NCSL’s Poro Debit Card launched

By Meriba Tulo – EMTV News, Port Moresby

Contributors to NASFUND Savings and Loan Society now have the option of accessing their funds more conveniently with the launch of NCSL’s Poro Debit Card today. The card, together with its own EFTPOS terminal were launched today by NCSL Chairman, Ian Tarutia.

NASFUND Contributor Savings and Loan Society today marked advancement in its product offering to its members, with the savings and loan society launching its debit card – called the Poro card, it now enables contributors to access their savings more conveniently.

According to NCSL Chairman, Ian Tarutia, the Poro Debit Card and EFTPOS terminals launched today, is another step forward in providing financial solutions to its more than 170,000 members nationwide.
The roll-out of the Poro Debit card follows an independent review of management’s proposal to issue debit cards to members. And whilst other Savings and Loans Societies have issued debit cards, NCSL lays claim to being the first to also roll-out its dedicated EFTPOS terminals.

At the time of the launch today, more than 132 terminals were installed in 29 outlets throughout the 4 regions.

NCSL Chairman, Ian Tarutia, together with a few selected NCSL members, performed the first set of transaction at Stop & Shop’s Central Waigani outlet.

Similar launches also took place today in major centres in Lae, Mount Hagen and Kokopo.

Go to this link for more: https://emtv.com.pg/ncsls-poro-debit-card-launched/

Grand Chief Sir Michael and Sir Pita Lus add a historic touch to Pangu anniversary in Lae

Posted on EMTV News

As PANGU Pati members, led by Prime Minister, James Marape, gathered in Lae to celebrate the 52nd Anniversary of the party, they added an important touch of history to the event.

Soon after the PM inspected a guard of honor by the PNG Defence Force, he stood by the plane and waited for three important guests to exit. It took a few minutes before Sir Pita Lus, founding member of Pangu was helped down the stairs.

Then, the crowd cheered as the PNG’s first Prime Minister, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare stepped onto the Tarmac.

He was followed by former Pangu Prime Minister, Sir Rabbie Namaliu.

Sir Peter Lus, a party  strongman was a founding member of pre-independence Pangu and a firebrand MP who represented Maprik district for three decades after political independence.  He is one of the Grand Chief’s closest friends and political ally.

Sir Rabbie Namaliu, also remains an important figure in Pangu Party history.  The former academic was recruited into politics by Sir Michael Somare, and became the second  Pangu Prime Minister.

Much of the attention, however was on the two elderly statesmen.  As they ambled along a long line of officials and MPs moved a lot slower than they used to. But at one point in their lives, they were synonymous with PNG politics, political independence, and Pangu Party.

This was of course, the Prime Minister’s official visit, but he allowed the two giants of PNG politics to walk ahead of him.  For Sir Michael, retirement has meant he is officially out of Party politics but it is impossible to separate Pangu from Somare.

In an interview with EMTV, Sir Michael said he was invited to accompany the Prime Minister, but was not told that part of the official visit involved commemorating Pangu’s anniversary.

“It was good celebrations. It was beautiful and to see big crowd like this, it was something you know. Something that is new, that people in Morobe decided to celebrate the fifty second anniversary of Pangu. Pangu Pati was born here at Kingfisher Street in Lae.”

Lae City and Morobe remains an important part of the Pangu-Somare Story.  Morobe is where Sir Michael went to school. Morobe is where Pangu was founded.

Go to this link for more: https://emtv.com.pg/grand-chief-sir-michael-and-sir-pita-lus-add-a-historic-touch-to-pangu-anniversary-in-lae/

PM: Treasurer to announce state of economy and debt by June 24

By Scott Waide - EMTV News

Prime Minister James Marape has ended his  first official visit to Lae promising  a  report on the state of the economy and debt levels by the 24th  of June

He  indicated it will be  may be an uncomfortable picture that shows high debt levels and lack of investment in key development areas.

“I have, in the meantime, stopped all borrowings until assessments are completed. If we need to borrow in the future, it needs to serve and expand the economy.”

James Marape’s first official visit to Lae  was for multiple reasons.  On the political front,  He was here to celebrate  the Pangu Party’s anniversary  – the party which   is now the largest coalition partner in this new government.

His visit was also important  as he announced a shift in policy and future spending by recognizing  Lae as  an important hub for economic development.   That, however,  was the previous political rhetoric  while billions of kina were pumped into  Port Moresby.

