UBS inquiry chairman wants concluded report to be presented publicly

 Prime Minister Hon. James Marape said today (Monday January 31 2022) that he looks forward to the conclusion of the Commission of Inquiry into the controversial K3 billion Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) loan.

He said this at the end of his answering questions and giving evidence to the COI at APEC Haus in Port Moresby.

The COI – established by PM Marape in 2019 after assuming office – has over the last two years been probing into the UBS loan obtained by the Peter O’Neill Government in 2014 to buy shares in Oil Search Ltd.

Papua New Guinea Parliament

The Prime Minister, after assuming office, undertook to convene a COI to establish facts surrounding the whole transaction, including all persons and entities involved in the deal, and whether or not the deal followed proper and legal process and procedures.

“I certainly look forward to the conclusion of the inquiry,” he told the COI headed by former chief justice Sir Salamo Injia.

“If there are suggestions that we can draw from the inquiry, improve public governance in the way we do business in Papua New Guinea, especially to ensure public money is safeguarded, I certainly look forward to embrace those recommendations.”

Sir Salamo said the COI was set to complete and present its report on March 31, 2022.

“The thinking right now is a question of whether the report will be presented to you publicly, at a hearing of this nature, because the proceedings have been conducted in public,” he told PM Marape.

“We may be asking you to appear in person, to come and receive the report, at a public hearing, compared to past where the report was taken to your office and presented by a representative of the commission - which appears to be more of a private meeting than a public meeting.

“The thinking now is that we may present the report at a public hearing like this, and we may be asking you to come and receive it.”

PM Marape told Sir Salamo that he would accept whatever way the COI wanted to presented its report.

“I am at your disposal,” he said.

-Press Release

Government minister happy with major renovation of public housing

 BY CYRIL GARE

Housing and Urbanisation Minister Justin Tkatchenko has expressed satisfaction and confidence in the “major renovation” works currently undertaken by contractors at the National Housing Corporation (NHC) flats at Manu Autoport in Port Moresby.

When briefed on “work in progress” yesterday, he said he was satisfied with work so far and was optimistic contractors will deliver within the five months time frame.

Tkatchenko said all other NHC properties in Port Moresby will follow suit and undergo major renovation this year and these properties include 3 mile Red Cross flats, 5 mile flats, Angau Drive flats, Korobosea flats, NBC flats East Boroko, 4 mile hostel adjacent to old PIH, Hohola new generation hostel and Dorido hostel at June Valley, among others.

Minister Tkatchenko said this signify the Government’s seriousness in providing low cost affordable housing for Papua New Guineans and “wrestle the bull by its horn” attributing to reviving the NHC from some 30 years of neglect and corruption.

NHC’s multi million kina flagship project would be the Duran Farm Housing project in Port Moresby where more than 2,000 affordable homes were to be built.

He said under Henry Mokono - as new permanent managing director, NHC has taken stock of all its properties and assets nationwide and similar renovation and maintenance works would begin soon.

Work started at the Manu Autoport property on Nov 22, 2021 which covered the four (4) allotments comprising 16 units.

Contractors took down badly rotten walls, louvers, fly wires, window frames and interior structures of the building which “haven’t had such a renovation for over 30 or 40 years”, said Mr. Martin Tau – NHC’s Executive Director - Corporate Service and Administration.

On Nov 3, 2021, NHC managing director, Mr. Henry Mokono visited the Manu Autoports tenants and their families and announced the K4 million facelift plan and sought their cooperation to vacate the property and allow maintenance work to begin.

“And since the good Minister (Tkatchenko) came into this place, we’ve made some decisions and we’ve made many decisions to turn this organization that people in PNG will respect. We do things by the book. We do things according to law that should be the way this place should be run. We do things correctly. We do things by process. We do things honestly. We do things transparently, we got to be accountable for our decision making”.

Mr. Mokono vows to clean up the NHC and instil a new corporate image to the organisation through accountability, transparency and good governance.

Mr. Mokono’s major tasks include;

• Create a new staff structure to see down-sizing of NHC work force from 380 to 218 and saving government of K6 million in wages annually;

• Revamp and deliver the stalled Durand Farm Housing project;

• Renovate the NHC Tokarara headquarters which government has already allocated K10 million for this purpose;

• Cleansing and prosecution of those engaged in corruption and the mess in the NHC; and

• restoring public confidence in the organisation.

Commentary: Why Peter O'Neill really matters

 BY DAVID LEPI

Why O'Neill really matters?

Peter O’Neill dominated Papua New Guinea politics for almost a decade before his ousting 2 years ago. How did he do it, and how much of a shadow does he still cast?

Like a posthumous honour O’Neill is far better celebrated now than when he was in power. People now fully appreciate how better he was until he was gone.

The starling contrast of O’Neill and the current government’s approach to service delivery is a reliable yardstick to measure leadership.

O’Neill’s government suffered an abrupt ending only to appease a fickle mob who gullibly took what political opportunists and lying mongers put on social media as the gospel truth.

