Is Marape crabwalking away from anti-corruption legislation?

By KEITH JACKSON - PNG Attitude

AARHUS, DENMARK – Once again we have a Papua New Guinea government that feels it needs to have another look at much-required legislation that PNG governments have been having a ‘hard look at’ for years.

And after each hard look they have made a bunch of promises and never have those promises been fulfilled.

Now the freshly-minted James Marape government is set to have a hard look at two desperately needed pieces of legislation that could be introduced tomorrow if the prime minister had the will.

I refer of course to whistleblower protection and anti-corruption laws.

Marape said his government is serious about introducing an Independent Commission Against Corruption Act and a Whistleblowers Act. So was his serious predecessor Peter O’Neill. But they ended up being the Nothing Act and the Nothing (Again) Act.

Marape says the introduction of an ICAC will follow the Commission of Inquiry to the UBS/Oil Search saga.

“In the absence of ICAC, we are working and getting commission of enquiry to look into the UBS, but what the structure of the enquiry will be the precursor of what will eventually become ICAC,” he said, adding that the introduction of ICAC will also come with a Whistleblower Act.

Both pieces of draft legislation have had plenty of scrutiny in PNG and could be introduced immediately if there was real will. They’re ready for implementation.

But the excuses are already being made.

“We always have instances where people because they have a personal vendetta against some, they can hide behind corruption issues and raise up some unsubstantiated claim so we’ll have a lieu way out of it and find the right balance,” Marape said.

Expect to hear more like that.

“I’ve asked for a deeper look into it so that it can have the right balance in which Whistleblowers Act protects genuine people who are channelling in reports of corruption but also isolates and allows for penalties for those who sends in false misconstrued evidences which eventually holds no water and can be also contestable by the law and court.”

Amongst the verbosity one can sense the ‘corrupt business as usual’ signs being re-erected in PNG.

Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/07/is-marape-crabwalking-away-from-anti-corruption-legislation.html

Papua New Guinea will not be dependent on Australia in 10 years, new PM says

By Kate Lyons and Helen Davidson - The Guardian

Papua New Guinea will be free of its dependence on Australian aid within a decade, the new prime minister, James Marape, has said in Sydney.

He said the first 44 years of PNG as a modern nation had been “filled with so many wasted opportunities and failures”, and pledged “regime shifts” in the resource industry to bring more wealth to the people.

Marape made the comments on Thursday in an address to the Lowy Institute as part of his official visit to Australia.

“We welcome every support Australia can give, but in 10 years’ time I want to assist Australia helping the rest of the Pacific,” he said. “We want to be participating with Australia looking after smaller island nations.”

In 2019-20, Australia will give an estimated $607.5m to PNG in development assistance.

Marape was recently appointed as prime minister of the Pacific nation after several months of political chaos which resulted in the ousting of his predecessor, Peter O’Neill, whose tenure was marked by numerous scandals including the controversial UBS deal.

Marape spoke of his dreams for PNG to become the “richest black Christian nation on earth”, and welcomed Australia’s commitment to infrastructure support and social partnerships over the nation’s history.

“But I don’t envisage this type of aid donor-recipient relationship to last,” he told the sold-out event, which the head of the Lowy Institute, Michael Fullilove, said had drawn more media interest than any event since the institute hosted Boris Johnson in 2017.

“We will move from an introduced culture of dependency and complacency, where we rely on overseas aid and inward investment alone, to one where we become a vibrant economic powerhouse and are totally economically independent by expansion and diversification of our economic base.”

Marape said PNG had to tweak its resource laws and institutions to bring its share of taxes, equity and royalties to above 50%. Major resource projects have routinely been accused of bringing wealth inequality and sparking major disputes.

“[O]ur people demand change of course for the better because what we have done thus far as a nation has been inequitable and disproportionate to our natural resource extraction.”

Go to this link for more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/26/papua-new-guinea-will-not-be-dependent-on-australia-in-10-years-new-pm-says?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR2ibgcm4HFG8GGF0jFZZsOyDHFYJH964NwTwd-CiZn_wK65xtLPrpZIdPs

PNG won’t be economically dependent on Australia in a decade, PM vows

Posted on SBS News

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says he wants his nation to move away from an "aid-donor" relationship with Australia.

"I don't envisage this type of aid donor, recipient relationship to last, in fact within the next 10 years I want my country to grow into economic self-reliance and independence," Mr Marape said during a speech in Sydney on Thursday night.

PNG receives more than half a billion dollars in aid from Australia each year.

Mr Marape's speech comes days after Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced another $250 million in grants and low-interest loans to help PNG connect 70 per cent of its country to electricity by 2030.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape at Parliament House in Canberra.

AAP

The new PNG prime minister arrived in Australia on Sunday for a six-day visit after taking over from Peter O'Neill in May.

During Thursday's speech in Sydney, Mr Marape reiterated his pledge to make PNG the world's "richest black Christian nation".

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape and wife Rachel Marape arrive at Canberra.

AAP

"For too long we have allowed external forces to dictate the direction that we take, but this will now change," he said.

"We will move from an introduced culture of dependency and complacency, where we rely on overseas aid and inward investment alone, to one where we become a vibrant economic powerhouse and are totally economically independent."

