Emmanuel MAIPE

The New Porgera Limited (NPL) saw its first gold production yesterday, marking the start of productions under the new Special Mining Lease (SML) 13 agreement that should see better benefits received especially for the local beneficiaries, in the next 20 years of mine- life. Prime Minister (PM) James Marape was there to witness the first doré bar come out of the production room with the name New Porgera Limited sealed on it and numbered NPL 0001. Marape, in a press conference after his visit to the mine in Porgera, said it was a long road to finally get to this point; about three years and ten months, but he said efforts by his government had to be made to ensure a fair deal was struck between the developer and the local beneficiaries, which included the landowners, the Enga Provincial Government, the Porgera District Administration and the State. “Finding the fine balance was a key focus since 2019. Many complained, many thought we will not see Porgera produce gold again, but today (Friday 23rd February) we witnessed the pouring of gold for the first time,” said the prime minister. However, Marape said the mine is under 50% productivity at the moment and by July, it is expected to ramp up productivity to 100%. The PM also said that the continuity of the New Porgera mine will now depend on the full cooperation from all stakeholders under the new SML 13, which he said was negotiated to ensure to get the best return for the local beneficiaries. “The provincial government has given the endorsement to the New Porgera SML 13. SML 13 has features that was never featured in SML 1.” “You have the environment issues built into SML 13, you have the resettlement of the mine precinct villages built in to the SML 13 requirements. There are also greater cognition to the fact of social obligation we owe to mine affected areas, including the host province Enga.” Under SML 13, the mine will operate for 20 years with the Stated having the option to buy it off from Barrick in 10 years’ time, should the government wish to do so. Also, under SML 13, 51% of equity will go to local beneficiaries and 49% to investment partners. This is a massive change compared to the previous SML 1 where 95% went to investment partners and 5% to Papua New Guinea beneficiaries. Marape added that the mine looks promising to even operate beyond 20 years, especially with the amount of gold still left in the valley, which should continue to give better returns on investment to the country and the people. “On an average of possibly 400, 000 to 500, 000 ounces of gold a year in New Porgera, it stands to be a massive gold production that will service our economy,” Marape said. Meanwhile, the PM thanked Barrick Gold, the Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas, and all the stakeholders who have worked so hard for almost four years to reopen the mine and to eventually reach the first gold production.

A number of proposals and recommendations were put forth by Members of Parliament this afternoon in the debate to find better ways to addressing the deteriorating law and order situation in the country. The Provincial Member for East Sepik, Allen Bird said a quick response by the government to send security forces to attend to tribal conflicts and surges in crime should be considered by the government going forward. He said the response to the recent killings in Wapenamanda in Enga should have been done sooner to capture the killers and prevent further clashes and also give humanitarian assistance to the innocent men, women and children affected by the incident. That he said was not been done effectively. The Provincial Member for Enga, Sir Peter Ipatas said the law and order situation in his province especially the tribal conflicts, are common but there has to be better response from security forces to prevent or deter them from happening and more people killed. He appealed to the government to consider his proposal, which he has put forth numerous times in Parliament, to have foreign partners come in and better train the country's police and defence personnel and to also support local security forces on ground address tribal fights and law and order issues. The Minister for Health, Dr. Lino Tom also contributed to the debate, stating that the reason for the breakdown of law and order was due to people not having confidence anymore in government institutions like the police and the judiciary. He said this can be addressed only by better improving the law and justice sector, so to get better turn around time in handling of cases and better convictions. He said it's the lack of confidence that see people taking matters into their hands, which then leads to conflicts and crime. Meanwhile, the Police Minister Peter T'simalili Junior said what is needed in order to improve the law and order situation is to have stability in the government. He said the State is doing it's part to address the matter. "We are addressing it but it takes time, we need stability to achieve that," said the Minister. He said the Marape- Rosso Government made a strong move to address law and order and will continue to do all it can to achieve that going forward.

Voting through formal identification of voters through biometric system before 2027, is the government's target to achieve before the next National General Election. That's from Prime Minister (PM) James Marape when responding to questions from the Member for Talasea on the improvements to the election process going forward. Marape said the first step is to complete the National Census this year, where from it an updated common roll can be established and from there, a proper identification for the people through the National Identification (NID) program, can take place. He said only then a biometric voting system can be established in preparation for 2027. Marape said he is being assisted by the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Constitutional Matters to have this done before the next election. The PM said the issue of improving the voting system and election process is a long inherent issue and assured Parliament that efforts are being made to ensure a better improved voting system is established, one that will be transparent in order to prevent potential corrupt practices during the next election.

