Public Health System, a doctor must be located in the level four to level seven hospitals, and that is at the district hospital and upwards as outlined in the current National Health Service Standards. Provincial Hospitals and the Provincial Health Authorities must create positions at the district hospitals. The only province that has done that is Enga Province. To attract doctors at the district hospital, administrators/hospital board/hospital management can give extra incentives to attract doctors. This is mentioned in the National Doctors Award. All young doctor wanting to do post-graduate training will now have to work in a district hospital for a year before being accepted for post-graduate training. All district hospitals must be technically equipped so the doctor present can work as a doctor there.

In the medical world, a medical doctor graduate gets a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) or MD. It is a 4-5 year course. In places like USA, you must have a first degree first before you attempt the MBBS program. Divine Word University is starting a new rural doctors program and soon Enga Provincial Government will introduce a medical school once its new hospital is built. Doctor training in all medical schools in the world graduate its candidate with a MBBS or MD, and are trained to work anywhere in the world. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences (formerly Medical Faculty) graduate doctors in the MBBS program, and at present 37% of these graduates are working overseas and in the private sector carrying the flag of PNG and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences with distinction. Training of doctors to suit the local need or flavour is not right. The post-graduate Rural Masters Programme instituted by the SMHS is a good programme intended for the rural setting. All doctors trained in PNG must get a undergraduate degree in MBBS that is exportable.

School of Medicine and Health Science (SMHS) must be acknowledged for training doctors in the MBBS and Dentistry program. It is about time, the government fully resource the SMHS to increase the doctor output that are internationally compatible, and has been the tradition to date.

All hospitals in the country must be fully equipped and resourced so that a doctor can deliver to expectation.

Lastly, any developments that happens in the country will be tested over time, but the human resource (employees) must not be tested. The fundamental growth of a nation or an institution is 100% vested on the workforce. So employers must not play marbles with the workforce. This must be known outright flat across.

by LUCAS KIAP

IN PNG it’s becoming acceptable to have corrupt politicians robbing the people in broad day light because the people blame themselves for electing them at the first place - they blame themselves for electing the wrong and not the right politicians.

The perception of most people in Papua New Guinea is that to see development (or basic services), everyone should vote for “right leaders” and not “wrong leaders”.

When the MP failed to deliver basic services and disappear in Port Moresby, the people starting blaming themselves as responsible for electing the wrong leaders.
The question is - what do we actually mean when we say, vote for the right leaders who will bring basic government services"

People have the right to basic government services regardless of whoever is get elected to the parliament? Are we trying to portray that in Papua New Guinea we have two categories of leaders – right and wrong leaders?

The right leaders will bring services or development and the wrong leaders will bring disaster or something worse to the people. Is this what we really mean when we say, elect the right leaders?
Perhaps, this explains the absence or lack of services and development in the country – we must have been electing wrong leaders to run the country since independence. The wrong leaders could be responsible for the disappearance of billions reportedly stolen under their watch every year.

The notion of wrong and right leaders is a serious misconception because there is no such thing as wrong or right leader in the world except dictators and corrupt leaders. Every leader elected by the people is to serve the people and that is why we have elected leaders serving people in the government.

But in Papua New Guinea it seems we have some leaders we called them wrong leaders and there are some leaders we called them right leaders. The wrong leaders can steal public funds and remain blameless. The right leaders are those who at least bring some form of basic government services.
This misconception of leadership classification has deprived people of basic goods and services as the lack of it, people often blame themselves for electing the wrong leaders. The elected leaders on the other hand, feeding on this misconception have been escaping responsibility by also blaming the people for electing the wrong leaders.

However, if the people are willing to suffer more by blaming themselves for electing the wrong leaders, and if the elected leaders prefer to continue to mislead the people by blaming them for electing the wrong leaders, then how do we make sure that we elect the right leaders or what is the guarantee that every leader we elect is the right leader?

Also, the people should know that every year the government allocates development funds in the budget for every electorate and every province, regardless of whether the people elected the wrong leaders or the right leaders or the leaders elected are in the government or in the opposition; the people have the right to get basic services. That is the people’s money. Not the politician’s money.
The question now is – do we continue to let our elected leaders exploit our wrong perception and ignorance about leadership while we blame ourselves for electing them, or do we blame them for stealing public funds meant for basic services and development?

For me letting the wrong leaders exploit our ignorance and living in luxury while we continue to toil the land with sweat every day for survival is injustice - denying ourselves opportunities to a better and equal life like those wrong leaders.

Those wrong leaders should be investigated, prosecuted and put behind bars, not letting them run free and robbing and making people suffer even more year-in-year-out.

by ALEX DON RENALI

Since the current management was appointed, UPNG has completely fallen off the academic radar and ladder. UPNG since has been suffering from nepotism, unethical behaviour, vindictive management practices and lack of academic thrust and direction.

1. Decision Making Process
Any management guru will tell you that the quality of the decisions in an enterprise, organisation or an institution reflects on the value such decision adds to the organisation. When the decision making process is poor, then the value such a decision adds to the organisation is poor. After two years, it is now very evident that the decision to appoint Mellam as the VC was a poor decision. The University of PNG is suffering under his VC-ship in all fronts, reflecting a poor decision and reflecting the quality of the decision makers.

2. Management of the University
Under the current managers of the University, the management practices now being experienced have been non-conforming and out of this planet.
The current management is so vindictive that staff at UPNG work in fear, a cartelist to pretentious performanceoutput by staff. VC is using the old negative archaic style of management of using fear to try achieving results however, someone has to tell him to use the most positive modern rewards system instead.
The UPNG Council condones the statutory non-compliance by the University Management but supports the Management in its vindictive behaviour towards staff of any wrongdoing. This is resulting in qualified hard working staff being terminated or not sought and recruited.
A number of staff have tried reporting this to the council but have been reprimanded and the administration have since been vindictive towards them. The Council’s behaviour towards potential whistle-blowers has discouraged them and many have not done so in fear of adverse consequences. The following is now rife at UPNG:

Misappropriation of funds – Very Expensive Cars, More than one official car for one officer, unwarranted and unaccounted for overseas travels, while UPNG has no money to support its most important core business

Failure to comply with University Laws and regulations in making decisions

Harassment of staff – Treats to sack staff for minor offenses, Sitting at the gate of the University by Mellam like a little High School Principal& keeping roll-call of late comers is the worst form of intimidation.

Corruption in administration --- appointment of underqualified staff to very senior university positions…. E.g. Academic Audit Director went to his Sepik wantok… who was neither a professor nor an Associate Professor. Invites him to sit in all Senior Management meetings including Senate and Deans Committees when he is not even part of these committees…. None of the University Statutes nor the By-Laws warrants such an absurd practice, which has gone unquestioned by neither the other University Officials nor the Council. And the appointment of the Deputy Dean research…hmmm well you guest it right… another blunder and corrupt practice…. In the appointment of a recently PhD holder who has no research credentials to hold that position

Top Down… authoritative Management style.--- total absence of consultative management at UPNG now. There is total lack of consultation with Executive Deans, Professors and Senior Managers. This VC totally lacks the understanding of the importance of maintaining trust. That trust is a fundamental aspect of collaborative leadership that world renowned Universities are founded on this practice. He lacks to understand that good working relationships, listening, common interest and sharing power all contribute to – and depend on – mutual trust

2. Illegal and Unethical Conduct
Mellam has been involved in unethical practices since his appointment. It is an open secrete at UPNG that he keeps a mistress (Grace) at UPNG. It has now surfaced that she is his bestowed wife in their village. He recruited her from DWU then sent her off to do a PhD, which she failed. Upon her return, she moved into a fully maintained, furnished and curtained house at UPNG. This is contrary to the UPNG Council decision of staff buying their own white goods and furniture. A failed PhD candidate is living in a well-maintained house while most of the Professors and staff are living in dilapidated houses.