James Marape has been careful  to focus on economic solutions and,   while he acknowledged,  that debt levels are high, he was also careful not to put an official government figure to it.

“Where we invested the money (from borrowings) is also the question we will also be looking at.”

Official estimates place PNG’s debt at around 30 billion kina. That is  what Treasury said in 2018.   What has also created concern is the amount that Papua New Guinea owes  the Chinese Government through  various economic and financial arrangements.

While the government  has to push forward with positive economic policies,  solving some of the debt  problem won’t be easy in two years.

The public service wage bill is a K160 million  per fortnight totaling up to  K8 billion a year.  Tuition Fee Free  funding has never come on time.  It is against that backdrop that this government is looking to  reduce debt and grow the economy.

James Marape spoke to a packed audience  at  the Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium highlighting one of the  solutions that will need a shift in both the political and economic mindsets. Instead of looking at Governors as political adversaries or allies, the provinces have to be viewed as micro economies.

Each of those micro economies  and need the infrastructure to support them.  That means more investment in the provinces, minus the political power play  as well as a recognition that Port Moreby’s money comes from the rest of Papua New Guinea.

Go to this link for more: https://emtv.com.pg/pm-treasurer-to-announce-state-of-economy-and-debt-by-june-24/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Our Women to Play Greater Role in Policing

By Bryan Kramer - Minister for Police & Madang MP

Today I had the privilege to accompany the Prime Minister Hon. James Marape and fellow Ministers to inspect the progress of Australian Government funded Angau Hosptial Redevelopment project in Lae. 

During the event Members of the Force asked me if it was ok to take to a picture with them. 

I wish to announce that under the leadership of Marape Steven Government and in my capacity as Minister for Police our women will play a greater role in policing throughout the country.

While Members of Force face challenges in serving our country our women in blue face unspeakable difficulties, not because of their lack of ability or performance but discrimination for being a woman.

I wish to put every member of the force on notice from the lowest rank F/C to the Commissioner of Police I will be making it my business to stamp out gender bias and sexual harassment within the force. While I understand there are processes within the administration of the Force to deal with such incidents I will ensure every complaint is dealt with on a timely basis and are not swept aside.

I encourage any female member of the force who has been a victim or continues to be a victim of such practices to contact my office or message me directly.

A priority of the Marape Steven Government is restoring discipline and pride in each and every Member of our Police Force.

O’Neill’s 8 years: achievements insufficient to counter mistakes

STEPHEN HOWES | Devpolicy Blog

CANBERRA - Peter O’Neill was Papua New Guinea’s second longest serving prime minister, and by a long way.

He was prime minister from 2011 to 2019, about one-fifth of the country’s history as an independent country.

He may well remain a political force, and even be a future prime minister. But for now at least his term of office is over.

How should we assess it? Certainly, no other individual has so dominated the pages of the Devpolicy Blog, which I have co-edited since its inception in 2010.

Indeed, the pages of our blog provide a rich source of materials on which to base an assessment of O’Neill’s long tenure. In what follows, I focus on domestic policy, the importance of the 2013 O’Neill-Rudd Manus agreement notwithstanding.

On the positive side of the ledger, attempts had been made before Peter O’Neill became prime minister to abolish school fees in PNG, but none had lasted. O’Neill did it, and it stuck.

One can criticise some of the modalities and consequences (in most provinces, a massive increase in school class sizes), but getting more kids in school is a step forward.

Free education stuck in part because O’Neill was prime minister for so long, and that stability was itself an achievement. It enabled O’Neill to pursue long-term goals like the hosting of APEC, which, while controversial, resulted in PNG getting more foreign aid.

The stability also provided the environment in which the ADB’s 2017 US$1 billion loan to fix up the Highlands Highway was finalised – a transformational project.

The negative side of the ledger is prominent. First, O’Neill borrowed heavily during his first years of office, the boom years of 2012 to 2014. That was a big mistake, resulting in a heavy interest burden today, and accentuating the impact of the downturn on government services during the post-2014 bust years.

Second, and crucially in my view, O’Neill failed to grasp the opportunity which the end of 2014 presented. When oil prices crashed, he could have called the greatly changed external circumstances a crisis, and pushed through much-needed hard decisions, like budget cuts, revenue measures, and a currency devaluation. He could have done all this and blamed it on external necessity.

