Department heads sworn into office

Departmental heads and a PNG Head of Mission were officially sworn in at the Government House last week witnessed by Governor General of Papua New Guinea Grand Chief Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae.

 

Sir Bob officiated at the contract of employment signing ceremony for heads of department and agencies also witnessed by senior government officials.

 

Those that signed their contracts include:

·        David Manning - Commissioner of Police & Secretary Department of Police for a period of 4 years from 3^rd December 2019;

·         Stephen Pokanis – Commissioner, Correctional Service of PNG for a period of 4 years;

·         John Akipe – Secretary, Department of Defence for a period of 4 years;

·         David Manau – Secretary, Department of Petroleum & Energy for a period of 4 years;

·         Benjamin Samson – Secretary, Department of Lands & Physical Planning for a period of 4 years;

·         Joe Itaki – Director General, National Youth Development Authority for a period of 4 years; and

·         Moses N. Kaugl – Ambassador, PNG (Japan) Embassy with concurrent accreditation to International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) for a period of 4 years.

 

The appointment of heads of departments and agencies by the National Executive Council have been cleared by the Office of the State Solicitor and gazetted.

 

The employment contract signing ceremony was witnessed by Secretary of Department of Personnel Management Taies Sansan and Foreign Affairs Secretary Barbara Age.

Making K6,000 from K10 in a week

Twenty-one students from the Human Development Institute (HDI) in Port Moresby graduated last Friday.

Among them was Elizabeth Wippon and her daughters.

She was the dux being able to make K6,000 in a week. That was more than the target of K1,000 set.

HDI founder Dr Samuel Tam commonly known as ‘Papa Sam’ by many of the grassroots people in Papua New Guinea revealed that the students also referred to as  praxis at HDI were thought how to start with K10 to make K1000 in a week.

For Elizabeth, she started by buying greens worth K5 each.

She cut them into halves and sold them.

Then she repeated the process which they called “rolling over” for a couple of times and then later she decided to buy garden produce to make K100 dishes.

She sold the dishes through her church contacts. That was how she made  K6000 in less than seven days.

Ten students from the 21 who graduated reached the target of K1000 in a week.

HDI is a training centre that offers empowerment through financial awareness and training to empower Papua New Guineas from the grassroots level up to be viable and live better lives.

There are seven levels of training and development offered by the institution known as Personal Viability Business Scheme. The graduates were from the second level of training.

Papa Sam said: “The use of money is what HDI calls business-class-knowledge, which is experiential knowledge in the use of money and resources.”

“Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) will definitely become richer if they learn and use HDI’s business-class-knowledge which has been proven by the graduates,” Papa Sam said.

Inquiry into Papua New Guinea Defence Force by government

The government has been called on to conduct an independent inquiry into the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.

Former army commander Jerry Singirok took to social media and echoed this after off duty members of the defence force attacked and killed a police officer on Saturday in Port Moresby.

Singirok is famously known for leading a mutiny in 1997 against the government engaging Sandline International to flush out Bougainville Revolutionary Army on Bougainville.

He posted a picture of himself with former commanders Ted Diro and Peter Ilau.

" We call on the Government of the day to step up the control of the PNGDF as we have noted a serious decline in morale and discipline," he said.

 He  also said: "We call for an independent inquiry in the command and Control of the PNGDF including aspect of unfair recruitment and management of public funds."

 Singirok has been an advocate for soldiering and  upholding of etiquette behavior and defence work and he  was blunt about the killing of late police officer.

"As the duly appointed Secretary General of PNG Flag officer's League on behalf of the former Commanders PNGDF, we condemn the killing of a senior police officer," he said.

 He later commented about being a  soldier: “I am advocating that to be a soldier was a personal choice as it is a volunteer Defence Force.”

“ We decided to uphold and serve God, Queen and the Country.”

“ In order to achieve that we have been trained for risks far greater than the ordinary citizens. It gives us soldiers no greater advantage or privilege to act contrary to the Defence Force Act or the Constitution,” he said.

“Our place is in the barracks where we are natured and institutionalized and head counted so we can respond to orders from our chain of command as Section 202 of the Constitution is explicit in our roles and functions,” he said.

“So regardless of the general  prevailing security situation in our country, no soldier  is allowed to behave outside of the provisions of the guiding principles of behaviour as stipulated in the Defence Act and various Defence Standng Orders. If it is too much to bare then the gates are open and leave where you can be at your own liberty,” Singirok concluded.

David Manning says government has plan post COVID-19 SOE

 

COVID 19 State of Emergency Controller David Manning says the Government has a plan in place and will announce this on the floor of Parliament when it resumes its sitting on the 2nd of June to debate the COVID-19 SOE report.

  Mr Manning said this following a news report that there is no evidence to determine what is PNG’s next course of action after six weeks of the SOE.