His two year absence at the helm of leadership, besieged and in miserable isolation, marked the beginning of the end of infrastructure revolution that awakened the national consciousness and realization of improved assets will lead to economic growth.

Authentic national leaders do not arise often. They are forged more by fate and circumstance than by human design. Two years on, the full implications of O’Neill ’s era – a period in which he acted as the modern Papua New Guinean leader who saw his nation’s aspirations tied to that of the global family and has a role to play in the region it co-exist– have yet to be understood. His most enduring legacy was to build the PNG economy on a strong infrastructure backbone.

For O’Neill PNG an ethnically diverse, tribe-based society and is also an export driven economy integrating rapidly into a globalized world.

The fact that O’Neill today occupies a central place in PNG politics is in no little measure due to the man and his work. His other legacies such as the Union Bank of Switzerland loan may be open to dispute and it may also be too early to pass a final verdict on as there is a commission of inquiry currently underway.

O’Neill growing up as a village boy understood the everyday struggles in the village and to that of PNG an ancient civilization yet a young thriving nation. Thus his policies were relevant and his approach to implementation were pragmatic as life changing.

Like in the parlance, where there is a will there is way, where was no road he built one, one by one a wharf, jetty, bridge, school, university, college, hospital, free healthcare and education and no stopping.

To me O’Neill is the kind of navy diver extols by Billy Sunday in the movie Men of Honour.

“The Navy Diver is not a fighting man, he is a salvage expert. If it is lost underwater, he finds it. If it’s sunk, he brings it up. If it’s in the way, he moves it. If he’s lucky, he will die young, 200 feet beneath the waves, for that is the closest he’ll ever get to being a hero.”

O’Neill detractors would claim that corruption marred his reputation, but to date none of those allegations stood a chance in court.

All is lost because of a lie spewed by a man armed with a smart phone and a personal vendetta. He thought he destroyed O’Neill but he never considered the full implication of his lies and consequences of denying the people the leadership they deserved best and the services now found wanting.

Australian National University PhD holder becomes Assistant Police Commissioner

Police Commissioner David Manning this week promoted four police officers to the rank of Assistant Commissioners in-charge of various commands within the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary.

Among them is Dr Philip Mitna who holds a doctoral degree from the Australian National University in Canberra.

His doctoral thesis was on Factors influencing Papua New Guinea’s foreign policy in the twenty-first century.

ACP Dr Philip Mitna (left)

He is the first police officer to be conferred a doctoral degree.

Son of a correctional service officer, Mitna from Simbu province was a science foundation student at the University of Papua New Guinea but his marks did not impress much and when cadet recruitment for the police college came up he enlisted and completed his training.

He was then posted to the NCD dog unit squad and eventually became the Dog Unit director.

When he was at the police department he furthered tertiary studies at UPNG obtaining a degree in public policy management, then a postgraduate degree in Public Administration in Singapore and eventually his doctoral degree in Australia.

Dr Mitna is now  Assistant Commissioner Policy & Planning at RPNGC.

“I’m satisfied with the board recommendations and have no doubt you are bringing onboard your expertise that is very much needed in the management. We now have a solid team to take the constabulary forward,” Commissioner Manning said.

The other promotions were

· Chief Superintendent Peter Philip to Assistant Commissioner Border Command;

· Chief Superintendent Rigga Neggi to Assistant Commissioner Highlands Eastern Command; and

· Chief Superintendent Perou N’Dranou to Assistant Commissioner New Guinea Islands Command. Mr N’Dranou is currently contingent Commander of the Police and Correctional Service officers deployed to the Solomon Islands.

 

Deputy Commissioner Administration Joanne Clarkson has congratulated the officers and also thanked them for showing interest in applying for these challenging positions.

She said: “There were 14 applications for six positions advertised but it was reduced to five because there was a substantive appointment made to my previous position as the Deputy Chief of Bougainville Police Service which is Assistant Commissioner Naua Vanuawaru, so the board deliberated on five positions instead."

She added that the Commissioner specifically wanted a good team to not only deliver the 2022 National General Election but more importantly transcend the executive reform agendas and intentions going forward.

“So, from the applications the board saw that you are fit for the organization at this particular time to deliver what is most needed and have recommended you all. It’s time we set the foundation and legacy for the ones coming after us.

CBC missionary Les Marsh passes on at 100 in New Zealand

BY LES LOADER

On the 23rd of December, Les Marsh entered the presence of the Lord. I imagine he heard words similar to, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master’(Matt 25:21).

Tomorrow, Friday, 7th January, his family will hold a funeral service for Les. You can join by live stream at 11:00am (NZ time), or 8:00am in PNG. You can access this by clicking on https://www.baystream.media/leslie-marsh .

Les Marsh was a friend of many in PNG. He was known as a man keen to train others to love and follow Jesus. He knew that disciples of the Lord Jesus needed to be people who read and understand the Bible.