Instead, until much too late his government denied that the fall in oil prices would have any consequences at all.

By then, the prime minister was trapped by his own spin into a passive economic policy stance, perpetually on the defensive, denying that there were any economic or other problems at all, even as employment fell, growth outside the resources sector fell below the population growth rate, foreign exchange dried up, revenue collapsed, and government services deteriorated.

The admission of his successor – the new prime minister James Marape, in a maiden speech that was generally favourable to O’Neill – that the economy is “bleeding and struggling”, was never one the former prime minister could have made after he missed his 2014-15 window of opportunity. O’Neill’s defence of his healthcare policies at a time of health crisis was particularly galling.

Third, the former prime minister antagonised too many of his colleagues via a series of controversial decisions or captain’s calls. O’Neill could ban Australians like Ross Garnaut and Paul Flanagan with no fallout. He could nationalise Ok Tedi without consequence.

But the 2014 UBS loan to purchase Oil Search shares cost him valuable allies, as did – much more recently – his finalisation, against bureaucratic advice, of the Papua LNG gas agreement.

It is sometimes said that all power rests with the prime minister in PNG politics, but O’Neill’s eventual demise illustrates the dangers of concentrating rather than sharing power. (On O’Neill’s resignation as Minister in April, James Marape said that PNG was not a nation “to be dominated by one person”.)

O’Neill also struggled with many of the dilemmas that ruling PNG involves. The first and most prominent of these concerns corruption. Everyone agrees it needs to be contained, but when corruption is widespread clamping down on it is risky.

O’Neill came in with energy at the end of Somare’s lethargic final term. He established Taskforce Sweep to fight corruption within two weeks of becoming prime minister in August 2011. But it lasted less than three years, being disbanded by the man who set it up when the agency went after the O’Neill himself on corruption charges.

He promised thereafter to replace Taskforce Sweep by an Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, but never did. While it is difficult to quantify corruption, the consensus is that it increased and institutions weakened under O’Neill’s reign.

Second, O’Neill supported decentralisation, but without clear direction. In his early years, he supported decentralisation to the districts or MP level, with multi-million kina funds for MPs to disburse and new District Development Authorities to manage those funds.

Provinces (made up of districts) seemed irrelevant. But in his later years, O’Neill tacked back to the provinces, promising their governors greater autonomy. Absent a settled and affordable framework for decentralised governance, expect service delivery to continue to decay.

Third, O’Neill – or at least his government – flirted with but never committed to a number of controversial policy stances. Policies to quarantine large parts of the economy from foreign investment and to hand mineral ownership to landowners were advanced, but then not implemented.

There is a clear mood of economic nationalism in PNG which no leader can ignore, but it needs to be constructively channelled towards outlawing backroom deals rather than isolating the country. Women’s parliamentary representation is another issue the former prime minister flirted with but left in the too hard basket.

Peter O’Neill, by virtue of his longevity and energy, was probably PNG’s most powerful prime minister, but he was also perhaps the most divisive.

A skilful politician, he appeared invincible for so long, but he finished his time as prime minister isolated and defeated by what even he admitted was a perceived “need for change”, his achievements insufficient to counter his mistakes and vacillations.

Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/06/oneills-8-years-achievements-insufficient-to-counter-mistakes.html

PM Discusses Bilateral Issues with Australian High Commissioner

Posted on Legend FM

Prime Minister James Marape met with the Resident High Commissioner of Australia to Papua New Guinea Bruce Davis recently to discuss key bilateral issues between the two countries, since his assumption of Office.

Prime Minister Marape reaffirmed the historical connections that existed through the colonial administration including the excellent warm and friendly relations that have been enjoyed since establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975.

“The relations between both countries has matured and has been through active and consistent engagements in all sectors,” the Prime Minister said.
“The relations, furthermore have evolved from an aid dependency focus to one of equal partnership, with more focus on a comprehensive economic and strategic partnership.

“The Australian Government’s continuous support in the Rural Electrification Project and the successful launching of the program in more than three provinces.

“This program is a national project and we would like to see it rolled out to all the provinces by 2030.”

Prime Minister Marape also assured the Australian Government that the Papua New Guinea National Government was committed and would fully support the upcoming referendum on Bougainville.

