Emmanuel MAIPE

The phase two of the upgrading and sealing of the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway and the rehabilitation and sealing of the Daru Town roads will now commence after Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) signed two project agreements recently. The agreements were signed on the 06th of July in Port Moresby between OTML and China Railway Construction Engineering Group Co. Limited for Phase Two of the Tabubil-Kiunga Road Sealing Project, and Leon Enterprise Limited for Daru Town Roads Rehabilitation Sealing and Upgrade. Phase one of the Tabubil-Kiunga Highway sealing from Kiunga to Kilometre (KM) 26 is well underway, and phase two will commence soon. Phase three will follow once further funding is available through the Government’s Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme (ITCS) program. OTML Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Kedi Ilimbit, when speaking at the signing, said Western province will continue to see more changes before the mine closure. “Since 1997 OTML has spent over K600 million on ITCS projects in Western province and Telefomin District in Sandaun province. These include high impact priority projects in Health, Education, Law and Justice and Transport Infrastructure and Utilities,” said Mr. Ilimbit. He further added that OTML is also eyeing potential projects in Daru as it is the provincial capital where the provincial government headquarter is located. He extended a word of appreciation to the National Government for increasing the Tax Credit Scheme (TCS) ceiling from 0.75% to 2% as announced in the 2022 National Budget, adding that this will boost the completion of current projects and also provide an opportunity for OTML to commence new projects in its impact communities. Other major projects being considered include the construction of a new District Court House in Kiunga, the refurbishment of the Aiambak Secondary High School, a road link to Vanimo in West Sepik province and Hela province, the construction of Atemkit/Kavorabip road and the construction of the road from Alice Pit to the PNG-Indonesian border. OTML is committed to deliver sustainable economic and social benefits to its communities and the people of PNG.

The Port Moresby Australian Football League (AFL) Association, is for the first time looking at putting in a total of eight teams to participate in the National Championship coming up in November in the city of Port Moresby. The Association President, Mr. Douglas Lai, said the AFL National Championship is a big deal for the sporting code and having not participated in one for the past two years since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the association is going to go big for both its male and female teams. “We will be bringing in two sides (male and female) for each team that we'll be putting in the national championship,” said the president. Mr. Lai said the teams will represent Port Moresby based clubs and the Central province-based clubs. For the Central province, their competition is still in the early stages, hence the Port Moresby Association will just include them with the city teams to participate. There will be four teams consisting of the traditional teams of Laurabada and Mirigini, and the new ones AFL Port Moresby Central and AFL Port Moresby NGI. These men’s teams will have the female teams put alongside them and therefore, eight teams in total to participate. Meanwhile, the National Championship is the platform for which the selections will be made for the national teams to participate in the international events coming up in 2024, which includes the AFL International Cup in Australia.

