Post Courier reports that intelligence information from Indonesian officials say militant groups are on a recruitment drive in several provinces in Papua New Guinea.
Wednesday 26 May 2021
Indonesian intelligence report says PNG based militant group enlisting people to fight for West Papua's Independence
Tuesday 25 May 2021
Serious adequate response needed to induct Port Moresby bus drivers
Yesterday, police in Port Moresby went to their social media page and appealed to bus owners to educate their drivers about road safety.
This came about as a result of a bus with crashing with a semi trailer along the busy Waigani Drive at Stop and Shop, Waigani Central.
See picture below
"Sapos yu wanpla papa or mama bilong PMV bas, yu mas harim gut dispela toksave.Yu mas toksave long draiva na bos kru bilong yu, long lukautim gut laip bilong ol yet na bilong ol pasindia, taem oli draiv insait long siti.Wanpla eksident ibin kamap tete klostu long Waigani Stop 'N' Shop, bas stop, bikos draiva ino draiv gut na kamapim displa birua.Plis tingim laip bilong yu yet na bilong ol narapla man or meri husat kalap insaet long PMV bas."
National Capital District Commission, National Road Safety Authority and Police traffic must now develop a new policy to curb the lawlessness that the bus drivers have been more like law unto themselves.
They are road traffic hazards to other road users and the passengers they carry.
Set conditions that
- All bus drivers will have to undergo a two weeks induction on road safety rules and traffic rules before they can be issues a certified pass to operate as a bus driver in Port Moresby
- They must carry this pass all the time with their licence when they operate
- The 'bos kru' must also under the two weeks training which can be run quarterly in a year
- Double parking
- Picking and dropping passengers at middle of roads holding traffic, not using bus stops
- Speeding using inside lanes and wanting to cross abruptly to outside lane bus stop
- Queue jumping from outside walkways or by passes like the one from Waigani Central to freeway. They cut in near the tunnel after raging through the by pass.
Monday 24 May 2021
Housing challenges: Any aspiring politician talking about it?
Housing issues in Port Moresby is an old story.
Many working class families budget are hard hit by rentals and the consequence is the take home pay is very low despite a possibly higher salary than average Papua New Guinean.
The minimum wage rate is K3.50 per hour.
Rentals in Port Moresby average around K3,000 to K4,000 per month for a decent three bedroom apartment or house.
If you earn K80,000 per annum as your gross salary.
Forty percent of that (K32,000) can go to rentals as salary sacrifice.
Your salary would be around K48,000 but it seems there would be shortfall so you'd have to pluck another K4,000 from your salary to meet your rental for the year if it was at K3,000 per month.
But on a serious note, not many people earn around K80,000 per annum.
Rentals have soared exponentially during the construction period of the PNG LNG project pushing many average income earners in public and private sector to "bunk up" or stressfully rent a room in settlements or illegal buildings around town at rates of K300 to K500 per fortnight.
That was even the case pre-LNG construction so we were into this doldrum, an already depressing situation well before.
Imagine the rates mentioned were just at a rate for a room, not a whole house where one would call home.
The government has been called on to look into housing issues but I rather think the private sector should also help in alleviating this.
Many city residents who make this city function also live in settlements.
Many contribute to making thousands or millions for companies that allow their managers to live in posh locations.
It's time to make sure, everyone is equally afforded a decent housing to be regarded a home, make families happy that they have space.
Elections and we hardly hear candidates talk about how they are addressing housing issues.
The working class must ask about this.
If they have not, I am asking through this medium.
Did any candidate for the Moresby Northwest by-election highlight what he or she would do to address this.
Housing and settlement expansions are big challenges for the city that must be addressed appropriately and gradually now or we face a problem in future.
Alarm bells have already sounded that we have a problem.
Please address housing woes and bring rentals down.
If we cannot do this, we got to increase wage rate so residents can afford to live in a decent place that is truly expensive.
Education Minister Jimmy Uguro to meet country's inspectors and education advisers
Sunday 16 May 2021
Central Province: A land of plenty
I visited a good brother who teaches at Sivitatana Primary School in the Rigo District, Central Province on the weekend.