“The Bougainville issue remains an important test for PNG, as it impinges on the issue and question of sovereignty and territorial integrity and the outcome of the referendum should be within the parameters of the National Constitution.

“The outcome of the referendum and the question of independence and greater autonomy have to be dealt with sensitively,” said Prime Minister Marape.

Prime Minister Marape in concluding their discussions thanked the Government of Australia for the recent announcement of its increased annual aid package and encouraged High Commissioner Davis to elaborate on the priority areas that the Australian development assistance would be targeted under the existing national development plans and initiatives such as the Medium Term Development Plan III.

He also took time to introduce the recently appointed Foreign Minister of his Cabinet, Hon. Soroi Eoe to the Australian High Commissioner.

Go to this link for more: https://www.legendfm.net/blog/pm-discusses-bilateral-issues-with-australia-high-commissioner?fbclid=IwAR0KOvX2_w9Kr2m72kT-wuOoJwPV7OEzi1fwAlu9DOaFXLgUi1Zmq_4lyiA

World Bank asked to Recall US $50M Loan Obtained for Earthquake Disaster

Posted on Legend FM

TARI, HELA PROVINCE; It’s been almost a year and moneys received for 7.5 magnitude earthquake has never reached the affected provinces and victims. The US$50M World Bank Loan obtained for the 7.5magnitude earthquake has been misapplied by Government of PNG.

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Additional K106m from donations disappeared in Waigani. World Bank has to recall it’s US$50M Loan and blacklist Government of Papua New Guinea or else we will hold you accountable for this deceitful act against vulnerable earthquake disaster victims.

It’s almost over 1year and we cannot tolerate the blame game between Treasury, Finance and PM’s Office. The Governor said he was called into Deputy Prime Ministers Office and confirmed receipt of loan. He was asked to go to Prime Minister’s Office. After meeting with PM Finance Secretary was then asked to open a Trust Account with Hela Provincial Administrator to counter sign.

One year gone by and no one knows where the money is gone. Trust Account was never opened. This is a crime against humanity and trust World Bank will not allow this to happen.

Its almost 1 year and this shameful act should be exposed. The K450m promised has never being fulfilled. Even 2019 budget has nil allocation for earthquake disaster. If we cannot look after our people at times like this, what other better time can we?

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"I cannot allow people profiting from 150 deaths, 150, 000 made homeless and entire infrastructure collapsed. Hela Provincial Government only received K1.5m to date. So, am asking were has US$50M or K200m World Bank Loan gone?", stressed Governor Undialu.

Go to this link for more: https://www.legendfm.net/blog/world-bank-is-hereby-asked-to-recall-the-us-50m-loan-obtained-for-the-7-5m-earth-disaster?fbclid=IwAR02Wg-79cJWNwOIgcfPjTdTzFY7T3NcDLY_JkpdrhbCnjtITaByRLA08C0

Blacklock tells how to make power cheaper

By HELEN TARAWA - The National

PNG Power Limited acting managing director Carolyn Blacklock says cheap power, whether from gas or water (hydro), can reduce tariff if there are new power stations set up.
In response to Prime Minister James Marape’s call for reduced electricity costs, Blacklock told The National that bringing down the cost of electricity was possible if PNG Power adhered strictly to rehabilitating existing hydropower.
She also pointed out that phasing out imported diesel and heavy fuel would allow domestic sources of energy, including hydropower and gas, would contribute to reducing cost of electricity.
Blacklock said if PNG Power entered into long-term contracts tao buy power from independent power producers (IPP) it will continue to struggle financially and unable to pass on savings to its customers.
“We are also working hard to help our soon-to-be customers afford power by supporting the industrialisation of our country,” she said.
“Providing low-cost, reliable power to industry helps position PNG as investment-friendly to local and international businesses.
“It in turn helps Papua New Guinea compete as a destination for new and expanded businesses creating new opportunities for jobs and small businesses.”
She said reducing tariff helped “but we also need to grow household income through jobs and small businesses such as agriculture”.
“We are hopeful widespread electrification will lead to electric pumps that will allow farmers to lift and store water to enable high-quality crops that are drought-proof for instance,” Blacklock said.
Blacklock said she was committed when she started to restore confidence in PNG Power by establishing reliability.
She said there were constant blackouts with seven isolated centres experiencing weeks of no power.
“We had to stabilise operations and improve our financial situation,” Blacklock said.
“Secondly, I promised to increase access to electricity which is very low to less than 15 per cent.”
“Last year we connected 18,000 new households (up from 3000 in 2017) and we raised around US$1.2 million (about K4mil) under the Papua New Guinea electrification partnership.”