After she failed her PhD studies, Mellam instructed the Director of SDU to continue maintaining her on Staff Development Position because the school refused to accept her back after she failed……thisis blatant CORRUPTION.. This went completely against the UPNG SDU policy on Study Fellows.

Mellam and his ladies dining out

This does not stop there… Mellam has taken overseas trips with Grace on a number of trips. Her official capacity in those trips is unknown to the University.
Oh and guess what…Mellam, his official wife and the mistress have also gone on official trips together. The three of them are a regular sight in Port Moresby shops and restaurants.
Mellam is regularly sighted in Graces’ office in early hours..as early as 6.30am and late in the evenings. One particular happening in her office has been the talk of the University, when two senior staff members, one a female (SDU) and a male (SBA) caught Mellam in Graces’ office in a very uncompromising position…..sothe story goes on..

3. Academic Leadership

Mellam totally lacks academic leadership. Since his appointment, no active academic discourse has taken place at UPNG. He fears and runs away from Professors. Besides the routine Senate and Council meetings he has not held a single academically oriented meeting with all Professors and Associate Professors of the University. It is a major requirement in any university for the VC to regularly meet with Professors to discuss and chart out the academic direction of the University. This VC is so academically inapt that he cannot lead the Professors in the University in academic discourse.

Also, no major research has been conducted resulting in no major publication. The University has turned into a small teaching college with many academic staff unqualified to give quality lectures.

4. Strategic Leadership
The University suffers from total absence of strategic direction from lack of strategic thinking and strategic leadership. This is because the VC lacks the following:

He lacks the ability to engage with the wider community on behalf of the university
He is so involved in the routine tasks of managing the University, tasks that should be taken care of by the PVCs and Executive Deans that he can not see through to the bigger picture of managing and linking the university
He is concentrating on visiting places like India where no new ideas and knowledge is coming from. He is so incompetent that he is scared of collaborating with more reputable Western UniversitiesSpends less time with Deans and Professors to open up to their critic and advice on how the University is being managed and if the academic programs are progressively improving or not.
He totally avoids and quashes debate on ideas and questions from staff on how the university is being managed
He is working and managing the university using very old and archaic management model

Since Mellam took office, he has not once held a meeting with the senior members of the University to review the Strategic Plan of the University.

Mellam’s appointment has resulted in the University’s vision and goals falling face first.
He lacks strategic focus that he is unable to extrapolate the current issues facing the university to set the future strategy.

He lacks understanding that an effective strategy is one that is organisationallycomprehensive. That it provides the multidisciplinary capacity to translate fundamental trends into relevant opportunities for creating comparative advantage and then deploys the appropriate initiatives.
And Mellam lacks the ability to manage competitive opportunities to help achieve the overall vision and goals of the University to the Premier University of the Pacific.
What all these means is that…. Mellam is totally unable to lead the creation of a unique and valuable position for UPNG…… using different sets of administrative and academic activities to do so.

5. Financial Miss Management
The University is financially mismanaged. The University constantly lacks operational funds. The scares financial resources of the University is being spend on very expensive cars and unnecessarily overseas trips that produce no positive results for the University.
The ongoing major projects are all mismanaged. Most of these projects have contractors stop working due to lack of payment of their claims. Advance payments without job starting yet for these projects have affected the cash flow of these projects from the Planning Department.

6. Illegality of Mellam’s Contract Renewal
The University community has only recently come to know of the secretive renewal of Mellam’s contract by the Standing Committee of the Council in February 2015. What is wrong with that:

Legallythis is not correct. This is an illegal move by the standing committee of the council. The new Higher Education Act, which superseded the UPNG ACT in November 2014, stipulates that the NEC on the advice of the Minister responsible for Higher Education willappoint/renew the VCs of State Universities. The process followed in the reappointment of Mellam is rigged with error. A committee chaired by a PVC, with membership of Senior Officers including Deans and Professors did not review the performance of the VC. Only then a recommendation should have been made to the staffing committee, which then recommends to the council for renewal or not. This did not take place obviously for fear of non-renewal.

7. Recommendations

The NEC should immediately constitute an investigating team to investigate the mall practices at UPNG
NEC using the provisions of thenew Higher Education Act immediately remove the current incompetent and corrupt management and replace it with a new one

by GARY MONDOLAME

We know from past experience that the word gets out when it appears on PNG Blogs. Please spread the word to people back at Unitech on the nasty smell we have detected in the wind that's blowing towards Lae.

PNG universities have been in the news this year. Apart from the student boycott up at UOG, we have the following.

UNRE: UNRE (former Vudal) was first in the news for 2015. Vice Chancellor Philip Siaguru, who students revolted against for fine living while the university went to the dogs was finally suspended after years of suspicious activities. There seems to be more than K10 million in UNRE funds unaccounted for, which Siaguru would know the whereabouts of but why unaccounted for? His running of UNRE has long been like a king on top of a throne but the Office of Higher Education looked the other way as is its usual tendency. Also OHE cannot hire or fire VCs. That is up to the council of the respective universities which is actually good because it prevents government meddling.

UPNG: Yesterday the disturbing allegations about UPNG Vice Chancellor Albert Mellam comes out. We already knew that VC Mellam was dishonourable. Last year he protected political sell-out SRC President Bobby Yupi after Yupi led a group of armed wantok attack dogs against students who wanted a UPNG boycott against corruption to continue. Yupi had been bought out by O'Neill to end the boycott.

After Yupi carried out his violent attack, Mellam protected Yupi from being deposed as SRC president as most students wanted. Mellam furthermore protected him from being arrested for assault which was a fully justified allegation.

His protection of Yupi's corruption and law breaking was good indication that Albert Mellam is one bad egg. Tche new evidence adds to this suspicion.

UNITECH: Of course Unitech was the highlight of last year's news with their saga and the students fight to bring back the VC Albert Schram who had been locked out of the country by unscrupulous Council members backed up by equally unscrupulous officials in Foreign Affairs and of course the corrupt David Arore. This year up to now Unitech was in the news in a good way with their new internet setup that no other university has and apparently good progress in cleaning out corruption. After last year's disruptions, this was pretty good. However last week things turned sour as deposed Prochancellor of Unitech and failed lawyer Ralph Saulep, followed months of silence with a new round of ranting and raving against the reinstated VC. We should not forget that Schram was welcomed back last year by thousands of students and supporters who led a convoy through Lae town made up of dozens of PMVs and other vehicles.

Schram returned after his Councils vote of confidence which turn came after Schram was found innocent of all charges investigated in the Sevua report. Saulep had a hand in writing the terms of reference for, hoping that the Sevua report would bring down Schram and PM Peter O'Neill also joined the side to keep Schram out until students forced him to back down. Saulep was incensed when an honest judge, the late respected Magistrate Mark Sevua was chosen to conduct the investigation that resulted in Schram being declared innocent of all charges.