The supply of electricity from the PNG LNG Project at Hides in Hela province to the New Porgera Mine in Enga province along with landowner matters, were the topics of a recent meeting convened by Prime Minister (PM) James Marape and leaders of Hela. The meeting highlighted the urgency of these issues, where PM Marape emphasized the need for immediate resolution for them before the anticipated reopening of the New Porgera Mine. Addressing the context of the discussions, the Hela stakeholders, acting through the Hela Provincial Government, submitted a comprehensive documentation in September 2021 regarding the New Porgera Mine, outlining 16 demands, of which eight were identified as non-negotiable. One of the pivotal non-negotiable demands involves the review of the Hides Gas-to-Electricity Memorandum-of-Agreement for PDL 1. This review is integral to ensuring an uninterrupted power supply to the New Porgera Mine. Another key issue addressed was Clause 9.6 of the PDL 1 PNG License-based Benefit Sharing Agreement (LBBSA). Subject to a National Executive Council (NEC) Decision, this clause involves the potential transfer of ownership of the Hides power plant to the Hela Provincial Government and the respective landowner clans. The unbroken power supply from Hides to the New Porgera Mine is not just a facet of ongoing mine operations but also a strategic necessity for the broader facilities. Marape reassured the assembled Hela leaders that the landowners of the area where the power pylons are erected between Hides and the New Porgera Mine would not be excluded from the benefits. He underscored that the Porgera Mine has historically been powered by a significant 70 megawatts of electricity from the Hides facility. "The Hela Provincial Government has raised valid concerns regarding the lack of substantial review concerning landowner matters in relation to power generation," Marape stated following the meeting. He further announced that the task of examining power-generation perspectives has been entrusted to Petroleum and Energy Minister Kerenga Kua and his team. “An agreement has been reached to organize a dedicated development forum in Tari to comprehensively address the updated landowner issues specifically linked to the New Porgera start-up, ensuring that these concerns are adequately communicated to the government,” PM Marape said. “This meeting signifies a concerted effort by the government and Hela leaders to collaboratively address these critical energy supply and land ownership concerns, underscoring the commitment to efficient and equitable resource management in Papua New Guinea.” Prominent Hela leaders present during the meeting on Friday 18th August included Governor Philip Undialu, Koroba-Kopiago MP William Bando, and Komo-Hulia MP Daniel Tindipu. The meeting was also attended by key government figures such as Petroleum and Energy Minister Kerenga Kua, Mining Minister Sir Ano Pala, National Planning and Monitoring Minister Rainbo Paita, Vice-Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on State Negotiation Jimmy Maladina, as well as representatives from relevant government departments and agencies.

The National Capital District (NCD) Metropolitan Superintendent’s concerns over the increase in troubles during the recent school cultural shows, is adamant to work together with the schools in the city to minimize such incidences from occurring again during school organized events. NCD Met. Supt. Silva Sika said the fighting incident on Saturday 19th August at Gerehu following the Gerehu Secondary School cultural show and the issues that followed the Caritas Technical Secondary School cultural show last week Saturday, only shows that criminal elements are accessing these events to commit crime and stir up trouble. The city’s police boss said he is considering talking schools into stop hosting cultural events, unless the schools can prove that they can provide good security during the shows, adding that school cultural shows should only be for the school students and their families to attend and not open to the whole public. Mr. Sika said this because the police manpower in the city of Port Moresby is not enough; therefore, police officers are unable to fully attend to crimes being committed on a daily basis and when such school events, although organized for a good purpose, turns nasty then the police will only have a whole lot more to deal with. “There is rapid crime and there is rapid population growth in the city, and the trend of crime is also changing,” said the Met. Supt. With that in mind, he said if schools plan on hosting cultural shows, then they should plan it properly down to the minute detail and security during the event should be a priority. But he suggested that the best way forward should be for schools to just stop hosting the cultural shows for now. Meanwhile, Mr. Sika said he has not been fully brief yet on the fighting incident at Gerehu, but he is expected to have that report tomorrow when he should be in a good position to give further details as to what happened.

The Commander of Defence Force (CDF) Major General Mark Goina has been suspended for three months, all to allow the General Board of Inquiry (GBOI) established by the Defence Minister to continue the inquiry into the fatal shooting of two service men, the wounding of another soldier, and a civilian during a training exercise on 04 July in Kupiano, Central province. Prime Minister (PM) James Marape made the announcement, saying that the Cabinet finally received a brief from the Minister for Defence in relation to the unfortunate deaths of the two members of the force, the wounding of another, and a civilian. “Since the death of the two soldiers and wounding of one other member and a civilian, in Kupiano on the 4th of July 2023, the Defence Force has faced internal challenges to properly convene the General Board of Inquiry into the unprecedented killing,” said the PM. The National Executive Council (NEC) also noted that the GBOI has now fully convened and will be sitting through and taking statements and documents on the incident. Given the wide-ranging nature of its Terms of Reference (TOR), the NEC determined that the GBOI must be given support to pursue its terms of reference. The Prime Minister said that the TOR of reference covers the shooting incident, but also ventures into any contributing factors which may have led to arms contamination in a training situation. “As a government we owe it to our men and women of the Defence Force, and especially those who died or were wounded and their loved ones, to find out what went wrong, and how do we fix this wrong. We therefore welcome the General Board of Inquiry that was set up by the Defence Minister.” The PM said that the Defence Force is a key institution of the Government, and its integrity and reputation is important. He also said that the GBOI is a legal process that will run independently and deliver its findings. The government will pick up on the recommendations from the GBOI and will address all the issues that come out of the findings. “Therefore, to affirm the integrity of the GBOI, and also the dignity of the Commander, NEC took a decision to suspend the Commander under Section 6 (3) (b) of the Defence Act 1974 for three months, or until such time the GBOI delivers its findings.” PM Marape also announced that Commodore Philip Polewara, who is the Deputy Chief of Defence Force, will be the Acting Chief of Defence Force in the interim. “This action is taken to protect the independence and integrity of the GBOI, and should not, in any way, shape or form, imply any wrongdoing on the part of Major General Goina,” Marape said.