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/blacklock-tells-how-to-make-power-cheaper/?fbclid=IwAR26h7pL6xqP5QeZbXETOVmVznF_vkxaetL0WDMc1B8QYP8uRhWxHZVNaBE

Call For Investigation Into 2016 UPNG Shooting During Student Unrest

Posted on PNG Facts

FORMER University of PNG student representative council president Kenneth Rapa has asked Prime Minister James Marape to order a commission of inquiry into the police shooting of UPNG students during the 2016 student unrest.
In a letter dated June 11, 2019, Rapa wrote: “as we look towards the future now with renewed hope, we ask that you heal all the wounds from the past.”

He said students at that time had no personal or political agenda, but had the people’s agenda to respect the integrity of the office of Prime Minister and restore democracy by demanding the then PM Peter O’Neill to step down, but they were suppressed by police.

Rapa said that students were a relevant voice in the country and they had taken the responsibility to protest the government’s decisions that were negatively impacting their lives – mismanagement of the economy and the lack of good governance and true democracy.
He wrote: “We, the students, assumed the mantle of God’s eternal purpose to be the voice of the silent majority and called for our prime minister (at that time) to be accountable to his people and to the honour, integrity and dignity of the office he occupied.
“We did not request, nay, we demanded, that he humble himself before the laws of our nation and yield to due process by submitting himself for questioning in relation to the allegations that were demeaning and denigrating to the office.”
Rapa said the students had been shot at on roads and even inside the institution just because they conducted a mass protest, as a the student leader , he therefore, felt a duty to revisit the incident and to make right by pursuing a proper investigation into the matter.
“My team of leaders and I bear a responsibility towards those students and their parents. As such, we humbly request that your office and the offices of the ministries responsible carry out a commission of enquiry”. 

Go to this link for more: https://edu.pngfacts.com/education-news/call-for-investigation-into-2016-upng-shooting-during-student-unrest?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

The beginning of the end of “free education” in PNG?

By Anthony Swan & Grant Walton - DevPolicy Blog

The O’Neill government has done its best to protect its flagship Tuition Fee Free (TFF) policy during the current fiscal crunch in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Despite substantial funding cuts to many core government services in recent years, government funding of around 600 million kina for the TFF policy has been maintained in the 2017 budget at much the same level (in nominal terms) since its introduction in 2012. But there is a difference between budget allocations and actual release of government funds in a timely matter, as is becoming increasingly apparent in PNG.

Cash flow problems have meant that salary payments to public servants have been late, teacher holiday leave fares unpaid, road funding delayed, and payments of MP funds delayed. TFF payments to schools have not been immune; for example the Department of Treasury only released the warrants for the release of the last quarterly TFF payment of 2016 in December, only days before the end of the school year (see also here and here). The problem is that schools in PNG have been directed by the National Department of Education (NDoE) to not charge school fees, and so delayed TFF payments to schools have resulted in reports of schools closing and students sent home.

In May 2016, one of us – Grant – witnessed the impacts of problems with school funding first hand in Central province. On the way back from fieldwork in Gulf province, he and other researchers came across a throng of young people clutching bags and slowly walking along the Hiritano highway, which links Port Moresby to the capital of Gulf province, Kerema (see photo above). In response to questions about why they weren’t in school, students said that their teachers had sent them home to collect money for school fees from their parents. Students in lower secondary school were asked to bring back 50 kina, and those in higher grades were to return with 100 kina. According to the students, the school had run out of money; this, it was suggested, was likely due to late payment and poor management of TFF subsidies.

Recent research in Gulf and East New Britain provinces showed that some schools are also quietly charging fees, including school and project fees.

In expectation of TFF payment delays continuing, the Education Board in PNG’s largest province, Morobe, has now announced that all schools in the province will be required to impose school fees in 2017 to make up for shortfalls in TFF funding.

This decision certainly makes sense as a short-term solution to ensure that schools are able to access resources (such as water, classroom materials, and electricity) to keep them functioning. The question now is whether other provincial administrations will come out and defy the national government’s official position and reinstate school fees. If more provinces join Morobe then this will likely result in a broader unravelling of the TFF policy.