The Opposition has made an urgent plea to the Prime Minister to seriously take drastic measures to address the deteriorating law and order situation in the country following the recent murder of a large number of men by their rival tribal group over the weekend in the Enga province. In a press conference held after the parliament sitting, the Opposition Leader Douglas Tomuriesa said that Prime Minister (PM) James Marape must not turn a blind eye to this extremely violent incident and other pressing law and order issues currently experienced in the country. “We today have made a call very clear on the floor of parliament on security issues in the country, and that call is out there that the prime minister cannot continue to sidetrack the issue and say other things,” said the Opposition Leader. Today in parliament the Member for Vanimo Green, Belden Namah, asked nine questions to the PM regarding what the government is doing to address the law-and-order woes, however, Mr. Tomuriesa said Marape did not address the questions and continued to deflect the issue. He said this kind of response from Marape is extremely dangerous because it shows that the PM is not that serious about the men, women and children who continue to suffer from tribal fights and other criminal activities that are continuously being committed in the country. It’s not only that, Mr. Tomuriesa said that the law-and-order situation is bad for investment opportunities and since the PM is focused on selling Papua New Guinea (PNG) as a great investment destination to the rest of the world, he should be adamant in fixing and improving the country’s situation with better security policies. “The prime minister need to put his foot down and address this. He cannot continue to speak as if it’s not important.” Meanwhile, Tomuriesa said that as the alternate government, they plan on handling things way much better than the current government and call on the Members on the other side of the house to see what is happening and switch sides and support them replace the PM and with it, work together to better improve the law-and-order situation. “We would like to make it loud and clear to the people that this alternate government is not going to sit down and watch that continued trend of people being affected around Papua New Guinea.”

Prime Minister (PM) James Marape in Parliament this morning assured the house that his government continues to work towards improving law enforcement to address the law and order and tribal fighting situation in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The prime minister in his response to a series of questions from the Member for Vanimo Green Belden Namah, said one of the actions taken was to ensure consistency in the office of the Police Commissioner. He said in the past 8 years there have been 4 police commissioners, stating that there is no consistency in the office, hence police needs to have a long term Commissioner in office to ensure the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) does a better job. Also, he said the RPNGC has a new Elite Police Unit trained to specifically handle domestic terrorism acts like tribal fights and so on, will be put into duty soon to address such cases. He also said improvements have been made as well to the magisterial services to ensure better handling of cases and convictions. The other efforts taken by his government to improve law and order are the Defence Contract Agreement made with the United States and the Military Security Agreement with Australia, which was signed recently between himself and his Australian counterpart. "We have taken a holistic look into the entire sector to improve and address the law and order matters," said the PM. PM Marape also stated that of previous tribal conflicts, certain people who were responsible for the killings were arrested and convicted and are spending time in prison, while some met unfortunate ends. On that note, he said people who have done killings in tribal conflicts or committed other criminal activities will be dealt with when caught no matter what. However, the PM said to give a full response to the 9 questions of the Member tomorrow, so to give a full scope of the work his government is doing to address law and order issues in the country.

The assurance given by the president of the National Capital District (NCD) PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) Association to work with police to get justice for the bus driver shot by police over the weekend, although appreciated, was met with some resentments from the bus drivers. This is because the PMV drivers claim that their association has not been effective enough in bringing forth their issues and concerns raised over the years to the authorities, like it should have. A PMV drivers’ spokesperson, Mr. Linsten Kera, said matters like the building of newer bus stops to cater for the growing number of PMV buses in the city, security and safety at the main bus stops, and the issue of police harassment of bus drivers, have not been fully addressed by the association. “The PMV Association is not doing its part to represent us and support us. There must be some changes to the association to make it more effective,” said the spokesperson. He went on this say that the informal gathering this morning at the Unagi Oval in Gordons to meet with the NCD police high command, had to be called because the PMV Association did not come out to take the lead to seek justice for bus driver; therefore, they had to organize it themselves. Meanwhile, the President of the NCD PMV Association, Mr. Jack Waso urged the drivers to return to work to provide the transport service to the public in Port Moresby city, saying that the matter is now a police matter and the outcome of the investigation will be made known to them and the family of the victim. He also apologized to the NCD Metropolitan Superintendent for the gathering this morning, stating that the drivers did not go through his office to organize the gathering, which was deemed illegal. Nevertheless, police had to make time to come over to chat with the drivers and hear out their concerns. The Metropolitan Superintendent also gave assurance of a thorough investigation into the shooting incident.