An insider at the National whispered in our ears that a couple weeks ago Saulep had tried to get an anti-Albert Schram article published. The National's editors decided to pass. It seems that certain staff who last year supported publishing Saulep's rants and raves have grown tired of the man. But Saulep, who cares not if he has any friends and must have lost a great deal of easy money when pushed aside as Unitech Pro-Chancellor last year, won't give up.

Thus Saulep grabbed at the alternative option offered by The National and wrote a letter to the editor published last Tuesday. As always Saulep dishes out his same old complaints about the Unitech VC Albert Schram, which the Sevua report investigated and found without merit.

This week Saulep then either wrote a followup letter or had one of his corrupt cronies do it for him:

As already noted, Saulep had a hand in creating the original terms of reference for the Sevua report hoping that the cards could then be stacked against Schram. Saulep was invited to testify in front of respected Judge Sevua. Saulep never showed up. Now Saulep complains that the report was incomplete and the conclusions wrong. That makes a mockery of the integrity of the late Judge Sevua.

We have investigated the situation at Unitech to see if Saulep's latest complaints about Schram have any merit. Apparently this is more than Saulep has done because we received a very different picture than what Saulep reports.

Apparently the VC designates authority to nationals to carry out the work of the university. That is obviously what an expatriate should do if they have any intent of localising their jobs one day to nationals. We are told that this was the reason for the budget defence being carried out by other senior executives of the university. Saulep confuses empowerment with incompetence which is not surprising.

In making enquiries with fairly high up people at Unitech we were also informed VC Schram has original documents of his qualifications which if true means Saulep will once again come away from the fight he picked with mud on his face. What Saulep always neglects to talk about is that he was caught redhanded forging a court order during the Unitech saga. This is not an ethical man we are talking about.

We have heard that there are complaints that the VC is clamping down on slackness at the university and that more corrupt Unitech staff are being shown the door (although unfortunately, not being prosecuted for embezzlement or other corruption as we believe they should be). This includes a long serving staff member in the Student Affairs Department who for many years gave special treatment for student admittance in return for drinks and money. Apparently there are staff who have been stealing from the bookstore, another who was misappropriating money from their animal zoo, and yet another who was selling final exam papers to the students. All now departed or on their way out we are informed.

Obviously those hurt feelings will not make the above ratbags friends of Schram. Apparently there has also been a clampdown of sorts on alcohol abuse. More foes of Schram except that most students (again, these are all things we have been told by those who work and live at Unitech) appreciate the improvement in law and order.

There are still crime problems coming from outside the campus which supposedly the university administration is making a big push for funding next year to properly fence the boundaries. We do not have photos but are told that the campus is much more tidy than in the past.

If all this is true (and we used 5 different sources to find out whats going on at Unitech), it is fair to ask what got sleezebag Saulep all stirred up at this particular time? Did he lose his government legal work consultancies once government witnessed the full extent of Saulep's incompetency? Are the reports of the fairly impressive accomplishments happening at Unitech making Saulep outraged?

We have learnt from last year's Saga that Saulep is extremely vindictive but also dumb and unpredictable. He cares only about getting payback. He would gladly destroy Unitech if that made him feel vindicated for whatever wrongs he feels he suffered as a result of Unitech saga.

Saulep is likely attracting any such rats who have lost their comfort nests after being sacked for corruption. Some of them are undoubtedly serving as Saulep's eyes and ears on campus and banding together to try and topple the VC. Oh those rats must long for the good old days of the inattentive and equally corrupt former Vice Chancellor Misty Baloiloi! They felt no threat to their jobs back then.

Here is a message we would like to send to the honest and good Unitech staff and students. Dear friends and fighters of corruption at Unitech, be warned and take heed. Bad Baby Ralphie is on move. Keep up your guard. Keep your eye out for other snakes in the grass on campus, especially those named in the Sevua Report, who would love to see the Report's recommendations are swept under the carpet permanently. Any terminated staff still on campus you can be sure they want the good old days of embezzlement to return to Unitech. Slackers on campus they want to remain slackers they have no interest in working for their pay.

From all accounts Sir Nagora Bogan is an honourable man so we request that as Unitech Chancellor he deal with this perpetual bad smell aka Ralph Saulep once and for all if Saulep dares step any further out of line with nonsense accusations as leader of the Unitech scum. Sir Nagora, please start implementing all Sevua Report recommendations. Saulep seems to be the kind of pest who won't quit causing problems until he's thoroughly stomped out like a cockaroach. He needs to finally feel the sharp pain of justice being achieved against the corrupt.

Unitech students you were the shining star of the nation last year when you stood up for justice against rats headed by the corrupt David Arore, Philip Stagg, Ralph Saulep and Misty Baloiloi. Your actions helped topple all of them from power. You quite accurately picked who was on the good side and who were slimebuckets in this Saga. Anyone who worked at Unitech during the time of the former VC Baloiloi is well aware that things have changed from night to day in terms of good governance and intolerance of corrupt souls. Never again will Unitech funds be used to pay for the VC's daughter's fancy wedding as happened when Baloiloi was signing Unitech cheques.

Students, please stand up again as the pride of the nation if Ralph Saulep makes a move to disrupt Unitech. Make sure he's slapped back into his rat hole . Also find out who are the Judases at Unitech who are trying to claw their way back into power. Once you identify them, smack them so hard that they'll wish they had crawled away in shame as would have happened in most countries.

The best way to stop any remaining ratbags at Unitech to get evidence against them and expose the culprits. You are always welcome to email your stories and information to PNG BLOGS. That will expose the guilty ones good and proper and shame them before the world so that anyone googling their name even decades from now will read about their sins.

Ralph Saulep has fired the first shot in his hopes to restart a Saga we thought we left behind. If Saulep tries again to disrupt the peace of Unitech it should be considered a callous declaration of war against honest people who are tired of corruption as usual.

by NIGL KAIR NEM

One of the factors that cause development stagnation in PNG is corruption. Corruption is defined as ‘the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain’ and it is a global phenomenon. In PNG, corruption is widespread and endemic, penetrating all levels of society. Although, corruption flourishes in secrecy, the social and economic effects of it are visible and affect everyone in the country.

PNG’s economy is boosted by large reserves from the natural resources like gold, copper, nickel, oil and gas. The PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is expected to contribute 30 billion dollars into PNG economy over the next 30 years. This is anticipated to contribute additional 20% into the country’s GDP. In addition to this, the Ramu nickel mine and other mines around the country have started shipping overseas hence they become major sources of foreign revenue for the country.

Despite unprecedented economic growth with the country experiencing a decade of mineral resources boom, the value of kina has not performed well at the international market. Moody’s 2015 report shows that PNG’s B1 foreign currency and local currency ratings have dropped significantly from stable to negative. Due to government embarking on ambitious development programs our fiscal deficits have widened significantly, hence our external debt had risen to an estimated 37.7% of GDP in 2014. PNG’s debt level, according to Moody’s report exceeded 40% which means our expenditure has significantly exceeded our production and revenue. Many international commentators further state that the government’s preaching about growing economic boom has brought nothing or had little effect on the lives of the ordinary citizens. Poverty is still widespread.