Starting in 1974, he taught at the Baibel Tisa Trening Skul in Amanab for many years. He worked beside Nanau Susuma. Les was the teacher of many CBC church leaders who are now old men in the Sepik and Hela provinces. During this time he produced a complete set of Baibel Tisa commentaries which were read and loved by people who liked reading.

He served as the Chairman of Directors of Christian Books Melanesia for many years.

Most people in PNG will remember Lesmas as a friend who loved them and taught them to follow Jesus. He was supported in ministry by his wife Hazel who went ahead of him to heaven. (Picture 1st Jan 2013)

His funeral will celebrate many other aspects of his life as a servant of the Lord. In New Zealand he worked with Everyboys and Girls Rally and as the manager of the Gospel Publishing House. He was a ready writer of poems, tracts, devotionals and Bible teaching materials.

He lived for almost 101 years and followed the Lord Jesus for 89 years.

Les showed us how to live humbly and courageously and how to work energetically and diligently. He was a personal friend, encourager and a person who prayed for our family. I enjoyed working with him for many years, and have sought to keep encouraging his friends in PNG still labouring for the Lord Jesus, putting into effect the many lessons they learned from Lesmas.

Thank you Lord for Lesmas!

Papua New Guinea voters asking politicians too much for free handouts: North Fly experience

North Fly MP proposes law to criminalise practice of free handouts to people by politicians

North Fly Open MP and People's Reform Party (PRP) founder and parliamentary leader Hon. James Donald has cautioned his people that free handouts are impediments and detrimental to Papua New Guinea's development.

The first term MP expressed that in PNG politics, MPs get voted out if they are trying to teach people and voters the right thing to do because MPs are not entertaining them with rice, tin fish, lamb flaps, coca cola, bus fare, six packs and 'everything'.

"To win voters' favour, you simply feed them, become warehouse and you get elected consecutively for sitting MPs." Donald said.

A concerned Donald revealed that very few of the sitting MPs never won elections using the free handouts mentality to lure voters and they think that this trend must stop some how.

" I am serving a first term and have focused from day one on trying to educate and solve this impediment head on and I am continuing to struggle every day." Donald confessed.

Donald said that it is not easy trying to shift this curve of free handouts away as its really painful indeed but few must continue to advocate and gradually push it away.

"We politicians (111 MPs) must at one stage get to some how stop this crap. We all must together announce to our people and tell them we are not going to be celebrities, Father Christmas and so on."

"We must all agree and say let's stop this and teach our people do a hard job and make them feel responsible too." Donald said.

Donald added that while on other hand elected MPs must do the right thing ensuring all the enablers for the people are provided.

"The enablers we mean putting good use the resources to build roads, bridges, telecommunications, transport, power, airstrips, provide accessible health care, education, water, agriculture, create markets and etc." Donald said.

The Reformist is proposing introducing a law that any politician who is found donating any money/cash must be prosecuted and charged for indirectly influencing bribery, corruption and encouraging people to be lazy.

"The law must also prosecute voters, people or group (s) who just seek free handouts for not doing any genuine work." a frustrated Donald said.

A determined Donald said introducing such laws will also make our people not to expect from leaders they mandated.

"What the people will demand from their leaders will be for good governance, classic infrastructures (all enablers), level of performance and the ranking of their districts, and province's progress to bring the country forward." Donald said.

"We must put an end to free handouts in our country." Donald concluded.

Break The Cycle | Learn to live within our means

I saw this to be so true in Papua New Guinea and we have to break this culture.

I share this here and hope it impacts on us to break this cycle

BY PETER KORUGL

At any given day, you go into Boroko, you will note a few dirty looking lot, sitting at various locations, with a piece of cloth spread in front of them calling out for a 10 toea or 20 toea. This is life for the beggers in the city.

Elsewhere a Haus krai goes up and it remains for weeks while the body of the deceased is kept in the morgue, for the same period until the relatives think they have collected enough money to spent on the burial expenses and pocket the rest.

Somewhere in the Highlands a family is planning a bride price payment, and unlike in the past, this family does not have enough cash or pigs but will still go ahead and start the process. In the next few weeks, they will collect enough donations to pay the bride price and spend the left overs on themselves.

Somewhere in the public service, a govt department is planning it's annual conference and it's organising committee goes to work. The committee will write to as many business houses for donations and sponsorships to host the conference. When enough money is collected, the department will go ahead with the meeting, using the funds it collected to pay for the cost.

In any sporting codes, clubs always write to business houses for donations and sponsorships. With the donated funds, the clubs will buy the sporting gear for their teams and use most of it on administration costs.

When the government hand down its budget every November, it's always a deficit budget, meaning our govt is planning to spend money it does not have or make so we have to go borrow to make up for the shortfall in the budget.

It is true what some people say about us. We are a country and people that love spending money we don't have or make. It's a shame really when you look at what we have.

Spending money we don't have or make is in our DNA.

Sometimes we have to learn to live within our means.