What a blessing, he asked me to collect some pork and some Rigo banana.
The drive to Sivitatana was perfect sealed drive from Port Moresby to Kwikila and then another 20 mins to Sivitatana alas there are few pot holes and unnecessary humps.
The humps are a road hazard.
Someone has to crack down on this.
People can't put humps without a notice for drivers indicating a hump.
Well why do I say Central Province is a land of plenty?
Driving past you see massive unused land with beautiful scenery.
That's the first huge asset they have.
Imagine if this is turned into commercial farm lands to feed the hotels, motels, shops and guest houses in Port Moresby.
There's already sealed road for example along the Magi Highway and you have electricity from Port Moresby pulled through.
With electricity, you can use it to irrigate farms or build storage facilities.
With the sealed road, you can transport the produce to Port Moresby.
We just got to put the nuts and bolts together and sure something realistic and workable should function.
We create jobs. We generate income from a sustainable and environmentally friendly venture.
Well at Sivitatana, there's a huge lake in there and while I was there fishermen brought huge number of catch they did and their wives will take to a road side market to sell.
The inland pieces of land are described as not too arable but what if we use develop and use good irrigation and mulch the soil a bit.
We should definitely see massive results.
Kwikila has important services and infrastructure already there like PNG Power.
It should develop into a huge town with good hospital, police stations, hotels and motels.
Attract Port Moresby residents to Kwikila.
Many places in outside provinces do not have the luxury as Central Province has-and near to the melting pot multiracial Port Moresby.
Central Province is a land of plenty opportunities.
Do we have time to sit as family pray and eat?
Just over 40 years of Independence and mind you if you had an oversight, so much has happened to Papua New Guinea.
- Many people have graduated from universities
- Technology has been introduced and people adapted or are adapting to it
- Many people have cars than before
- Lifestyle changes, people adapting to Western culture
- Many people speak English fluently and can understand it as well
Wednesday 12 May 2021
From humble beginnings: Rose Delicacy opens at Unity Mall
Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do- Liz Smith
I met my college
friend Dennis Orere at the Unity Mall centre at Waigani in Port Moresby.
He was just
having his light breakfast before heading off to work at EMTV.
He works as a
journalist/presenter and producer. No need to introduce him but for this space, I am doing so.
Dennis says that
is more his usual daily routine in the last five days.
Why? He pointed
to his right and says he owns a little food café and just checking out his team,
more like the family is setting up for the day.
I was so… so
impressed with Dennis and honestly confirmed to him that I am scouting for a
place too.
Unfortunately
upon inquiry most available spaces similar to Dennis' space have been taken. Size of about 2m by 3m.
They are just a
little under K2,000 a month.
Denise says that
is his side hustle to
generate income and support him and his family.
In Papua New
Guinea or Port Moresby today, we can’t be too dependent on our salary to keep
us going for two weeks and that is a reality.
But on a serious
and bigger note for Dennis, this is the small beginning with many opportunities
for huge success in my strong view.
Why do I say
this?
First his opened
a place in a place where thousands of potential customers would come.
It’s like
getting out from a shed in your backyard to a billboard.
You get noticed
and potential to attract a customer is higher then being at your backyard shed.
Many MSME people are looking for a formal place to set up and start up.
He has scored it.
Second and this is
most important, he is selling food.
You won’t go
wrong running a trade store selling food.
You will have
customers every time no doubt.
People need food and water to survive.
One just has to build stocks and sell fast.
Don’t look far, the Asians are good at that and they start from a tuck store to a supermarket.
Denise has begun
with his local menu and once that is loved by customers, that’s his unique product.
If he doesn’t
prosper and expand, it would be mismanagement.
Just had to be
forthright here Dennis, proud of you.
Dennis unique
menus are tapioca cake, banana cake and pariva with ripe banana or sago.
Check out the
Rose Delicacy at the Unity Mega Mall, its named after his mum.
If you are an ex-DWU Communications Arts student, check out Rose Delicacy anytime.
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