Elias Nanau Scribes

Friday 26 April 2024

Australia and PNG Prime Ministers walk part of Kokoda track

The Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea holds a significant history of war that cements the bond between Australia and Papua New Guinea decades on.

It was in 1942 the Australians and local PNG Fuzzy Dizzy Angels fought side by side to stop the advancing Japanese forces.

In politics this historical war event bonds Australia and PNG as brothers, sisters and friends.

After a three days visit to Papua New Guinea, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese departed Port Moresby Thursday morning (26 April, 2024).

He becomes the first sitting Australian Prime Minister to partially walk the famous Kokoda track from Kokoka to Isurava and commemorated the first ANZAC day dawn service there.

Although Albanese’s visit was supposed to be low key, his counterpart James Marape said would be remiss of PNG not to afford the chief leader of a close friend a great honor.

It began on Tuesday evening when Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was hosted to a pre- ANZAC Day dinner at Papua New Guinea’s Parliament house by Prime Minister James Marape.

Mr Marape acknowledged Mr Albanese and his Australian people as brothers and sisters, a country PNG cannot take for granted.

He said Australia stood side by side with PNG through thick and thin and due respect must be reciprocated when their leader visits.

Both Prime Ministers took the historical Kokokda Track and ended with a first ever ANZAC day dawn service at Isurava before arriving in Port Moresby and Albanese departed for Australia just after 9am Thursday morning.

Mr Albansese posted on his social media LinkedIn :

"Courage. Endurance. Mateship. Sacrifice.

Words that adorn the Memorial at Isurava on the Kokoda Track where I was honoured to commemorate Anzac Day at a moving ceremony, together with PNG Prime Minister James Marape.

It is heartening to see so many Australians who have made the journey to be here.

We paused to remember the sacrifices of those who fought to defend this land.
Anzac Day asks us to stand against the erosion of time, and to hold on to their names. To hold on to their deeds.

We will remember them.

Lest we forget."

In a typical Australian country fashion wearing akubra hats and stockman boots, Mr Albanese emerged from his vehicle walked on the red carpet and greeted PNG officials before chatting a bit longer with PNG Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko and then ascended to his waiting Royal Australian Airforce plane.

While in the country he said walking side by side and step by step with Mr James Marape is an important symbolism of walking together for a better future and reigniting the Kokoda Spirit during war

He said Australia is committed to helping PNG to develop the social and economic sectors and improve security in the Indo Pacific Region.

Australia and the United States have been concerned about the influence of China in the region recently.

Mr Albanese said both countries have to shape the future today as partners, neighbours and friends.

He has been the Australian Prime Minister to visit PNG every year, invited James Marape as the first Pacific Island leader to address the Australian Parliament and Mr Albanese has promised to be back in PNG to commemorate 50 years of Independence next year.

Monday 15 April 2024

Where do you get a quality food at wee hours in the morning

Check this young Central Province lad whose passion for cooking has inspired him to do late night cheffing outside an entertainment centre.

Yep. He is based at the Armani Club at Gordon's in Port Moresby.

Here is his slight menu in picture and this is from what you as a customer may ask based on your budget.

He can consider it though his package would be K35.

This one 👆👆 costs K20.

It's got a nice lamb meat that was marinated and cooked well. There's less fat from what you find at other late night road markets.

His got pieces of potato, some ginger and fresh water crash.

His hours of cheffing starts around 10pm and ends early the next day.

Have you read veteran journalist Malum Nalu's blog

Have you surfed Malum Nalu's blog.

Well his blog created in 2008 has millions of views and is monetised.

Yes, no 💰 is needed to monetise it. Literally you make no payment to open the blog and start earning.

You just need your writing skills and that passion to craft content attracting readership.

One you meet certain criteria set by Google Adsense you can embed the code to your blog and start earning USD.

In 2015, Malum cashed $3000 and that's about K10, 000 for his Christmas.

The money was paid direct to his PNG Bank account.

Yes that's the fact about the Google Adsense payment gateway by Google.

The money you earn from YouTube monetisation can also be paid out to you the same way.

So don't be discouraged, keep writing to earn.

As far as content strategy is concerned.

Expand your thoughts on a topic and discuss or expound on it, be focused that you incline to hook that readers interest, then deliver the punch that should have a lot of suspense to get the reader continue reading till the end.

Avoid click baiting. Target quality readership who like reading thesis.

Let your writing be your passive income.

Don't be discouraged now if the earnings are not that good. Imagine the future. Keep writing.

How to start your blog on blogger is easy.

Open a GMAIL account and go to www.blogger.com

You choose your blogspot name eg malumnalu and your blogspot web address becomes www.malumnalu.blogspot.com

Now start putting content. You can upload pictures and videos.

Then you go to settings and click monetisation. There you activate Google Adsense which should be opened under the same email as you started your blog.

If your email is different, simply copy the code and embed in an HTML widget, you should see Google ads within 24 hours.

Sunday 14 April 2024

Visa On Arrival for Filipinos

Papua New Guinea and Philippines will commemorate 50th anniversary of being friends next year 2025.

This bilateral friendship is expected to reach new heights with new and diversified cooperation agreements.

The latest one being high on agenda at a policy consultation meet in Manila in the last week is Visa On Arrival scheme for Philippines passport holders.

Currently they arrive in PNG by applying online for a tourist or business visa.

PNG has waived visa schemes with Japan, Indonesia, Israel, China and the Melanesian Spearhead Group countries.

Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said they expect the bilateral friendship to reach new heights.

This is how we live at settlements in Port Moresby

A family or a person can rent a room for as low as K150 per fortnight.

This room can cater for father, mother and children.

They sleep, cook, eat in there.

Toilets and shower can be shared with other tenants who also rent a room in the building or around that property are which has a common square for relaxation. The rooms can three metres by three metres.

Access to water and shower facilities can be a pain compared to renting a house or unit.

A three bedroom unit can cost around K4000 a month and that's just out of reach in rental budgets for many employees.

The government has a ministry and a company called the National Housing Corporation formerly called the National Housing Commission.

Their primary role is to build affordable housing for people and collect rents.

But lately it had come under immense criticism for it's failure to build and provide affordable and decent housing to Papua New Guineans.

The NHC has however been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

A particular one is changing of people appointed to be managing directors.

Been in and out of court for sometime.

May be if a government can find a solution to addressing housing woos in Port Moresby or any other centre for that matter, that government would have it's name indelibly etched in people's hearts.

Who's going to address the serious housing woos now?