Yalinu set on cleaner future

Posted by The National

A PAPUA New Guinean who is doing her PhD studies at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom has an ambition to create a cleaner and safer way to produce ammonia to feed the world’s population more sustainably.
Yalinu Poya, who is a final-year PhD student in chemistry, said her research was focused on using affordable materials to make a catalyst that was able to produce ammonia in a clean way using less harsh reaction conditions and less energy.
“The Haber–Bosch process uses its conventional iron catalysts in large scale plants, meanwhile I make and use cobalt rhenium supported on magnesium oxide catalysts which are potentially more suitable for small scale localised plants (such as on a farm) that can be powered by wind energy,” she said.
It is estimated that the world’s population will reach 9.1 billion by the year 2050, and consequently food production will need to rise by 70 per cent to keep up with global demands.
Farmers will require more fertilisers to maintain fertile soil in order to produce healthy crops, which will result in an increased demand in the production of fertilisers.
Since ammonia is the main component in fertilisers, it too will need to increase in production.
To maintain food security, ammonia needs to be produced in enormous amounts through the Haber–Bosch process.
Through this ingenious invention, over 450 million tonnes of fertiliser is produced annually and it is estimated that 40 per cent of the world is being fed through it.
Unfortunately, this industrial technology annually consumes two per cent of the world’s energy and contributes to global warming by releasing 1.6 per cent of man-made carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“My country, Papua New Guinea, is a developing country that is affected by many things, one of them being climate change,” Poya said.
“Located in the Pacific Ocean, we along, with other Pacific island nations, are feeling the drastic effects of global warming.
With the sea level rising, most of our islands are sinking, and my people of the Pacific are highly affected.”
“I am pleased that my research can potentially contribute new perspectives to worldwide sustainability to help tackle some of the problems of climate change that affect my country, neighbouring Pacific island nations, other vulnerable developing nations, and moreover the planet.”
Poya said she chose to study at the University of Glasgow because of its world-changing research and notable alumni.
“The University of Glasgow’s school of chemistry alone has alumni like Joseph Black, who discovered magnesium and Fred Soddy, who discovered isotopes,” she said.
“All of these Nobel Prize winners come from here, so why not me!”
Poya said studying chemistry at the University of Glasgow was an enormous honour.
“I am working alongside world-leading research groups and using first-class facilities,” she said.
“My goal is to graduate successfully with a PhD and I will use the knowledge and skills I gain in my studies to present chemistry and catalysis as a solution to the real global problems that our world faces.”
Glasgow University said Poya was one of its future world changers: students with ambitions to improve lives across the world.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/yalinu-set-on-cleaner-future/?fbclid=IwAR08QhQxnP49ksvuPOY0ef_zXr_5nsx1junrN9r7jPnJtx2kBPK93MBwI0o

MARAPE REWARDS & EMBRACES CORRUPTION IF HE DOES NOT SACK DUMA

By Isabella Tauri - PNG Blog

Marape has again rewarded Mr Corruption and one of PNG people's greatest thief William DUMA through a Government Decision NOT to investigate further, effect arrest nor sack William DUMA as a State Minister!

Never forget this is the same William Corruption Duma who stole millions from the Manumanu Land Deal, together with Fabian Pok.  The people of PNG protested on Facebook for their removal but Peter O'Neill kept them until the Government changed in May 2019.
The people's expectations were on Marape to live by his words - to be the people's PM!  But Marape's true hidden colors are now showing.

First, he rewarded DUMA with a State Minister portfolio end of last year.  All for political survival!
Now that both local and international media has exposed DUMA's corruption in abusing public office as a State Minister for personal gain, Marape has made another decision to NOT DO ANYTHING about DUMA's corruption.

Instead, he is taking K28 Million of public funds to fund further investigation on the UBS Loan saga, which he himself as Finance Minister was 100% responsible for. 
We the people of PNG already got robbed of K3 Billion by Marape and his cohorts in the former O'Neill regime.  Why is he so defiant to ROB us AGAIN to pay hell knows who and what for money that we shall never recover?

The litmus test in now on Marape:   WILL HE BE A TRUE LEADER TO SACK DUMA AND INVESTIGATE HIM TOO?

If nothing is done then it may mean Marape himself may have personally benefited from these deals.  He will protect Duma at all costs!
The Fact that Marape embraces and rewards CORRUPTION means he is indeed an accessory to all these corruption and is corrupt as well.  He does not care about the welfare of Papua New Guineans as he plays lip service in his preachings.
So Papua New Guineans, stop your little Christian preachings, understand the magnitude of this corruption and decisions.
TIME TO START A NEW REVOLUTION AND REMOVE CORRUPT LEADERS!


Go to this link for more: http://www.pngblogs.com/2020/02/marape-rewards-embraces-corruption-if.html

The Enigma of James Marape

By PHIL FITZPATRICK - PNG Attitude

TUMBY BAY - I’ve got an elderly aunt in Indiana, USA, who thinks Donald Trump is wonderful. She was a volunteer in his 2016 election campaign and is thinking about doing it again this year.