  “My statement was taken out of context and relates only to the boost of our efforts in the testing regime which started in Port Moresby and will first focus in areas where the positive cases were identified and also in our border provinces. We have a plan and the testing is to ascertain and determine in the medical and health front what we need to know and strategise after this SOE period which ends on the 2nd June 2020,” Mr Manning said.

  He said relevant government departments have announced their "new normal" approaches amidst this pandemic however it is critical our Health department and the Institute of Medical Research working with the World Health Organisation fully understand COVID-19 and advise government to make informed decisions on the next steps forward.

  Mr Manning reiterated the Coronavirus or COVID-19 threat is very much real and PNG must continue to take precautions as the world still knows very little and responsible institutions worldwide are working around the clock to understand COVID-19 and how to manage the spread and work on its vaccination.

  “We must applaud Prime Minister James Marape and the Government for taking the appropriate and necessary actions so far. These actions protected the country and we must remain vigilant. Now we need to see where we are in understanding the virus and how it has affected the country and from this understanding finalise our plan,” Mr Manning said.

Press Release

Agreeing after 20 years- an account from Hela

 

BY ALEXANDER NARA

It was a little past four o’clock that Sunday afternoon when we arrived at Ambua Lodge, nestled amongst the Doma Peaks near Tari town, Hela Province.

Light drizzles that seemed to have followed us from Mt Hagen had ceased and the gravelled car park lay wet and soft under the surrounding thick trees, wreathed with fallen leaves and greenish moss.

Few resident birds probably disturbed by our arrival chirped sharply somewhere in the dense canopy then joined their friends in a melodious chaos of trills.

I visited Hela Province several times but never had the chance to come closer to this “award winning and eco-friendly” lodge.

A sweet smell of cleanliness embraced the air, rich with the fragrance of leaves, flora and loam.

She was still closed to the public at that time following devastating earthquakes in 2018, but when collecting information for this story, the management confirmed that her doors would open very soon.

The main reception opens into an attractive work of architecture, displaying a comfortable lounge area and the restaurant built around a nicely designed fireplace, like a scene from those royal homes in old 1970s English films.

At almost 7000 feet above sea level, her sparkling green and flowery backyard slid downhill over the western hillside with its edges crashing into the entire Tari valley below.

Serrated mountain ranges loomed behind blanket of mist in the distant west.  

These mountains hold the fount to some of Hela’s many natural resource projects including PNG LNG project with source areas of Hides, Angore, Kutubu, Moro, Moran, Juha and Mananda Oil Fields.

I was on another trip into the township that week when I met Chairman of Angore Wellpad B, Hari John Akipe who is also the Secretary for Defence.

They would be travelling into Undupi village the next morning where Wellpad ‘C’ is located, one of the key sites within Angore PDL 8 area for a special ceremony.

Also coming to witness would be the members of the Hela provincial administration, and representatives from Kubak lawyers standing in for ExxonMobil, Police and Defence Force personnel and representatives from the company’s security.

For over twenty years, drilling at Wellpad ‘C’ had remained frozen, untouched with all agreements shelved as the Principle Landowner, Mango Kurali and his tribesmen refused to allow ExxonMobil to drill.

This came after the company took out a permanent injunction that restrained Mango and his tribesmen from entering land within fenced area of Wellpad A and B, which is their own land.

Kurali ended up on the wanted list by disciplinary forces for questioning that sparked a long standing tension between the company, his tribesmen and him but that is a story I am not interested in.

Mango Kurali has finally agreed to sign the agreement for ExxonMobil to access the land and conduct environmental damage and Improvement assessment as well as commence drilling at the site.

A decision that would open the floodgates to a fountain of wealth for his tribesmen, their women and children.

I asked to join the team to watch the agreement signing because I know there would be a lot of pork meat.

 He agreed.

He was accompanied by Principle of Kamuta Lawyers, Tau Kamuta representing Mango Kurali and other advisors to the landowning group.  

It was the next morning when we left the lodge and headed for Undupi village, almost a two hour drive out of Tari Town to witness that ceremony.

Wellpad ‘C’ sat at the edge of a hillside, looking back over the basin below.

Weeds and thorny shrubs grew around the drilled site with thick iron bars lined across its opening, obviously untouched over those years. 

Along the edges on the other side, freshly butchered pork were sprawled across a long dugout ‘mumu’ pit in the Hela way, so they told me.

Some mothers shy away from the camera which I choose to respect as I watched them prepare the meat with bananas while the young men tendered the red hot stones.

Elderly men barked a few orders which everyone obeyed, citing a strong tribal correlation that seemed to hold them together.

A feeling of understanding can be sensed in their midst, knowing that their gardens would be destroyed and their valleys and rivers would be taken away but it is a decision they have to take.

Kurali also said he understood the inconveniencies he had caused and want to let it all go and to stand with his tribe to see the drilling get off-ground.