Various social and economic indicators demonstrate the visible effects of corruption in the country. According to Transparency International’s 2013 Corruption Perception Index, PNG is ranked 150th out of 176 countries, with a score of 25 on a scale of 0 – 100, where zero means that a country is highly corrupt and hundred means a country is very clean. According to the World Bank, PNG’s Human Development Index (HDI) was ranked 153rd out of 187 countries and for Gender Inequality Index (GII) PNG was again placed 153rd out of 187 countries. More than 80% of the country’s population lives in the rural areas where subsistence economy remains the main source of income and daily sustenance. It was estimated that in the period 1993–2002, approximately 57.4% of the population survived on less than $2 a day, suggesting that 70% of the population live below poverty line. The latest Economic and Social Survey Report of the Asia Pacific region reports negatively that the income inequality is widening significantly to the detriment of women, especially in the rural areas. Efforts to eradicate poverty through various initiatives have failed due to corruption and poor governance. Lack of political will and ineffective government policies, especially in the agricultural sector, have failed to help the bulk of the population living off the land. Coffee production by smallholders, which used to be major source of income in the Highlands, has fallen on hard times due to factors such as law and order, land disputes, lack of basic coffee farming skills, no political will, and poor rehabilitation of existing coffee trees.

The current population growth increases at a rate of 2.9% per annum and this could double itself in 29 years. The school age population is predicted to grow by 25.7% between 2005 and 2014. This puts much pressure on the education sector to respond to and absorb the rapid growth whilst working towards improving the quality of service delivery and focus of educational programs effectively. However, the current literacy level still remains low with an estimated 65.4% for males and 59.4% for females. Significant social indicators such as unemployment is increasing and the current rate is estimated to be higher than 70%. The growing number of “street children” found in PNG’s major towns and cities speaks for itself and has become an eye sore challenge for government’s public policy and development strategies for the future.

Subsequent to current government’s free education policy schools throughout the country have reported mass enrollment of children with little or no infrastructure such as classrooms in place to cater for them. Numerous complaints have been raised about the shortage of trained teachers to teach and the ratio between teacher and student is disproportionately large – that one teacher is teaching about fifty to sixty children, which contravenes best practice policies in the extreme.

The health sector is also battling with very troubling health issues in the country. Many of PNG’s premier hospitals have run down with little or no lifesaving equipment such as kidney dialysis, radiogram machine and even X-Rays and other lifesaving machine are near death stages. PNG’s maternal mortality ratio is 230 per 100,000 women, which is worse than India’s with almost half of all women giving birth without the assistance of a doctor or midwife.

The infant mortality ratio is 63 deaths per 1,000 live births in children under five and 56.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in infant under one. Tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases cause 62% of deaths nationwide. Although the National AIDS Council had declared a decline in the HIV prevalence in the country (0.9%), it still remains highest in the Pacific. The combination of HIV/AIDS and TB are found to be major killers of PNG’s population.

According to World Health Organisation PNG has less than 400 medical doctors of which only 51 work outside Port Moresby, despite 85% of people living in rural areas. The doctor to patient ratio is one doctor per 17,068 people compared to 1 doctor per 1,000 people in Fiji and one doctor per 302 in Australia. This complements with the recent media report stating that ‘more than 3 million Papua New Guineans do not have access to a doctor’. Most critical of all is the grave shortage of health workers – with a ratio of 0.58 per 1,000 people.

This has become an issue of concern for the Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS and he talks about hiring medical doctors and nurses from overseas to come and work in many of the hospitals in the country. But is the idea of hiring doctors and health workers from overseas going to solve all these issues? Look at the current living conditions of health care workers. Virtually all of them live in the settlements and come to work. The same happens to teachers and all other middle income earners in the country.

The current Government is preaching a lot about prioritising health and education in the country but with very little or no tangible effects. They have paid lip service only and have not combatted the real issues yet. If the country’s money and wealth is substantially squandered on low priority areas with no consideration given to combat poor administration of the projects and contracts awarded through improper tendering processes then the state is going to lose in big time.

by PETER KUNJIL

If what Saulep’s is trying to bring across to us the students, staff and concerned parties of PNG University of Technology Taraka Campus is true and wants Shram to step down from the office of the Vice Chancellor, why don’t our SRC setup at SPECIAL FORUM for him to give a speech to the concerned students here? Why don’t he come tell us on our face the “TRUTH” he is preaching over the media (newspaper)? Why don’t he ask the students himself to find out if UniEtch is flying or not?
The once proclaimed by “The National” newspaper in April 2014, on a front paper article “ACTING VICE CHANCELLOR” of PNG University of Technology and former Pro Chancellor of PNG University, we really feel for your sacrifices and appreciate your great concerns for this university (PNG UniTech), while you were here, you have done great work. We really feel for you when you never had a chance to sit in that office you were given the position by “The National” during our boycott last year.

Your concerns as stated in The National newspaper (pic:pngblogs.com),

we think its best you come share it with the concerned students here at PNG Unitech campus.

As current and outgoing students of The Papua New Guinea University of Technology, we are proud to celebrate the outcomes of the good work of VC Dr Albert Schram. From the scratches, filth and dirt people like the former Chancellor Philip Stagg, former VC Misty Baloloi and yes YOU SAULEP left, Dr Albert Schram has showed us that he can do it even with less funds, unqualified as claimed by Saulep, please feel free to come and tell us the students and staff of PNG UniTech here at the campus. Dr Schram has done so much for the University within a short period of time and if you Saulep were still here, NOTHING would have changed like what it is like now. We the students don’t see Dr Schram as unqualified, we see Dr Albert Schram as HIGHLY QUALIFIED than crooks like you RALPH SAULEP.

He can deliver better than you, he is that best VC’s yet you are claiming he is You (Saulep) claim that the University is not “FLYING”, we are happy you mentioned the word “flying” itself as the word was initiated by VC Dr Schram and actually UniTech has fully grown wings already and is flying with the new fastest internet connection, and we keeping an eye on preys like you do not interfere to stop the progress. We now have one of world’s fatest internet connection here, if you and your old partners in corruption were here, this wouldn’t happen. Your claims are worthless, from a student perspective, I am frustrated to hear from people like you claiming that Schram is unqualified when at the first place your team of CORRUPT partners got him into the job after interviews. Didn’t you check properly his credentials before getting him in?

To cut it short, Mr Saulep, it is a waste of time to try to find ways to attack our innocent Vice Chancellor, get a life and move on. We must warn you that, the student body plus tha staff of this University and concerned stakeholders and the REST of the Independence State of Papua New Guinea DO NOT WANT HEAR ANY MORE CRAPS from YOU Raph SAULEP! We DO NOT WANT YOU TO HINDER THE PROGRESS OF THIS UNIVERSITY UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF DR ALBERT SCHRAM. We must NOT see or hear anything from you, LET Dr Schram to be a FREE MAN to devep this University and bring this University to the next level. Let the outside world know this University, let the children of this nation get Quality Education from this University (PNG UniTecch). Let Dr Schram do his job without fear, on behalf of the PNG, the Students of PNG University of Technology would like tell Dr Albert Schram that WE GOT YOUR BACK, do your best for this University and NOT fear CROOKS like Ralph SAULEP.

(Photo credit: pngblogs.com)

by CYRIL GARE

God’s number one business on earth is people therefore anything that is not people-centred is un-Godly, says P’nyang’s landowner Chairman, Michael Betkimsok.

Mr. Betkimsok was reacting to the events unfolding during Question Time this and last week in Parliament pertaining to the P’nyang gas project in Western province.