Go to this link for more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/png-won-t-be-economically-dependent-on-australia-in-a-decade-pm-vows

Australia to give K597mil for electrification programme

Posted on The National

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Scott Morrison, pictured, has announced a K597 million investment into the Papua New Guinea electrification programme to support electricity generation in the Ramu grid.
Morrison made the announcement during his meeting with Prime Minister James Marape on Monday, the first of his five-day state visit to Australia this week.
“Today we’ve made some important agreements to elevate our relationship into comprehensive strategic and economic partnership,” Morrison said. “There is an economic relationship that’s about enabling the joint prosperity of both of our countries, and supporting and enabling the health and wellbeing and education of our citizens.
“This is a relationship that is tackling and addressing the security challenges that we face together and we work in addressing and through programmes like the secondary school programmes and church programmes and broader part of the Pacific step up programme,” Morrison said.
The other announcement included the Enga electrification programme which was part of the broader relationship with the United States, Japan and New Zealand in supporting what was a transformational project for PNG combined with the Coral Sea cable project.
Morrison also announced the K129 million for the rural primary health services initiatives and another project of K24 million for the immunisation programme covering about 400,000 children across 12 provinces. He said Australia was also continuing its support of K35 million ($15m) for the next phase of controlling the drug resistance Tuberculosis programme.
“There is also the Defence partnership which is celebrating 40 years and working together in the PNG initiative in Lombrum in Manus is an important part of what Australia is doing in the region and we than asked Papua New Guinea for the invitation to join them in that facility together with the United States.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/australia-to-give-k597mil-for-electrification-programme/

Query over LNG cash

By REBECCA KUKU - The National

THE Public Accounts Committee wants to know where the proceeds from the multi-billion kina PNG Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project are.
It has therefore given the Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) two weeks to provide the committee with information on the aggregate income generated from more than 500 shipments of LNG to overseas buyers since the first one in 2014.
Committee chairman Sir John Pundari, pictured, said they wanted KPHL to explain:
How much has been has been made so far from the export of the liquefied natural gas;

• How much of that money had been given to the State and landowners;
• how much has been given to the provincial government of the affected areas for development and infrastructure; and,
• How much was used on KPHL’s cost of operation. Sir John said people had the right to know how much was made from the shipments of LNG and where the money was right now.

“KPHL is not a private business. It is not your money or my money,” he said.
“It is the people’s money. So why are we being secretive? KPHL belongs to the people and the Public Accounts Committee has the mandate to enquire.”
But KPHL board chairman Andrew Baing said it was a government business governed by its own legislations and was not subjected to the Public Finance Management Act as the other state-owned enterprises.
Baing said yesterday that he had said all he needed to say on the matter.
“I will comment later in the week after I consult my office and lawyers,” he said.
The committee wants KPHL to provide all the information by August 7, failing which officials will be summoned before the committee.
The first shipment of LNG from ExxonMobil PNG Ltd’s US$19 billion PNG LNG project left the country on May 25, 2014, carrying a cargo bound for Japan.
It was reported at that time that the cargo had been sold on the spot market to Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc.
Since then over 500 shipments of liquefied natural gas had been made.
The committee published a notice this month on its intention to hold an inquiry into the operations of KPHL.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/query%e2%80%86over-lng%e2%80%86cash/

Prime Minister invites Australia shipping firm to set up in PNG

Posted on The National

PRIME Minister James Marape has invited that Australian ship-building company Austal to set up a facility in Papua New Guinea, similar to the US and Philippines.
He visited the Austal headquarters and ship-building facility in Perth, Western Australia on Tuesday.
Austal Ship Building is the company which built the first of four military patrol boats – HMS Ted Diro – donated to PNG by the Australian government, under the Pacific Patrol Boat Programme, last December.

PRIME Minister James Marape and wife Rachel with the PNG community at the State Memorial in Perth, Western Australia. – Picture courtesy of PM’s Media Unit

Marape thanked Austal for its commitment in building the Guardian Class patrol boats to help maintain maritime border security, eradicate illegal fishing and combat trans-national crimes in PNG waters.
He said similar arrangements should be established between PNG and Austal, like the United States and the Australian Navy and Border Force.
“I suggest that Austal come to PNG and establish a facility to, not only cater for PNG’s needs, but to provide for other smaller Pacific Island nations in the region as well,” Marape said.
Austal is expected to commence construction on the second and third patrol boats, later this year, and will supply them to the PNG Defence Force in 2021, while the fourth one will be delivered in 2022.
The company vice-president Andrew Malcolm said the company would consider the offer. The second patrol boat once completed and delivered to Papua New Guinea Defence Force would be commissioned as HMAS Lokinap. HMAS Ted Diro has already been commissioned and used by the Papua New Guinea Navy.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/pm-invites-aust-shipping-firm-to-set-up-in-png/

Hela delivers successful 2019 LLG Elections

By Hon. Philip Undialu - Hela Governor

Kundus to Hela Election Officials and general community for successful/trouble free LLG Elections20l9. Time and again Hela continue to prove critics wrong by deliverying elections on time, under budget and most importantly without trouble. I am informed that out of almost 280 boxes, less than 10 only have issues. That is remarkable achievement for us. I am satisfied that our commitment of K800, 000 towards running of the electionhas paid off.

Let me at this juncture congratulate those who won and pay tribute to those who didnt make it. Irrespective of the results, I urge you all to provide leadership at your respective wards. It was encouraging to learn the level of interest you all have shown during the campain period and deminstrated leadership during polling and counting. Some of the attached pictures just demonstrate that.

Within the few days, elected councillors will decide on the LLG Presidents. I urge public servants tasked to manage this final process to do honest job. Soon after formalities are completed, we will have formal swearing i ceremony so the Presidents elect will be sworn into office as Members of Hela Provincial Assembly.

Thank you and credit goes to Ana Pame (PRO) EMJT, PA, all AROs and all officials and collectively we did it... Team Hela.