The Governor for Oro province wants the government to take a tougher approach in law enforcement to address what he says is the alarming increase in the activities of manufacturing and distribution of hard drugs in the country. Governor Gary Juffa during grievance debate in parliament last Friday 16th February, told parliament that Papua New Guinea (PNG) used to be a transit point, but today it has become a production point for these illegal hard drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. These he says are very addictive drugs and cheap to sell on streets. “This is frightening, in the past what we observed were cartels flying in what we call ‘Cooks’ to cook the drugs in the country before exporting them on log ships, on yachts and other small crafts,” said the governor. “Now they have their own cooks trained here to do that and are operating here and their illegal funds are converted into legitimate money. They are buying properties, running legitimate businesses like restaurants; this is already happening here.” The former Head for Intelligence turned politician, said what is more frightening is the growing youth population having access to these hard drugs. “Now, if these cheap drugs hit the streets and it’s accessible to our growing youth bulge, who are restless and unoccupied, and if you don’t do anything about them, they will become a serious concern for us.” He said in 2008 when he was still the Director for Intelligence, he wrote many assessments to the government of that day about this emerging problem. “I feel that we take serious stock of this situation and address it with the severity that it needs,” said Juffa. The governor suggested that the government must put in serious efforts to empower the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) by developing its capacity that it needs to address this growing issue. He was also concerned that the Transnational Crime Investigation Unit that was established in 2006 by the RPNGC, PNG Customs and the Australian Federal Police, was left to deteriorate over time and therefore, wants the government to supported them develop further, so to carryout investigations into transnational crimes and illicit drugs.

The Opposition remains steadfast to move a Vote of No Confidence (VONC) motion against the incumbent prime minister, despite a show of strength by the government this week with a Vote of Confidence on the floor of parliament, showing support for Prime Minister (PM) James Marape. The Opposition Leader and Member for Kiriwina- Goodenough Open, Douglas Tomuriesa, described the government’s move for a motion for the Vote of Confidence on Thursday 15th February as a gimmick as the Constitution is superior to the parliamentary standing orders. He also went on to say that the motion of a Vote of Confidence on Thursday was unconstitutional. “If the Constitution says something and the standing orders say something, you have to respect it (Constitution). If we cannot respect the basic principles of the law on the floor of Parliament, then how do we expect the people of Papua New Guinea to respect the laws,” said the opposition leader. “Whatever they tried does not stop the Vote of No Confidence motion that the Opposition has brought before parliament.” “We are looking forward to Wednesday next week and we are assured by the Office of the Speaker and the Clerk that it (VONC) is the property of the parliament and the motion must go before Parliament for testing.” “We have consulted our seniors, the legal brains, and we are comfortable with the motion itself, so if somebody thinks the motion is dead and gone, I want to tell you that the motion is well alive,” he said. Even though the Opposition still does not have enough numbers to challenge the PM, Mr. Tomuriesa stated that they are strong with the likes of two former PMs and people with legal background, people well attributed with government policies and agendas, and will continue to defend the Constitution and the rights of the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Tomuriesa added that they will not be intimidated by the government numbers as shown this week on the floor of Parliament and will continue to stand for the people. Meanwhile, the VONC notice had to be refiled by the Opposition to the Office of the Speaker of Parliament on Wednesday 14th February at 3:30pm after a certain requirement in the notice was not satisfied. The Acting Speaker of Parliament, Koni Iguan would not say what exactly, but said the motion is through and will possibly be tested on Wednesday 21st February on the floor of Parliament.

The prime minister has assured Parliament that a long term solution is being looked at in the form of an alternate fuel supplier, now that the current situation being faced with Puma Energy PNG is about to get worse. However, Prime Minister James Marape said he was disappointed that despite a K2million put into funding a consultation, which included the Bank of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to look into what was the illegality of Puma's existence in PNG, a final report has not been presented on the findings yet. He said BPNG has yet to come forth with the reasons behind why the Bank continues to decline it's services to Puma in terms of FX access. He stated that with that still yet to be done, the issue with Puma will remain unresolved and thus, the issue with fuel supply to the country's industries and services to the people will continue. Marape says the aviation industry is one area that depends on Puma and the current situation is of grave concern. Hence, Marape said Air Niugini under Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH) Limited, are looking at an alternative fuel supplier. Meanwhile, Puma Energy just yesterday release a statement saying that the fuel distributor wil significantly reduce its services, meaning a major fuel crisis will be face soon unless the matter is seriously addressed right away.