According to him, P’nyang must be a standalone project of its own and under no circumstances should it will be hijacked into or under the umbrella of the Exxon Mobil led PNG LNG project, In an exclusive interview with Sunday Chronicle this morning (Saturday, June 06, 2015) in Port Moresby, Mr. Betkimsok said it is “unconditional” that his gas field must have its own license, own agreement and benefit sharing structure completely outside of the precincts of Exxon Mobil, “non-negotiable!”.

He raised two important points:

The Retention Licence initially held by Oil Search has expired on April 15, 2015, adding Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill has lied when saying that Exxon Mobil is the current license holder;
Under the Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) agreement with Exxon Mobil signed this year to supply electricity to Port Moresby, the State and Exxon Mobil have acquired and sold 15 per cent of their gas reserves without landowners’ Free, Prior Informed Consent (FPIC); and
No benefits to landowners after this sale, an act he described as “corporate predators” and vowed to “fight it all the way and not bowing down”.

Mr. Betkimsok acknowledged the contributions of Opposition Leader, Don Polye and Rabaul MP, Dr. Allan Marat in last Weeks’ Parliament session where they queried the Prime Minister on the P’nyang gas project and DMO deal, both men as well as P’nyang landowners were not satisfied with the answers given by both Prime Minister and his Gas and Petroleum Minister, Dixon Duban.

Minister Duban had told Parliament last week during question time that P’nyang does not hold enough gas reserve to qualify for a standalone project.

“If this is the case”, Mr. Betkimsok said “then leave my gas field alone. If it (P’nyang) is not viable or isolated, just leave the field and leave me, go!

“If you’re sure that there is something that is viable, its profitable then don’t hide, don’t play games under the table, play the game on the table, everyone should know what is going on,” he said.

Mr. Betkimsok said P’nyang people are aware of the mistakes of Juha gas field and the Ok Tedi gold mine projects (both in Western province) where only one per cent of benefits is paid to the Fly River provincial government from the Juha project benefits while the export holding plant in Central province (Napa Napa/Lea Lea) which is 700 kilometres away gets 12 per cent.

“This is totally unfair. What guarantee is here for me if P’nyang goes under Exxon?,” he asked.

For Ok Tedi, he said for 32 years of operation in Western province, there are hardly tangible benefits reaching the bulk of people in the rural communities. Peoples’ fund held in the PNG Sustainable Development (PNGSDP) is siphoned to Singapore and is currently a subject of International Court and dispute.

‘Shame indeed! I don’t know, the State is leaning towards Exxon Mobil and corporate giants all the time and not the very people or subjects they are meant to protect, why?

“There’s too much for everybody. Nobody should be left out if we do it properly on the table. It should be a win win situation for everyone so that the State is happy, landowners are happy and the developer is happy,” Betkimsok concluded.

He is in Port Moresby engaging Centurion Lawyers who have filed and seeking in Court “restraining orders” against the State and Exxon Mobil on the “questionable” DMO deal that which to involve supply of electricity to Port Moresby

This article was first published by The Sunday Chronicle and was submitted to PNGBlogs by the Author.

by MARK J PULAPE

NOT THE FIRST TIME OUR ECONOMY HAS BEEN GRAVELY MISMANAGED BY PRIME MINISTERS

Young people have no idea how much better (or worse) things used to be in the past. We live in a nation where too little of our history is written down, hardly ever in a form where it can be retrieved and read years later. That makes it easy for our leaders to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. They fall into the same traps, make the same mistakes, and the rest of us don't realise it could have all been avoided. That's the stupidity of always looking forward and never looking back. Also not knowing our own history makes it very hard to become enraged when our leaders' idiot decisions costs the country millions, even billions. We never knew it was avoidable!

Amazingly, certain politicians who created our biggest disasters in the past still hang on long past their use by date. They successfully escape their past by reinventing themselves in a new image. Julius Chan has been one of the most successful image changers. Here's a man who almost outdid Peter O'Neill when he was PM in finding totally unethical ways to make money on the side. Here's the man who paid white mercenaries from Africa K100 million (a lot of money at the time) to come to Bougainville to gun down our own people in cold blood all to re-open a stupid mine. Yet today we have this same evil man, Julius Chan, proclaiming himself to be the champion of local rights and the enemy of greedy mining interests. Anyone who remembers the 1990s probably wants to vomit.

Paias Wingti's reinvention of himself also makes one want to choke in disgust. Wingti was the one that effectively destroyed what had been wise macroeconomic policy that had been in place since independence. In those days, the bureaucrats made the decisions and the politicians had relatively little power in putting any stupid ideas into practice. PNG's wise macroeconomic policy resulted in the kina becoming strong, which made the costs of imports pretty cheap. Enough so that high quality Australian goods were affordable to those who were in the cash economy at the time.

DISASTER FREE THIS AND THAT GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES: Wingti was the one who began the destruction of this well built system. At the worst possible time, he began the same kind of stupid nonsustainable handout government programmes (always designed to attract votes at election time) that Peter O'Neill is now doing. In Wingti's case, the handouts were FREE EDUCATION and AGRICULTURAL CROP SUBSIDIES. Handouts are not investments but create dependencies and a sluggish population. When you tell parents and farmers they don't have to invest a thing in what should be one of the most important things in their lives, they get lazy and the systems that support them don't get the best kind of support in return.

None of this is how you create real development. Even worse, Wingti started his free this and that policy right when Panguna mine had been shut down on Bougainville and the PNG government lost more than a fifth of its annual budget overnight.

Did Wingti make prudent fiscal management his top priority? Of course not. Our misplaced respect for pollies make them so bigheaded that they become delusional. They think they're world experts when they're not (look at the way Don Polye pretends himself to be an economics expert today. Deputy PM Chris Haiveta, who at least had a degree in economics, also developed an outsized ego, ultimately becoming part of the famous Chan-Haiveta-Ijape clown team who the PNG people ran out of parliament in 1997 in PNG's only real people power revolution.
Back to Wingti. Wingti didn't do what a wise man would have done, which would be to address the sudden income shortfall by greatly cutting government expenditures. Instead he kept spending which meant that he also had to start borrowing to fund his overexpenditures. He happily took on large World Bank loans, getting PNG badly into debt to the tune of about K8 billion. That was a lot of money at the time that one kina was worth well over one US dollar.

1991 DISASTER SOUTH PACIFIC GAMES OVEREXPENDITURE: Sir Rabbie Namaliu, a well intentioned and honest Prime Minister (probably the only truly honest PM we've ever had) took over from Wingti in 1988 (Wingti grabbed back power again in 1992) foolishly continued the overexpenditures by building the infrastructure, including Sir John Guise Stadium, for the 1991 South Pacific Games.

OPENING THE FLOOD OF MONEY LEAVING PNG: Wingti and Chan became clown twins during the 1990's who presided over the kina's slide. The high national debt couldn't be pulled down and Chan allowed money wealth to flow out of the country by removing currency export controls. Chan and Wingti used Chan's private knowledge of government information on when the kina would have to be devalued to unethically profit by sending their money out of the country just before devaluation (this is only 1 of a number of Julius Chan corruptions when he was PM).

ROCK AND ROLL MANAGEMENT OF THE KINA UNTIL IT HIT BOTTOM IN 1999: Bill Skate inherited a disaster economy from Chan and managed to mismanage it further by the continued political inability to take harsh measures, unpopular to the people. Our PNG currency hit rock bottom, with the kina worth only around 25 US cents. That slide caused a massive increase in the cost of most goods and services in PNG which the average Papua New Guinean could not afford.