There is some dispute about the ability of provinces to themselves set school fees independent from the national government. A letter contesting NDoE’s ban on any imposition of schools fees was published in the Post-Courier newspaper by the Catholic Church in May this year. The letter – addressed to the prime minister and signed by the President of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of PNG, Bishop Arnold Orowae – argued that NDoE’s order transgressed the national Education Act, and Provincial Education Acts in the 13 provinces where these are in place.

With the NDoE’s 2016 TFF policy promising to redirect 60 per cent of school payments to districts and national administrators, it is likely that many more schools will feel a need to charge school fees (if they are not already). There are also reports that some are finding other ways to make up for lost revenue through unofficial transfers. The school fees imposed by Morobe’s administration is just another indication that parents are increasingly being expected to pay for the cost of schooling, whether the charges are official or not.

To some degree, sorting out the problems associated with TFF payments will fall to the NDoE. The department’s bureaucrats should be directly engaging with Morobe’s administrators as well as Treasury officials, and looking for ways they can help ensure payments get to schools on time. The decision earlier this year to disperse TFF payments on a quarterly basis is a step in the right direction but, on its own, not enough.

While bureaucrats explore potential fixes, there are likely to be broader consequences for the current government. With the 2017 national election looming large, an unravelling of the TFF policy could result in significant reputational damage, and hamper some MPs’ chances of re-election. In addition, it may result in instability amongst the large coalition of MPs in government.

The TFF policy’s unravelling would likely impact on post-election wheeling and dealing associated with forming a coalition government. The current TFF policy was a key part of the government’s 2012 Alotau Accord [pdf] (which laid out the priority areas for the new then government), and was a likely (but certainly not the only) factor in current Prime Minister Peter O’Neill securing a strong coalition of MPs to form government in 2012. The TFF policy also helped O’Neill differentiate himself from his predecessor, Sir Michael Somare. If the TFF policy is seen to be failing, this may give MPs one more reason not to back O’Neill to head the government after the 2017 election.

Previous governments in PNG have lived and died on their ability (and subsequent inability) to sustain “free education”. Will this fourth attempt at free education go the same way as the previous three failed attempts? For now, we will just have to wait and see.

Go to this link for more: http://www.devpolicy.org/beginning-end-free-education-png-20170112/

PNG Opposition queries Marape Govt's Economy Rescue plans

Posted on PNG Today

PNG Opposition strongman Ling-Stuckey queries PNG Govt’s economic rescue plan: A week has gone by plus a NEC meeting held, but there is still no economic rescue plan yet announced by the Marape government under Treasurer Sam Basil. And this should have been the most urgent business for the government when it assumed office.

These were the sentiments expressed yesterday by Shadow Treasurer and Member for Kavieng Ian Ling-Stuckey who questioned why there was no urgency in dealing with the country’s poor economic performance. “Our economy is in crisis. Living standards have dropped by 10 per cent under O’Neill. Health, education and justice delivery are in crisis. “Where is the new government’s rescue plan? “The first NEC meeting has occurred under the new government. But there is no economic rescue plan – why not?

“This is a disgraceful reflection on the economic team of the new government led by Basil, including Abel and Maru, and may best be described adopting Prime Minister Marape’s own words borrowed from the Laguna camp “The clowns of Crown.” “Let’s form a true crisis team to save PNG from the failed policies of O’Neill. “Let there be good analysis and vision. “The alternative government had a powerful, wise and comprehensive rescue plan. We are ready to take back PNG.

“If you want your children to have a better future, you need people in your team that understand how the economy works. “If you want to be re-elected, you need to have people in your team that can actually improve living standards over the next two years, people who can get jobs growing again, people who can dig into the detailed figures and go beyond fake numbers to find the truth, and based on true numbers, determine wise ways forward,” he said.

He said Mr Basil has not demonstrated the vital capacities for a Treasurer to challenge and put forward different ideas to the Prime Minister. Mr Ling-Stuckey said history demonstrates that good and equal talking between the Prime Minister and Treasurer makes for better economic outcomes to lift living standards in-between the political struggles.

Go to this link for more: https://news.pngfacts.com/2019/06/png-opposition-queries-marape-govts.html

Kramer says he won't fire Baki. That's cabinet's job, he says

NEWS DESK | Radio New Zealand

AUCKLAND - Papua New Guinea's new police minister Bryan Kramer says he wants to address the attitude problem which he links to the force's disciplinary problems.