It has been one year since the 2022 National General Election (NGE) was held and like the previous elections before it, it was riddled with violence; however, the question now posed is that will the next National Election be better. Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas is one of the Members of Parliament who is adamant to see this change for the better and is enquiring what the government is doing now to get the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC) to work on improving the election process going forward. “To maintain democracy, it is important for government to make sure we protect the process of election,” said the governor. Sir Ipatas said the election process for the 2022 NGE, was abused where candidates even claimed ballot boxes for themselves for their people to vote, which was something not seen before in an election. Even provinces considered to be peaceful during past National Elections, saw violence and destruction. It is for this reason that the governor is calling on the State to look at the PNGEC to assess and fix the election process, by assessing the things that went wrong and coming up with better solutions to the problem in order to have a free, fair and safe election in 2027. He said the PNGEC is a critical office with the responsibility to recommend changes to fix the election process and therefore, its management must be strengthened by having competent people in the management positions so to have a robust electoral commission that can improve the election process. “Let’s appoint credible people to these offices who can do some good,” said Governor Sir Ipatas. He also stressed the importance of security forces engaged in the National Elections, where he claimed that they were compromised in some parts of the country during the 2022 NGE where they didn’t fully carry out their duties to ensure a safe election. He wants the government to also look into this and have this sorted now before the next National Election in 2027. “I think our government need to talk to all these agencies to do their mandated duties accordingly.” Sir Ipatas concluded by saying that the National General Election is an important part of the democratic system of government and should be done in true democratic fashion.

The Independent Consumer and Competitions Commission’s (ICCC) recent online survey on the BSP Financial Group Limited’s (BSP) new banking system has concluded that despite the upgrade, more problems followed after affecting alot of its customers. The ICCC Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Paulus Ain said that the key finding of the survey, revealed that despite BSP’s claim that the new Core Banking System would deliver an enhanced customer experience for all customers by providing a greater range of digitally enabled services making it simple and efficient for customers; that was not the case as revealed in the survey. “The system migration to the new Core Banking System- Flexcube resulted in a rise of a plethora of problems that is causing frustration amongst its customers and the general public as well as businesses that use BSP’s various banking services,” said Commissioner Ain. The ICCC conducted the survey because it is mandated under the ICCC Act 2002 to perform such functions where it considers appropriate to protect the interest of consumers. Consistent with this requirement, Mr. Ain said the ICCC conducted an online survey targeting consumers who have bank accounts with BSP only. The questions in the survey requested for customers to provide their experiences on issues faced before, during and after the glitch. The survey questions covered issues such as BSP pay system delay in processing salary, online and mobile banking issues, BSP customer service, views on the user friendliness of the new banking system and loan issues to name a few. Mr. Ain said this survey report on ICCC’s findings will be presented to the Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) as the Banking and Financial Sector Regulator, and to BSP for consideration and to take appropriate actions to resolve this ongoing issue. During the conduct of the survey, the ICCC made it a priority to ensure the security and privacy of all participants’ information were kept with utmost confidence. The ICCC understands the importance of protecting sensitive personal customer information and adhering to strict data privacy regulations. This means that all measures were taken to remove any and all personally identifiable information, such as names and account numbers, from the ICCC’s electronic file as well as the physical records. By doing so, the Commission aims to maintain the confidentiality and protect the privacy of all individuals involved, while still providing valuable insights to parties concerned. “I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to each and every one who has contributed their data, time and efforts in participating in the survey and making this report possible. The ICCC will now be working closely with BSP and BPNG to ensure these issues are resolved,” said Mr. Ain.