The impoverishment process caused by the financial mismanagement of Wingti, Chan and Skate is real. People suffered as a result of their stupidity but each of them got richer yet in the process. The kina has never recovered from their mismanagement. Consider that the kina topped out in the early 1980s being worth more than $1.50 in US dollars. It bottomed out at 25 US cents. It never has reached more than about 50 US cents when Peter O'Neill won the 2012 election and now it is only about 36 US cents and still in decline.

Urban people suffered the most as the kina collapsed as they were the most dependent on rice and other imports whose price skyrocketed. The tragedy of the current Peter O'Neill mismanagement of the national wealth will less be what happens to the kina and do our national wealth, and more due to our inability to learn from the past and start putting intensive public pressure as necessary to hold our leaders accountable and force them to start doing what is right instead of doing whatever brings them personal power and personal wealth.

PNGEXPOSED

Minister has lied in Parliament over his involvement in a family company awarded a K27 million contract in dubious circumstances

Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko has a long history of unanswered fraud allegations. Now he is trying to bat away accusations of corruption over a massive K27 million contract awarded to his family company to keep the flowers growing in Port Moresby. But not only has the Minister failed to answer the substantive allegations against him he has misled Parliament and lied to the people.
Tkatchenko [see story below] does not deny that the company he founded, Kitoro No.33, which trades under the name PNG Gardener, is the beneficiary of the K27 million contract.
Nor has he denied that the bid submitted by Kitoro No.33 was the highest among seven competing tenders received by the National Capital District.
The bid was “unquantified and staggering” according to eminent lawyer and MP Alan Marat and contained costings that were “grossly exorbitant, dubious and amount to defrauding the State”.
Instead of answering these allegations directly Tkatchecko has tried to deflect attention by making out that as he has resigned his directors position and handed his shares in the company to his wife, everything is above board.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Kitoro No.33 is still a Tkatchenko family owned and controlled company and the profits made directly benefit Justin. The Minister still has everything to gain from ensuring the success of the company. Whether the shares are held by him directly or his wife makes no difference he is still a direct beneficiary.
It is also completely false for Tkatchenko to claim he resigned his directorship and sold his shares in 2012 as he stated in Parliament:

“I am no longer the director and shareholder since 2012″.

Not true, Justin.
PNG Exposed has obtained documents that clearly show Tkatchenko did not remove himself as a director and shareholder until April 2014 – nearly two years after the election!

Tkatchenko has also lied in Parliament about his involvement in company affairs since the 2012 election:

“I have no working input in the company since I became a member of parliament.”

Not true Justin.
Here you are still signing documents as the company Managing Directpr in February 2013:

Tkatchenko said in Parliament:

“Let’s get our facts right before we start opening our mouths and telling lies and misleading situations about my family company,”

But, as the documents show, it is Tkatchenko who has got his facts wrong, it is Tkatchenko who is telling lies and it is Tkatchenkp who is “misleading situations” [sic]
_______________
Source: Post Courier
By ANDREW ALPHONSE
A MASSIVE K27 million contract was awarded to PNG Gardener, a company owned by Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko, to beautify Port Moresby, Parliament was told yesterday.
Rabaul MP Allan Marat suggested during Question Time that Mr Tkatchenko may have used his influence to award the city beautification contract to Kitore No. 3, trading as PNG Gardener, which is allegedly owned by Mr Tkatchenko.
However, Mr Tkatchenko said he had declared his interest to the Ombudsman Commission and was no longer a shareholder or director of PNG Gardener.
Mr Marat had produced documents which showed that seven other companies tendered for the National Capital District Commission contract which PNG Gardener won in January at the cost of K9 million a year for three years – 2015-17, totalling to K27 million.
He claimed that PNG Gardener’s bid was “unquantified and staggering” as it was the highest from the seven others but yet was given the nod by NCDC.
Mr Marat highlighted some exotic scope of work in the report like the K400,000 for the beautification of Erima roundabout, K300,000 for Eight-Mile roundabout, K80,000 for Four-Mile roundabout, K90,000 for Koki roundabout and repainting work and K50,000 for the PNG Institute of Public Administration roundabout, among others.
Mr Marat asked whether the painters, cleaners and gardeners were paid K10,000 to K20,000 as the figures were “grossly exorbitant, dubious and amounts to defrauding the State”.
Mr Tkatchenko responded that PNG Gardener had a proven track record of keeping the city clean in the past 20 years while every legal process was followed.
He said it was not only about putting flowers pots on the roadsides but PNG Gardener employed more than 2000 people fortnightly who sweep and clean the city everyday.
Mr Tkatchenko said he had disclosed his interest in the company to the Ombudsman Commission and ceased to be a director and shareholder when he became an MP in 2012.
He said he operated in a crystal-clear manner and when the tenders’ board sat to award the contract, he had to excuse himself from the meeting.
Speaker Theodore Zurenuoc refused to entertain more questions on the matter when Attorney-General Ano Pala interjected with a point of order which prevented Mr Marat from tabling the report
_______________
Minister Tkatchenko has a long history of fraud allegations
Sports and Special Events Minister Justin Tkatchenko is not a fit and proper person to be an MP, let alone a government Minister, given his history of unanswered fraud allegations.
Parliament’s own Accounts Committee and special investigations at the National Capital District have both thrown up detailed allegations of corruption while one criminal prosecution against Tkatchenko was dropped in circumstances questioned by the National Court.
In 2010 it was alleged Tkatchenko received over K3 million in payments from the National Capital District through his landscaping companies Kitoro No.33 and PNG Gardner. It is claimed these payments, were authorised by NCDC Governor Powes Parkop in breach of the Public Finance Management Act, the NCDC Act and the Organic Law on the Leadership Code.
The payments, which were made for work on the NCDC Mini Park, Water Fountain, Waterslide and Zoo and Animal Farm, were made with no quotations provided and no public tendering process – breaching the fundamental principles of value for money, transparency, effective competition, fair and ethical dealing and efficiency.
But the allegations against Tkatchenko go back much further. In 1999 a Special Investigation into Fraud, Corruption and Financial Mismanagement at the National Capital District Commission, done by TSK International, found that Justin Tkatchenko as Acting City Administrator had fraudulently obtained a total of K12,000 through two cheques in the sums of K4,000 and K8,000.
The investigation concluded “Mr Tkatchenko had dishonestly applied the monies to his own use”.
Although the police did investigate these allegations and criminal charges were laid a Magistrate dismissed the case before it got to trial – a decision that was later heavily criticized in the National Court. Indeed when Tkatchenko then sued the police alleging malicious prosecution and false imprisonment Justice Salika not only dismissed the case brought by Tkatchenko he described it as “frivolous and vexatious”. Salika found there was plenty of evidence to justify the charges against Tkatchenko and that it “is a wonder to this Court” why the Magistrate dismissed the case.
In 2003 the Parliamentary Accounts Committee was asked by Parliament to conduct an investigation into alleged corruption in the Parliamentary Service. The Committee submitted its report in September 2003 after summonsing witnesses and hearing evidence given on oath.
The PAC investigation found Justin Tkatchenko company Kitoro No.33 was awarded a K1.5 million contract to maintain parliamentary gardens, in breach of procurement procedure. The Kitoro tender was received 3 months AFTER the closing date. The tender submitted was only for twelve months but a three year contract was awarded. The original contract amount of K490,000 was K190,000 above the limit imposed by the Public Finance Management Act. The lowest bid for the project tender was just K12,000 per year. Kitoro was awarded contract totaling K837,738 that did not go to public tender.
The PAC recommended the contracts with Kitoro No.33 be terminated immediately and the officers responsible for the tendering, awarding and executing of the contract face ‘appropriate action’.
While Tkatchenko has never been found guilty of fraud he has been implicated in fraud in at least three separate investigations stretching back over a 12-year period and one set of criminal charges he has faced were dismissed in circumstances a senior judge regarded as suspicious and unjustified.
If people like Tkatchenko want to hold public office then we need the allegations against to be heard in a proper public trial first – and not dismissed at the committal stage in suspicious circumstances, if they ever even get that far. If they are innocent what do these people have to hide and until they face due process they are not fit and proper persons to hold public office.
The case of Tkatchenko raises a number of serious and wider questions, including:

The findings of public accounting bodies are not being followed up by the national fraud squad, despite considerable prima facie evidence.