Kramer is aiming to improve the constabulary's working relationship with a public which he said often fears police more than criminals.

He said it hadn't helped that the force has been politicised over the years.

"When you put on a police uniform, there's a degree of power and respect that comes with that uniform. And it becomes very easy to abuse it. And that has been the problem with the police force," Kramer said.

"There's been ill-discipline and very little accountability in members of the force. So, I'm hoping to change that attitude."

Kramer is also aiming to review the way the country's troubled constabulary is funded.

He acknowledged the long-running problem of lack of resourcing for the force and inconsistent pay for individual officers.

Kramer said that with the country facing significant cash flow problems, government has struggled every fortnight to pay public servants

"My focus will be establishing what is the true cost of policing in PNG and ensuring that the police get sufficient funding to allow them to address the law and order issue that is currently escalating in the country.

"We're looking at how we can address that, the funding available. But also, there's a lot of wastage, there's a lot of funding that is being misused through the police force."

Another priority for the minister is addressing the trend of police officers or reservists being engaged in paid work by logging companies or private businesses.

"The problem is logging companies provide great incentives," he said, adding that a number of police officers lack adequate housing and regular pay.

Kramer said he would work "to ensure that members of the force that are paid by public money are not paid by private organisations or logging companies".

Meanwhile, the minister was briefed by police commissioner Gary Baki whose appointment was renewed for three months in May.

The pair had a public war of words last year after Kramer criticised the commissioner for closing a fraud case file against former prime minister Peter O'Neill.

Since his appointment, Kramer has brushed off suggestions that he would look to fire Baki. According to the minister, it's up to cabinet to decide on a long term commissioner appointment.

Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/06/kramer-says-he-wont-fire-baki-thats-cabinets-job-he-says.html

Dear Hon James Marape, I make a plea for an innocent man

By STANLEY PUNDIYE - PNG Attitude

PORT MORESBY - I am not close to you to speak these words directly, so I make this humble request through PNG Attitude.

An innocent man was accused by power-hungry people who had made the University of Technology their cash cow before Dr Albert Schram’s term as vice-chancellor.

Dr Schram was accused on baseless grounds and the purpose of accusing him was to make Unitech a cash cow once again after he had gone.

Last year he was gone and the evil won.

I fought for change a student at Unitech from 2011 to 2014. The change I wanted to see slowly flowed in from Dr Schram’s arrival in 2013 and beyond.

The change included 13 major infrastructure projects on campus, restoring the reputation of the university internationally, signing 23 cooperation agreements, sending 77 Papua New Guineans abroad for the training (27 for doctoral programs) and setting up a satellite campus in Simbu.

All this change took place when the university faced a terrible financial crisis. This man, in difficult conditions, managed to get a lot done to help Papua New Guineans.

Without any strong evidence, the innocent man was charged with not having a real doctorate even after he produced a certified copy of the document from the European university.

The Department of Higher Education purposefully allowed confusion to prevail even after an intensive verification process and after speaking to the European university and communicating with its professor members. The Department came up with nothing against him.

Even after seeing his book based on his doctoral thesis from 1994 and published by the well-known Cambridge University Press in 1997, they closed their eyes and turned their back.

And they continue to suppress the innocent man who wanted to shape the brains and leaders of the next generations of this beautiful country.

Even after having heard the judge, they continue to track him and after being arrested on a trumped up charge he left the country without many toea in his pocket.

Let me tell you the judge’s words:

“In spite of this overwhelming evidence [presented by Dr Schram], Mr Saulep continues to dispute the authenticity of the applicant’s doctorate degree.

“I find this ridiculous and difficult to fathom especially when neither he [Mr Saulep] nor the police are in receipt of evidence from the European University Institute in Florence Italy, confirming their allegations and suspicions.

“The current charge, with respect, lacks the primary evidence to prove the elements of falsity. Whether they will have such evidence by 12 june 2018 [the next hearing] is anyone’s guess. The reality is that they have failed to do so when the allegations were raised in 2012.”

This happened during prime minister O’Neill’s term.

Now, Hon James Marape, we kindly ask you to bring back an innocent man who struggled to shape the students of PNG who are the backbone of this country.

The students of PNG deserve a better education.

They deserve better infrastructure at universities.

They deserve to compete with overseas students.