My aunt thinks Barack Obama was the worst president that America ever had and that the Democrats are socialists who will destroy America. She is one of millions of Americans who don’t realise what the rest of the world thinks about their buffoon president.

Sometimes you have to stand back to see a situation clearly. That’s why a view from a distance often imparts a clarity not available to those up close and involved. I think a lot of people outside Papua New Guinea are still making up their minds about prime minister James Marape. There is a lot to ponder.

On the face of it he seems to be a genuine reformer. How much of this is spin and how much is real is hard to tell. He was, after all, a senior minister in the disastrous O’Neill government. That association raises quite a few questions. If he knew what O’Neill was doing why didn’t he speak up?

He now says he disagreed with O’Neill on several matters. Then why didn’t he resign from the People’s National Congress government and join the Opposition? If he had the same personal convictions he espouses now, why didn’t he act on them when it truly mattered? Why did he let O’Neill get away with what he did?

People inside Papua New Guinean say their politics are complex. From the outside they don’t seem complex at all. With their emphasis on alliances, numbers and personal gain they simply appear chaotic, illogical and, most of all, terribly corrupt.

In that sort of environment maybe Marape, in government under a strong ruthless leader, realised he could do very little. Maybe he decided to wait until he was in a position of greater power.

Or maybe he was enjoying the spoils and only decided to act when he decided O’Neill had burnt up his political capital and was doomed.

Despite what my American aunt thinks, Barack Obama was a good president. Or at least he tried to be a good president. It was a sad reality that just about every good thing he tried to do was nobbled by the Republicans and vested interests.

Is the slow progress that has started to dog James Marape similar to what happened to Barack Obama? Are the vested interests within parliament and in the corporate world outside conspiring to limit his effectiveness?

It’s hard to know but there are a few tell-tale signs worth noting.

One example is of interest to PNG Attitude readers. That is Marape’s apparent indifference to the plight of writers in Papua New Guinea. Does he simply not care? Is it just because he is too busy with what he sees as more important matters? Is it because he is acting on poor advice from his advisors and spin doctors? Fixing the dreadful mess left by Peter O’Neill is a monumental job after all.

But then again, Marape has been seen supporting apparently frivolous things like fashion parades. How can he justify supporting fashion designers but not writers? PNG watchers will remember the enthusiasm that greeted Peter O’Neill when he ousted Michael Somare.

There was a strong hope that O’Neill was going to end the years of corruption under Somare and make Papua New Guinea great. Are all the positive noises that James Marape made when he ousted O’Neill just more of the same empty rhetoric?

Marape booted out many of O’Neill’s most corrupt ministers but he also retained quite a few of them. And corrupt public servants as well. What sort of power have they got over him?

Along with the usual gaggle of rats abandoning the sinking O’Neill ship, Marape has also managed to pull in members of the Opposition to work for him, including quite a few who are very capable and have demonstrated high political ideals.

Do they actually believe in him or are they hoping to change things for the better from inside rather than outside? Or has he offered them something they can’t refuse? I don’t know whether my poor deluded aunt in Indiana would like James Marape or not. Then again, I’m not sure I want to ask her.

Go to this link for more: https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/01/the-enigma-of-james-marape.html

The arrest of Peter O’Neill

BRYAN KRAMER MP
| Kramer Report | Edited

PORT MORESBY - When will Peter O'Neill be arrested? The appropriate authority to answer the question of when the former prime minister will be arrested to face the many corruption allegations against him is the police force.

But if someone were to ask for my opinion, I would say the short answer is sometime this year.

It’s public knowledge that O’Neill is accused of being at the centre of numerous corruption scandals, including the K71 million Paraka saga, the K50 million LR Generators issue and  the K3 billion UBS loan, to name just a few.

There are many more allegations being investigated.

So why hasn’t O'Neill been arrested and charged?

Well, because he has been evading arrest by refusing to avail himself to the police, hiding out in hotel rooms, fleeing the country and filing fake court documents to obtain stay orders.

So he has been able to continually avoid arrest due to a dysfunctional and ineffective police force which is a result of years of neglect and political interference.

In my view, the best means to fight corruption, including having O'Neill answer to the allegations against him, is to first fix the police force.

This includes taking immediate action to restore discipline, ensure sufficient funding as well as address the many welfare issues, including basic entitlements, adequate pay, housing and paying outstanding allowances.

Under the Marape-Steven government there has been significant improvements in the police force and it has been the number one issue on the floor of parliament and in the media.

2020 will be a blockbuster year for our police force as it addresses many internal issues as well as coming out to bat against corruption and addressing escalating law and order issues around the country.

There have been claims that I’m scared of Peter O’Neill?

Well, the last time I checked, I wasn’t the one hiding out in hotel rooms, crouching in the back of vehicles or fleeing overseas to avoid arrest.

People who are innocent will always be happy to make themselves available to the law to prove their innocence.

Those who are guilty will always run and hide.

Go to this link for more: https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/01/the-arrest-of-peter-oneill.htm

Making a start on a PNG book catalogue

By BAKA BINA - PNG Attitude 

PORT MORESBY - Writings about Papua New Guinea and books by Papua New Guinean authors are multiplying but scattered all across the country.