When cases are brought before the District Court for committal, fraud charges are being dismissed without reason, despite an abundance of evidence being present. There is often no written record of the judgement, or the records kept are wholly inadequate. At the very least this raises serious questions over the independence of some Magistrates.

by LUCAS KIAP

This is a story of a man who once owned a cup that produces water for drinking. It was a mystery cup that the man owned - he had no idea where the cup came from and how the water gets in there at the first place and continues to refill itself whenever he drinks. He only knows how to drink. Every time when he becomes thirsty he would go to his cup - there he would find water to drink. When he drinks he would not finish - there would still be some left in the cup. After he drinks, the cup would always refill itself. One day he became curious and wanted to discover the mystery behind the cup. He decided to drink all the water in the cup and pour out the remaining so that he could witness the whole process of the cup refilling itself. What he did not realize was that once the cup was empty, it would not refill itself again.

The cup was subjected to natural laws, laws that the poor man has no control over them - laws that he didn't understand them - laws that were not meant to be abused, manipulated, twisted, misunderstood or under any circumstances misinterpreted - irreversible laws with great consequences.

Like the magic cup, our natural resources are subjected to natural laws.

If we continue to promote economic growth by allowing only the foreigners to exploit our natural resources and take away business opportunities without any significant, tangible, and sustainable long-term gains, will it continue to sustain our ever-increasing demand without consequences?

We have to have in mind that the natural laws will eventually come into play halting our ongoing ability to extract more of these natural and precious nonrenewable resources. Pretending otherwise is unsustainable. The amount of damages that we are causing to the balancing of the environment and its ecosystem is unforgiving by the future generations.

More than eighty-five percent of the population in Papua New Guinea are poor rural subsistence farmers and their contribution to the economic growth of the country is very little or nothing at all. All of them are isolated from taking part in economic growth activities as the government fails to create opportunities for them or the opportunities are simply not there.

For the last 40 years, the government has been concentrating on the extractive sectors (minerals, oil and gas, timber, and forestry) to create economic growth in the country further isolating the people as interests of foreign international multi-corporations take the centre stage. Spin off benefits are very little as the government does not has a plan to convert those opportunities into thriving economic growth activities for the resources owners to enhance their quality of life. Mostly benefited from the spinoff benefits and other benefits are those already rich, well-off and educated. They form perimeters around unsuspecting rural people with corrupt politicians and government officials to siphon most of the benefits further isolating and marginalizing the rural people.

The agriculture sector, which traditionally supposed to be the back bone driving the economic growth of the country, has over the years received very little attention as the government has been concentrating all its efforts to drive investment into the extractive industry by giving tax breaks and exemptions to foreign owned multi-corporations. The continuous negligence of the agriculture sector has completely isolating and marginalizing the poor rural people from fully participating in the economic growth of the country.

While the people are poor and have fewer opportunities to take part in any economic growth activity, the blunt negligence of the government to involve its own people is evident in small business activities which have been dominated by foreigners especially of Asian origin. Whether its lack of training, skills, experiences, knowledge or capital to empower the people to take part in those small business activities, the government continues to play blind to the plight of its own people.

In reality the poor rural people of Papua New Guinea have been neglected and marginalized by their own government and a few already rich and well-off people. Those who benefit from the government coffers are only those who have connections to political leaders in the country and those that are rich enough to find their own way through by bribing corrupt politicians and government officials. The rest of the population are only spectators and somewhat confusing of the realities of what happens around them. The richer are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer in this country otherwise rich country with great potential for economic growth.

The apparently lack of growth economic growth in all sectors of the economy and its diversification has not only deprived the people of a better life but also deny the country fast growth and development. The government's failure to develop every economic potential of the country has continued to this day trap more than eighty five percent of the population in poverty with little or no hope of escaping from poverty. There is no hope for the future if we continue failing to diversify the economy by developing every economic potential of the country to give equal opportunity to every Papua New Guinean to take part in the economic growth of the country.

Corruption breeds poverty and poverty breeds violence. It's a time bomb we are creating. We must not underestimate what we are creating is capable of if we fail to take action soon.

by JAMES KAMBO

Sports and Pacific Games Minister Justin Tkatchenko is under the spotlight again this week after a rape victim has come out publicly to confirm legal proceedings have taken place to claim for damages done to him by the Minister while he was employed at the NCDC Botanical Gardens between 1998 - 2000.

The victim from Wapenmanda district in the Enga Province has confirmed to PNGBlogs he has been under duress and he's burdened with feelings of worthlessness, at one point even contemplating suicide and self harm after he was sexually abused by a man who is currently the face of PNG and the Pacific Games.

His intention is to bring to light what happened 16 years ago, The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons is a father of 4 kids is now in his forties.

When queried by PNGBlogs on the long delay in seeking justice he said he could not hide this anymore after his family and tribe asked him to speak out because on his Anorectal diseases or Anal Disorder, he has been living in shame from his family all these years but decided he has had enough and is seeking damages in Court.

Justin Tkatchenko has never been arrested even after various complaints have been filed with the Police. He said the minister would pay them extra incentives for giving him oral sex and would and would also provide extra cash if he thinks you like it.

The whole picture of Justin Tkatchenko is that of a general ratbag and corrupt manipulator. A big fish attracted to the small pond of PNG. A fraud, a fake and a sodomist. That's why a lot of people are praying for Justin's failure at the Pacific Games. They reckon it is long deserved payback for the contempt our Tkatchenko has thrown at the grassroots of Papua New Guinea for the last two decades. Justin Tkatchenko came to PNG supposedly to do good and has done very well indeed.

Can PNG build on from this unprecedented development in rugby league with PNG Hunters or even explore the QLD's Intrust Cup prospects?

byBRIAN FOLOCK

Queensland's Intrust Super Cup turns out a BIG HIT in PNG after two of its teams, PNG's own Hunters and Souths Magpies took to the capital - Port Moresby for the first time after the introduction of the PNG team to the 2nd Tier Queensland Rugby League in Australia. The match was a trial match to test the newly renovated Sir John Guise Stadium (renamed BSP Stadium) which will host most of the sporting activities of 2015 Pacific Games including the Opening Ceremony.