The topic of Christianity was hotly debated in parliament yesterday afternoon after the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Pila Niningi, presented a bill to amend the Constitution to declare Papua New Guinea (PNG) a Christian Country. The Minister said that this proposed amendment to the Constitution should not be a surprise to anyone because the 2011 Censors showed that 96% of Papua New Guineans align themselves to the Christian Faith and therefore, it is imperative that this fact be anchored in the Constitution. It is for this reason that in 2020, the National Executive Council (NEC) in its Decision No. 234/ 2020 directed the Constitutional Law Reform Commission (CLRC) and the Department of Community Development and Religion to consult the people on their views in declaring PNG a Christian country. That consultation took 12 months and at the end of it, the report came out in two volumes. The prime minister then presented the final report of the CLRC to the NEC, and it approved its recommendations and the final report was presented to parliament on its Decision No. 227/ 2021. Mr. Niningi said the CLRC made six recommendations in its final report that was approved by the NEC. These six recommendations can be grouped into two categories; (1) Legislative Reforms and (2) Policy Reforms. “This amendment forms part of the recommendations on Legal Reform. It seeks to amend the Preamble and Section 1 and 3 of the Constitution to declare PNG a Christian country,” said the minister. “In terms of Policy Reforms, the Department of Community Development and Religion have started work on the draft National Policy on Religion, which is almost 60 percent complete awaiting the outcome of this Constitutional Reform, for completion.” However, that did not go down well with the Member for Vanimo Green, Belden Namah who challenged it, saying that the amendment would prevent other religions to practice their faith in PNG and would also hinder foreign investments, and that there was no need to make changes to the Constitution when the whole identification on PNG as a Christian nation, was already embedded in the Constitution by the country’s forefathers. “Section 45 of our Constitution states very clearly, freedom of conscience, thoughts and religion,” said the MP. “There is no need for us to bring in a bill to parliament to declare PNG as a Christian country, it’s already been addressed by the founding fathers, who crafted this Constitution.” He added that when the government makes a legislation declaring PNG as a Christian State, then that means the country will not be tolerating other religions to practice their faith, like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Judaism to name a few. He also claims that the proposed amendment would be bad for PNG’s business dealings with its bilateral partners in the future. “The legislation will scare many development partners who will come and invest in this country. This will have a collateral effect on our country.” He said this because PNG deals with countries like China, India and Indonesia, which are countries with different religious beliefs and backgrounds. “This legislation will scare these important bilateral and multilateral partners.” However, the Minister for Finance and Government Business, Rainbo Paita, who intervened on behalf of Minister Miningi, stated that the whole amendment was straight forward and that was for PNG to be identified as a Christian nation and nothing other than that. Meanwhile, the amendment bill passed the first reading on the floor of parliament with an 80 to 10 vote by the Members of Parliament. The second vote has been adjourned to two months from the date of the first vote as required by the Constitution. The amendment bill will have to be read three times before it can be passed in parliament in order for the changes to the Constitution to be made.

Prime Minister (PM) James Marape has thanked the Members of Parliament and his coalition for having faith in his leadership and voting in confidence of his leadership today on the floor of Parliament. Marape, when giving his statement after the Vote of Confidence where the majority of Leaders voted for him, said there is much to deliver this year and that every Member needs to focus on this instead of trying to weaken the government through a Vote of No Confidence (VONC). Marape also said that the vote of 84 to 0 shows also the number of the government as opposed to the Opposition side of the house, suggesting that there is no point of a VONC as it will only take up time for the government to implement the projects and activities set for 2024. "My side of government will not run away from our responsibility, and the number as we've seen shows that.” Marape wants to see stability so that the major projects such as Wafi Golpu, Papua LNG, SME support and efforts to address unemployment can go ahead this year. However, PM Marape said there is nothing preventing a Vote of No Confidence to go ahead but said the numbers today that voted for him shows confidence in his leadership, something the Opposition should consider going forward.

The Opposition has walked out of the Parliament chambers in protest after the Speaker of Parliament made a ruling to entertain a Vote of Confidence in Prime Minister James Marape. The Opposition argued that the move by Minister for Government Business, Rainbo Paita, to hold a Vote of Confidence was no part of Parliament procedures, but the Speaker said the precedence was already set in previous parliaments and will go through with it. The Speaker allowed the vote to go ahead with the majority of the Members of Parliament voting in favor of Prime Minister James Marape, 84 to 0. The Opposition team returned to the Chambers after the vote had been made.