Water is commodity

 Easy to sell. Every body needs water today. 

So you can realise there is actually competition in sale of water.

Living in a yacht in Port Moresby

 It's just like home.

In some countries, people sleep in their cars. Yes indeed.

New York can be the most popular city of business but there are people who sleep in their cars because they can't afford a rent.

Why did Belden Namah defect to the government?

This is probably the question many pro Belden Namah who regard him as an action corruption fighter and straight shooter want to know.

Well here is the scoop.

Supreme Court declares 12 provisions of OLIPPAC unconstitutional

Twelve provisions of the organic law were nullified in 2010.

Click link below and read the Supreme Court's decision 

OLIPPAC nullified

Momentum on for a vote of no confidence against James Marape

 About this time five years ago Prime Minister James Marape resigned as Finance Minister serving then Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

Mr O'Neill was on an official trip to New Ireland when the unexpected happened.

This time Marape's key general and Finschaffen MP Renbo Paita has defected from Marape's government.

A move Marape described as dissenting to the decorum of his Cabinet and he will decommission Paita. 

The other fellow Morobe MP and a Cabinet Minister who will be decommissioned as well is Dr Kobby Bomareo, the member for Tewai Siassi and Minister for Housing. 

Political commentators are confident that there will be a new government elected during this sitting of Parliament but unfazed Prime Minister James Marape says he is not resigning and Prime Minister's are changed by voting on the floor of Parliament.

He said a strong 41 Pangu Pati MPs are with him and have communicated to him their allegiance.

Pangu Pati won 38 seats post 2022 National General Elections and was invited by the Governor General Sir Bob Dadae to form government. 

Morobe province had the most number of Pangu MPs elected to this Parliament term. 

Departure of government MPs a blessing in disguise for James Marape

Prime Minister James Marape has described the departure of 18 Members of Parliament, including five ministers from the Pangu Pati last night as a 'blessing in disguise'.

He says this is a blessing in disguise, so that some of the excess fat in government is trimmed to create a lean and coherent government.

Prime Minister Marape has asked Papua New Guineans to respect their choice of trading and thank them for being part of his government while wishing them well.

He says this is a play for a Vote of No Confidence and wish them well to assemble an alternative team and a policy series that is better than Pangu and its coalition team.

The alternate government has nominated the Governor for East Sepik, Allan Bird as the alternate Prime Minister in the February parliament sitting when the last motion was filed.

Prime Minister Marape says 41 Pangu members and coalition MPs have called him to show support.

Meantime, Parliament will resume on Tuesday where the alternate team is expected to file a motion of vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister.

And on Wednesday, the Private Members Committee will convene to deliberate on the motion.

Malaysian conviction of 22 years quashed by National Court

 A Malaysian national has successfully appealed in the National Court in Waigani for his district court conviction to be quashed.

 Tan Kneng Soon ,29, from Kuala Lumpur was convicted and sentenced by the district to a total of 22 years and fined a sum of K45,000 as well in October 2023.

He was arrested and charged on two counts for receiving financial benefits from controlled substances in methamphetamine and cannabis.

Soon was arrested and charged with another Malaysian Leon Aungfong,42,  and two other Papua New Guineans. A taxi driver from Southern Highlands and a female from Korobosea, National Capital District.

Police alleged that on November 16, 2022 they had large quantities of methamphetamine weighing 174kg and 80 grams of cannabis which are of commercial quantity.

They were charged as having in possession of controlled substances.

Soon and the Papua New Guineans pleaded not guilty except Aungfong.

Soon was sentenced to a total of 22 years and fined a sum of K45, 000 but appealed the district court’s conviction  in the national court and Justice Paulus Dowa has quashed his conviction.

Justice Dowa referred the matter back to the district court mainly because of procedural errors.

Justice Paulus Dowa considered that the 29 year old Soon was not given natural justice at the district court by having an interpreter translate to him so that he could understand the charges.

Justice Dowa also considered that Soon did not give his allocatus- a statement made by the accused found guilty before a sentence is imposed.

He said such lapses in procedure renders the conviction and sentence unsafe because the accused is not given an opportunity to say something which could have had an impact on the type of sentence imposed.

Justice Dowa also considered the sentence was excessive and not within the district court’s jurisdiction. The charge of being in possession of 80 grams of cannabis as a controlled substance was also an error. Cannabis is not a controlled substance.

The state prosecution has consented to most of the grounds of appeal by Soon.

Justice Dowa said the charges against Soon were serious and in the national interest and public policy the matter is referred back to the district court and a new magistrate will hear the case. His K45,000 fine would be refunded.

Just a background to the case

It was at 4pm on November 16, 2022 police nabbed the taxi driver from Southern Highlands at the PNG Air cargo terminal at seven mile in Port Moresby.

This was after PNG Air staff reported to police after scans found some unusual cargo the taxi driver intended to send. 

The taxi driver led police to the female from Korobosea waiting in the taxi who then led them to a unit at Rangeview that belongs to Aungfong. 

He admitted having methamphetamine and cannabis at his unit and while police were searching found Soon upstairs. They were all arrested, charged and detained.