There has never been a central reservoir of information about them. And there should be.

Most of these books are self-published by the authors, sometimes assisted by experienced people like Francis Nii and Jordan Dean, and produced using the Amazon hard copy and Kindle Direct Publishing ebook platforms.

Libraries For All has helped several authors including Caroline Evari while others like Ms Solien does her own publishing.  I am also doing my own.  A few others are engaged with commercial publishing companies.

But we do need a central information data place to list all these books. I’ve made a rough start at a catalogue which you can download here.

Download Catalogue of books by PNG authors as at January 2020

Not mentioned? So how about you get your title and name on the list? Just email me here with a short description and cover shot of the book.

And include this information:

Book title
Author
Category of book (see my note at the end of the catalogue)
Year published
Number of pages
Publisher

Go to this link for more: https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/01/making-a-start-on-a-png-book-catalogue.html

Cash crunch as debt repayment soars

JONATHAN BARRETT & CHARLOTTE GREENFIELD
| Reuters

SYDNEY & WELLINGTON - Papua New Guinea’s annual debt repayments to China are forecast to increase 25% by 2023, new budget figures show, at the same time as the Pacific nation falls to its largest ever deficit.

The resource-rich country, which is at the centre of a diplomatic tussle between China and the United States, has blamed extravagant spending by the previous administration for its souring finances, which will require the government to borrow even more to pay the bills.

Balancing its books has been made more difficult by recalculations to the country’s outstanding debt. It has soared 10% since the last annual budget to 42% of gross domestic product, above the legal limit of 35%.

“You have some of those loans clicking in; the repayments are going to be a problem,” said Paul Barker, executive director of Port Moresby-based think tank the Institute of National Affairs.

Formerly administered by Australia, PNG has in recent years turned increasingly to China for financing as Beijing becomes a bigger player in the region.

The US has repeatedly warned that China was using “predatory economics” to destabilise the Indo-Pacific; a charge strongly denied by Beijing.

Although the total debt owed to Beijing was not disclosed in PNG’s budget documents released on Thursday, repayment schedules show China is by far the biggest bilateral creditor, with annual repayments to the Asian giant projected to increase 25% to about K160 million by 2023.

Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey said that past excesses, including extravagant spending linked to hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum last year, were emblematic of the financial problems that had been building up.

“At that time, we were in the midst of the APEC extravaganza with our new APEC Haus, red carpet, fancy new roads all focused in Port Moresby, and Maseratis,” he said in a speech delivered to parliament on Thursday.

“Now, we have a new prime minister that travels economy class.”

The purchase of a luxury fleet of cars during the forum, including 40 slick Maserati Quattroporte sedans, sparked public protests at the time, given the country is beset by poverty.

Prime Minister James Marape took over as leader in late May after Peter O’Neill lost the support of the parliament following almost eight years in power.

Adding to the fiscal strain, income from the country’s natural gas sector has also repeatedly come in below forecasts.

PNG’s total expenditure in the 2020 budget is forecast to reach a record K18.7 billion against an anticipated K14.1 billion in revenue, creating the largest deficit it has ever faced, according to budget documents.

Go to this link for more: https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/01/cash-crunch-as-debt-repayment-soars.html

Under Marape, rights getting worse - report

NEWS DESK
| Radio New Zealand

AUCKLAND - A human rights organisation has released a damning report into the state of Papua New Guinea, where a change of prime minister has done little to tackle rampant violence and corruption.

Human Rights Watch's annual report reveals rates of violence, domestic abuse, corruption and foreign debt haven't improved over the past year, where weak enforcement and a lack of accountability fostered a culture of impunity and lawlessness.

Its deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, said despite a change in prime minister, progress was still slow and the key findings were dire.

"We are talking about a very desperately poor country. One where there is a lot of violence that's committed with impunity ... where women are particularly affected, as well as children.

"Forty percent of the population still lives in poverty, and this is a very resource-rich country. Twenty five percent of the children are not in school, and our estimate is that one in 13 have died of preventable disease."

The report found more than two-thirds of women and girls were subjected to domestic violence, while 75 percent of children surveyed across 30 communities experienced violence at home.

"PNG has an underfunded health system and children are particularly vulnerable to disease. An estimated one in thirteen children die each year from preventable diseases, and large numbers of children experienced malnutrition resulting in stunted growth," it said.

There was little chance of redressing it with the culture of corruption and impunity that had been fostered, the report said, with corruption convictions rare and prosecutions for brutality at the hands of the state and military few and far between.

To date, no police officers had been prosecuted for killing 17 prison escapees in 2017 and four prison escapees from Buimo prison in Lae in 2018, the report noted. Police officers who killed eight student protesters in Port Moresby in 2016 had also not been held accountable.

A new prime minister, James Marape, had done little so far to rein in corruption, it said, and the unequal distribution of the revenue from the country's natural resources was creating friction and eroding land rights in rural areas. In multiple cases, landowners had been mistreated by foreign mining companies, it said.

Robertson said PNG had not really worked to dig itself out the hole it was in, and it was only getting worse.

Go to this link for more: https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/01/under-marape-rights-getting-worse-report.html