Intrust Super Cup (ISC) is a second-tier rugby league of Queensland, Australia. Papua New Guinea has a team, the PNG Hunters competing in the league and has been hosting home games in Kokopo, East New Britain since its inception. Kokopo was selected as the Hunters' home ground when the country's old and dilapidated major sporting infrastructures including Sir John Guise Stadium, Sir Hubert Murray Stadium and Lloyd Robson Oval underwent renovation as well as complete overhaul and construction in preparation to host the 2015 Pacific Games.

Many of these infrastructures are nearing completion with Sir John Guise Stadium being the first to be done. Thus the Stadium hosted the above game, many described as spectacular and historical with spectator turn-out or participation hitting an all time high, surpassing or even disparaging any record crowd back in Australia where the Intrust Super Cup originated and is played.

The historic event as well as the interception of the facilities has, according to some Social Media posts, revolutionized sporting in Papua New Guinea and its state-of-the-art or world class facilities would add more flavor in what is expected to develop sports and especially rugby league in Papua New Guinea.
.........................(am not a reporter sic)///////////////
Anyhow, Papua New Guinea watched this historic event and within the next 24 hours, all its social media outlets went viral from every angle with some boosting about the new look stadium, the historic game played between the two teams, the players profile and displays, whilst others including cynical social media personalities (including self) were at their best to throw at anything from the Stadium being half temporary and half permanent to players attitudes, etc.

Well, everything will be history now but I want to raise these issues below to take us to a review of PNG Hunters in terms of Rugby League Development and the Team's position in the overall PNG National Rugby League:

(1). Where does the PNG Hunters fit into in PNGRFL structure?
(2). Which rugby league code in PNG will feed or sustain PNG Hunters' players?
(3). Where will PNG Hunters' products end up?
(4). What do we aim to achieve of PNG Hunters team since its maintenance and or sustainability will consume a lot of tax payers money?
(5). Since the Intrust Super Cup is a big hit in PNG, what does the management has in store to capitalize that momentum and catapult the league's development?
(6). How is PNGRFL aligning the development of rugby league with the PNG Hunters?
(7). What are some of the yardsticks PNG will use from the PNG Hunters to integrate and measure rugby league in PNG?
(8). Overall, how will PNG via its premier institution, PNGRFL drive the code using PNG Hunters as its footstool to take rugby league into the future in PNG as well as in the Australian National Rugby League?
(9). Is PNG Hunters a "NATIONAL" team?
(10). How will the development of PNG Hunters impact on the formation of the PNG Kumul, the country's national team?

These are issues I wish to seek the audience of PNGRFL Management as well as PNG Hunters administrators to discuss with. I will also suggest some ideas and in between the lines, some answers to the questions above will come into the playground.

1): Can PNG propose to the Intrust Super Cup to field FOUR (4) Teams including PNG Hunters? The four PNG Intrust Super Cup teams must represent PNG's four regions (NGI, Southern, Momase and Highlands).
2): If the above request is approved, can PNGRFL "revitalize and restructure" PNG School Boys League to be the Tier or Feeder League for the PNG Hunters plus the other proposed Three Teams? The School Boys League must have Four Plates all representing the four regions.
3): If not, if the proposal can not be done, how then will PNG Hunters feed its players and maintain its player profile? What are the selection criteria? Who select PNG Hunters players? Is playing in the PNG Hunter team a ticket to play in the Kumul team?
4). PNG Kumul selectors have a wider spectrum of leagues to select the national team including: PNG Hunters, Digicel Cup Teams, England League, Australian NRL and others including the Intrust Super Cup, NSW Cup and NSW Holden Cup. But, we have seen the Kumul dominated by the PNG Hunters thus does that indicate something? Is that a fair representation? Do we have a formidable Kumul team to trust? I think one of the worst scenarios of not selecting a fair representation from all spectrum like above dredged or plucked PNG another step lower and probably the worst selection we've had. Selectors ought to understand that PNG Hunters team do not form the core of rugby leagues top breed of players to qualify for PNG Kumul.

There are many ideas coming into mind but I wish to throw the towel to every Papua New Guinean to discuss how we can help develop rugby league and other sports in PNG to par with the modern sporting facilities our current government has delivered to us as the 40th Birth Day present.

by NELSON TENDEN
Theo Zurenuoc and our Prime Minister never seemed to love each other until recently. From this side, Peter O'Neill was never strongly religious. In fact, he was incensed when Zurenuoc did his "evil carvings" desecration of Haus Parliament as the news reported at the time. From Theo's side, our Wild-Eyed Zealot didn't like O'Neill's personal disinterest in Christianity and was even less happy when he finally figured out that O'Neill often manipulates Christians to get their support (PO's 'ban the pokies' affair being the most famous).

Yet, now, Zurenuoc and O'Neill seem madly in love. How did that happen? My friends, it all boils down to patting each other on the bum while helping each other out. That's politics in a nutshell.

It was clear what Zurenuoc is getting out of the deal. Somehow it appears that O'Neill has found a way to bankroll Zurenuoc and his crazy extremist Christian allies as they march up the 7 mountains to morally transform PNG. Zurenuoc would take money from the devil if the price were right and is happy enough to accept O'Neill's support which, of course, began with the American trip scandal to fetch the King James Bible.

In return, it's pretty obvious that O'Neill profited by Zuree joining PNC.

Ahhhh, but if that's where you brain stopped, you're no mental match for PNG's Master of Deception. Peter had something else up his sleeve and it all involves the National Identification Card.

Let's make one thing clear from the start concerning the anti-National Card Movement that has developed in PNG. It has nothing to do with any concern about government pushing into our private business. Instead, the movement revolved nearly always around the nutcase argument that national ID cards are part of the process of the Anti-Christ moving towards establishing one world government.

Apparently, the ethnic or tribal breakup of the nations of Iraq, Soviet Union, Sudan, Yugoslavia and a number of other countries over the past 20 years isn't important evidence that the world is hardly moving towards one world government. The Christians who believe all this also seem oblivious to PNG's very own movement towards a one party state, spearheaded by Peter O'Neill, assisted by their hero Zurenuoc.

With their heads either empty of brain cells or incapable of analysis, Zurenuoc's mob haven't figured out that they've become the Master of Deception's pawns in PO's endless chess game of power grabbing. To be honest, O'Neill's latest sneaky trick to manipulate Christians tops the pokies trick of 3 years ago, hands down.

You see O'Neill has come to see the kooky believes of Zurenuoc as company as helping good ol Peter O'Neill. Zurenuoc is all wound up in the One World Government worries too and for that reason alone he doesn't like the National Identity Card scheme either. For O'Neill to support the kooky Christian extremists only benefits him. No risk involved.

The more the zealots protest and campaign against the National Identification Card, the more O'Neill and his 2017 game plan are helped. No corrupt politician who truly wants to commit effective voter fraud in 2017 will possibly support the National Identification Card. That's where the corrupt pollies and the zealot Christians led by Zurenuoc find common ground to worship each other.

Theo has never been known for mental brilliance. Right now, he's happy as can be, now that he has O'Neill's financial support for him and his supporter to climb 7 mountains, make historic Bibles into cargo cult objects, make PNG Gods first Kingdom on earth, and fight against the National Identification Card. He's probably the last one who will ever figure out that he's actually stupidly supporting the march to dictatorship and one party government in PNG.

Peter O'Neill is undoubtedly squirming with delight over the success of this elegant little trickery. He should be proud of himself. It is a fantastic piece of deception, which only Peter O'Neill is capable of.

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PNG's Master of Deception Father of Lies Strike again.