They deserve as be ranked at the top.

They deserve to be thinkers and not robots.

They deserve such people as Dr Schram to light the road to success.

And Dr Schram deserves to be in PNG to carry on his good work.

Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/06/dear-hon-james-marape-i-make-a-plea-for-an-innocent-man.html

Can PNG become the richest black nation in the world in ten years?

By Maholopa Laveil - DevPolicy Blog

Papua New Guinea (PNG) recently underwent a change in leadership, which saw the incumbent Prime Minister resign prior to a prime ministerial election on the floor of parliament. James Marape was elected PNG’s eighth Prime Minister on 30 May 2019, with an overwhelming majority (101 parliamentary members voted for Mr Marape, with seven voting for the other nominee, Sir Mekere Morauta). That same evening Mr Marape addressed the country on one of its free-to-air television stations, EMTV, and later on social media. Amid thanking the former government and assuring the country it was in safe hands, Mr Marape announced that he aspired to make PNG the “richest black Christian nation on planet earth” within ten years.

To assess the realism of such an aspiration, I put together a list of the top ten richest, black, Christian nations. Christian nations are identified as those where most of the population identify as Christian (of whatever denomination). The richest were those with the highest real GDP in 2011 US dollars (‘real’ means adjusted for inflation) per person, using purchasing power parity (PPP) which adjusts for different costs of living across countries. Real GDP per capita is a good indicator of wealth, as it measures the amount of income available to each person in a country. Black countries are those from sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The richest black nation is Bermuda, with a GDP per capita of US$50,669. Bermuda is also predominantly Christian. Four nations that make the top-ten list are African, the remaining six are Caribbean nations. None of the predominantly black Christian nations in the Pacific region were wealthy enough to make the list (the richest being Fiji with a real GDP per capita of US$8,703).

Table 1: Richest black, Christian countries based on real GDP per capita
Indicators available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.KD?view=chart, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?view=chart

It is of interest that none of the countries that make the top ten are as populous as PNG. However, there are also larger black nations with a much higher GDP per capita than PNG. For example, South Africa, with a population of 57 million, has a GDP per capita of US$12,294 – more than three times PNG’s GDP per capita.

All top-ten nations have a GDP per capita of above US$13,000, making them relatively wealthy, compared to PNG’s GDP per capita of US$3,825. If a simple compound growth rate is applied, for PNG to reach Bermuda’s current GDP per capita within ten years, it would have to sustain growth at 30 per cent yearly.

PNG has never experienced 30 per cent growth in the past; nor has any other country for that matter, at least not for any sustained period of time. PNG has experienced two notable high GDP per capita growth rates in the past (according to World Bank data). In 1993, PNG enjoyed 15.3 per cent growth. However, PNG’s growth rate plummeted to negative 5.8 per cent growth in 1995 during a period of excessive government spending, increased domestic interest payments, and unbudgeted advances on government price support scheme, decreasing public confidence and leading to capital flight and depletion of the Central Bank’s foreign reserves. PNG’s second-highest real GDP per capita growth period was in 2014, when PNG experienced a 13 per cent growth rate resulting from the first shipments of the PNG LNG project. This was also followed by a sharp decrease in 2016 to negative 0.5 per cent growth. This sharp decrease was due to the fall in world oil prices in 2015, which affected government budget revenues and resulted in a reduction in real GDP growth in subsequent years.

Policy changes proposed by the new government centre on increased local content in renegotiated mining and petroleum agreements, coupled with improved mechanisms for corruption detection and prosecution, and better accountability of government ministers. Regardless of the merits of these policies, PNG’s history has shown it has not been able to sustain high growth rates. There are no quick and easy solutions to issues around lack of infrastructure, remoteness, and volatility in resource prices that make economic growth in PNG difficult.

While it is good to aspire to higher income, aiming to become a high-income country within a decade is unrealistic. It may be more realistic to settle for goals such as catching up with Fiji’s per capita GDP of US$8,703, and aiming to be the richest Pacific nation, outside Australia and New Zealand. Even this would require a growth rate of 8.6 per cent for the next ten years (assuming Fiji doesn’t grow at all). Catching up with Fiji alone will require not only very good policies, it will require longer than a decade.

Go to this link for more: http://www.devpolicy.org/can-png-become-the-richest-black-nation-in-the-world-in-ten-years-20190614/