The Member for Vanimo- Green, Belden Namah, has blamed the Treasurer for killing the logging industry by increasing the Log Export Tax over 50%, which was included in the 2023 National Budget passed last year. Mr. Namah argued that the increased logging tax has resulted in unemployment, revenue losses from the logging industry and landowners affected due to poor royalties being paid out to them. Namah said that the Treasurer, Ian Ling Stuckey, made a decision to increase the Log Export Tax, where parliament passed through the budget on the 2nd of December 2022. He questioned why the Treasurer had to make that decision when a previous decision by the Cabinet back in 2021; National Executive Council (NEC) Decision number 13139, reduced the Log Export Tax to 38.5%. “I believe the Prime Minister made a responsible decision, why don’t we just implement that decision and stick to it?” the Vanimo- Green Member asked. But, instead of reducing the tax, Namah said the Treasurer went ahead to increase the Log Export Tax from 38.5% to 50% and then further up to the current 70%. “The Treasurer didn’t indicate how this increased Log Export Tax is affecting the logging industry.” That effect, Namah said was the closure of logging operations in the country where 57 logging projects have had to stop operating with only 7 now operating, and this has resulted in 3, 700 to 5, 000 Papua New Guineans out off job. “We are supposed to make more than K300 million this year, we only made K160million from log exports because we have increased tax,” Namah said. “By increasing tax, production has gone down. Where are you (Government) going to collect your tax?” The MP then said that the logging industry must be seen as an important development partner because the industry has contributed a lot as well to the establishment of road links and it has supported schools and health services, and as such, it should not be heavily taxed. “You have less tax, you have more production, you have more money coming in,” the MP further stated.

The State has resumed its payment of arrears owed to Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) for the outstanding rentals for the use of the superfund’s buildings and properties by State Departments, with NSL confirming receiving payment of K60 million from the State. This payment is in line with the agreement reached between the State and NSL last year, where the State had committed to settling its total rental arrears through monthly instalments of K5 million for the previously accrued arrears and K5 million to pay its current rental invoices. The State’s total rental arrears owing to NSL are expected to be fully cleared with its account brought to current by June 2024, if the State continues to honour the promised payment of K10 million per month. NSL remains committed to working closely with the State to ensure that their outstanding rental arrears are settled as agreed in the payment schedule. NSL appreciates that the State has given priority, amongst its other liabilities, to the retirement outcomes of Nambawan Super’s 220,000 members, many of whom are public servants working in the Departments occupying these buildings. Nambawan Super members are the hard-working teachers, health workers, police officers, firefighters, public servants and private sector employees that support the development of this country through their contributions to education, health, internal security, government services and private business. After dedicating their working lives to supporting the development of Papua New Guinea, Nambawan Super believes it is essential that they are able to enjoy a dignified retirement supported by their superannuation savings.

The Momase Regional Youth Games are set for September in Madang, and it was made possible with the signing of the Host Contract Agreement between the Madang Provincial Administration and the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) of Papua New Guinea. The Regional Youth Games (RYG) is set to be hosted from September 25th to the 30th and is a new sporting concept targeting the rural youths who have less opportunity of participating in formally sanctioned sporting codes. “We have huge sporting potential and rural talents locked in the rural areas, they need some exposure in the mainstream sporting arena, hence the RYG concept creates that platform for them to show case,” said the NYDA Director General, Joe Itaki. “We acknowledge the Madang Governor, Ramsey Pariwa, for having the foresight on youth empowerment activities in the province.” Some 4,000 to 5,000 youths are expected to attend the Momase Regional Youth Games. There is overwhelming support and interest being shown by youths and sports administrators in all districts of the region. Preparations are on target by the host province to ensure visitors are well looked after in Madang for the duration. Event organizers are expecting all 26 districts in the region to be represented.