When signing the agreement that afternoon, he said the disagreements over the years is now a thing of the past and he will make sure strong support is provided by his entire tribe to ensure the gas is piped to the PNG LNG Project.

He said he respected the fact that PDL 8 itself grants ExxonMobil service rights to fulfil its obligations and construction to work and to upgrade its existing gas lines under its licence.

Kurali appealed to ExxonMobil to recognize the signing with his tribe as a sorry from the heart and call on the company to resume drilling.

The ceremony proceeded into the afternoon hours, sealed off with handshakes and full dishes of pork meat, chicken and so many cans of coke.

“This is a family thing and we have to sort it out as a family for no one will do it for us,” Wellpad B chairman Hari Akipe told the tribe as he provided guidance throughout the signing.

It was almost dark when we arrived back at Ambua Lodge, only to be hypnotised by a sickly sweet aroma of grilled beef, onions and broccoli.

A moment that made me pity my skinny frame and tight little stomach.

Dinner that night was cosmic, full of untold stories and jokes until the lodge’s warm beds dragged us all into her comforts, dreams and silence.

I left for Port Moresby the following afternoon.

I want to rape you with my eyes

BY JOHANES SEDI of Vanimo Village

 

It was aptly named Romantica. A bit of a case like, "When in Rome, do what the Romans do". 

 

Except that the setting is in little-known Wutung Village, tucked away between Hollandia Bay to the north and Mt Bougainville to the south. 

 

Think of Rome and you remember priests. Former padre and Wutung villager himself, Patrick Muliale took idle youngsters from the village, cleared a rocky edge saddled between rock, sand and sea; and established Romantica, a convenient watering hole and niteclub. 

 

It was the turn of the millenium; and the beginning of brighter things to come in this sun-drenched frontier bordering bustling Asia and palm-fringed Pasifika. 

 

For the passerby on wheels, quenching your thirst is a must because the port of Vanimo is some 65km eastway. 

 

One sip of your favourite ale and you would just wish to rape both the scene and any person there with your eyes. 

 

Muliale, that former ordained Catholic priest and Secondary School teacher knew the inner sanctum of the human behaviour like the palm of his blessed hands; and did not mince ideas. 

 

Guys like Jeffrey Pasika, Abraham Nera became successful in their business endeavours today, due in part to the humble beginnings of Romantica. 

 

In fact by design, the entire West Coast of Vanimo is reknown for scenic beaches, cool streams and meandered settings. 

 

Young and old, many sexy to their dingles dangle around sand and soil in the moonlight. 

 

For it is said the moon is the reflection of the heart. And the moonlight is the twinkle of your love. 

 

Population bust is normal. 

 

Wutung, like much of the north coast of New Guinea is a minute scatter of world war memoirs. 

 

Wutung Village, Vanimo West Coast

Around Solomon Beach an American jeep is rumoured to be buried neatly with its backtray fully loaded with guns and ammunitions when the war suddenly ended with news of the Japanese surrender in Rabaul. 

 

When I was told about it in 2014 by then Ward Member Raphael Tungla, I told him that this will certainly attract the interest of the RSL, the Returned Services League and the US Embassy whom the landowners of the area could seek funding from to develop their area for tourism. 

 

He even told me that somewhere beneath the foothills of Mt Bougainville, a war plane lies hidden among nature's foliage and its own shadow of death. 

 

War has no winners. Bertrand Russel put it nicely, when he said: "War does not determine who is right - only who is left".

 

In time Wutung and its 3 powerful clans will be a force to be reckoned with in economic scales. 

 

 If life gives you lemon, make lemonade. 

 

Simply put, the ugly side of world war has given the people of pamuah Wutung a sleeping but monumental reawakening call to stand up and be counted. 

 

Nature waits for no one. Time fades inconsequently with the last adam and eve standing. 

 

Today, Wutung and more so 'batas' is known all over Papua New Guinea. 

 

By now more than a million persons have passed through the village and ascended the winding road up to the cliff top since it was declared a port of entry around mid-1990s. 

 

Excise duties contribute significantly to PNG's coffers. Wutung Villagers, like everyone else struggle daily to make ends meet. 

 

Slowly but surely, the village has come of age. 

 

Some brilliant elders are still alive, and together with the many highly-educated youngsters pussyfooting around the village and throughout PNG, Wutung will soon change. 

 

For the better.

 

Romantica sadly was burnt to ashes after a very short time due to differences amongst the young proponents themselves. 

 

But lo and behold, romance is so powerful a word that out of the ashes the world of idealism was imparted by padre Muliale. 

 

Today life at the frontier of this 141st meridian - whether lock-down or lock-in or snap-lock; goes on.

 

 In it's own space. And time.

 

Photo: Bird's eyeview of pamuah Wutung. Credit: Zuvumakeh Sedi