Vanuatu's parliament is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to debate a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau's government. A political stalemate persists, with both the government and the opposition having the support of 25 MPs each. The mover of the motion, opposition leader and a former prime minister, Bob Loughman, requires the backing of at least 27 members to unseat Kalsakau. However, Kalsakau also needs a majority in the house if he is to be able to pass legislation going forward. Last Thursday, the government side boycotted a special sitting of parliament to avoid the no confidence motion. Kalsakau told local media on Monday that the opposition's attempts to unseat him was "irresponsible" and "a big waste of resources at a time when we are trying to rebuild our nation". Another former PM and head of the Reunification Movement for Change, Charlot Salwai, urged politicians to "unite and come out of this political crisis". "Vanuatu has experienced consequences of no confidence motion over the past years and it is time for the MPs to come together and find a solution. "The country and people are suffering because of our attitudes," Salwai said. There are 52 seats in the Vanuatu parliament. One is vacant and one empty. Both sides are claiming National United Party MP, Bruno Leingkone, who is receiving medical attention abroad, is on their side. According to the Daily Post, Loughman said Leingkone is expected to vote for the motion of no trust in PM Kalsakau virtually. RNZ Pacific's Vanuatu correspondent Hilaire Bule said "the situation will be [clearer] when the parliament is in session on Wednesday". "But the target of the government at the moment is to make sure that the opposition must not have 27 [MPs]," he told Pacific Waves. "If the opposition reach 27 in the parliament, the opposition will pass its motion against Prime Minister Kalsakau." Bule said the parliament could not be dissolved as was the case last year, which resulted in a snap election. "We have ended up in the political crisis because the Council of Ministers cannot request the President of the Republic to dissolve the parliament because our constitution says that parliament must have one year before a majority of members of parliament or Council of Ministers can apply for dissolution of the parliament. "That one year of parliament will be only on December this year." Bule said people have become accustomed to facing political crisis in the country and was "part of their life". Source: rnz.com

The Momase Regional Youth Games is coming up and a total of 17 out of 26 districts in the Momase region have confirmed their participation in the inaugural event that will be staged in Madang province. Regional Youth Game (RYG) Coordinator John D’siguria said the games are set for 25th-30th September and Tournament Directors in 5 sports will draw up competition draws based on entries received. “Some 4,000 to 5,000 youths are expected to attend this Momase Regional Youth Games. There is overwhelming support and interest being shown by youths and sports administrators in all districts of the region as this is a rural oriented sporting platform,” he said. Preparations are on target by the host the province to ensure visitors are well looked after in Madang for the duration. Event organizers are expecting all 26 districts in the region to be represented, but also acknowledge the difficulties some districts may face. Meanwhile, RYG Council Chairman Joe Itaki said the Regional Youth Games is a rural focused sporting concept that is tailored to unlock the raw sporting talents hidden in our rural settings. “Through this partnership arrangement, we aspire to bring the sporting codes closer to rural youths, so they appreciate sports and expose talents,” said Mr. Itaki. Chairman Itaki said that the engagement of unemployed youths in such organized sporting tournaments will also restore some level of dignity on the youths and foster behavioral change over a period. Law and order and other social issues can be mitigated when unemployed youths are engaged in sports starting from the Local Level Government (LLG), District, Province, and region, as reflected now via the Regional Youth Games. The districts that have confirmed so far are: East Sepik – Ambunti-Drekirkir, Angoram. West Sepik – Aitape, Vanimo Green. Morobe – Bulolo, Wau-Waria, Finchshafen, Huon Gulf, Lae, Markham, Nawaeb. Madang – Usino Bundi, Bogia, Sumkar, Madang, Middle Ramu, Rai Coast.