Kipu Anonga nominates-Houn Gulf open

By HAIVETA KIVIA

TWENTY-five candidates have nominated for six seats out of the 10 in Morobe Province. Out of the 25, sitting MPs Bart Philemon (Lae) and Sasa Zibe (Huon) nominated to defend the seats that they have held in the seventh Parliament of Papua New Guinea. Mr Zibe was the first to nominate at one minute past eight yesterday morning at the Huon District office in Lae city. According to Returning Officer for Huon, Francis Javati, Mr. Zibe had been the first to nominate in the last two elections and did not fail to be the first again this election. Mr. Javati stated that seven candidates had nominated so far, including Mr. Zibe and they are Geeman Gaotio Pangarie, Jack Jacob Gurey, Michael Emoto Parker, Kipu Anonga, Peter Yasaro and David Kosi Kumayong. Lae Open returning officer Daniel Wasinak said Mr. Philemon was second to nominate with five others - Paul Pora Ralpha, Joseph Taso, Dopen Peukason, Passingan Taru and Benson Nablu.

Mr. Wasinak said 25 intending candidates had sent forms 29 and 30 to the PNG Electoral Commission and they were expecting that number to nominate for Lae Open by the close of nominations at 4.00pm on Thursday. Returning Officer for Finschhafen Open, Sam Engam, said three candidates had nominated and they were Arigena Mengenang, Jackson Biaro and Tobias Romeang. Markham returning officer Simon Soheke said so far only one candidate Peter Kil had nominated and he was expecting more nominations today and tomorrow. “We are expecting more nominations today, tomorrow and Thursday,” Mr. Soheke said. He added that sitting MP Koni Iguan, a candidate for PNG party, would nominate today. Former Bumayong Secondary School Principal Gisuwat Siniwin was the first candidate to nominate for the Nawaeb Open, a seat held by National Alliance strongman Timothy Bonga who has yet to nominate. Others that nominated so far are Max Waine Noko, Gebob Bayu, Wesley Zurenuc, Philip Gaman and Andrew Meta Mirik. Former MP Andrew Baing has nominated to contest the Morobe Regional seat. The other nominees for this seat so far are Tutumang Speaker Isaac Narol. Luther Wenge will nominate today.

Dopen Peukason nominates-Lae open

PUBLIC Service Minister and Lae MP Bart Philemon has welcomed candidates challenging him for the Lae Open seat. Mr. Philemon was the second candidate to nominate for the Lae Open seat which he holds, after Paul Pora Ralpha. Four other candidates also nominated yesterday, bringing the numbers that have nominated for the Lae seat to six. They are Joseph Taso, Dopen Peukason, Passingan Taru and Benson Nablu. Mr. Philemon said he welcomes anyone who wants to take over the seat he has held for the last four terms of parliament.

He made the comments after the Post-Courier asked him about PNG Party putting up young Ahi man Bob Aaron up against him. Another Ahi man, Benson Nablu, who is contesting under the National Alliance banner also nominated yesterday, bringing to two, the number of Ahi people that will run against Mr. Philemon for the Lae seat “I have no qualms about anyone wanting to challenge me for the seat….in fact I welcome them….the more the better. “At the end of the day it is the voters who decide who gets in,” Mr. Philemon said. But he strongly reiterated to the people of Lae and Morobe Province to vote for incorruptible and God-fearing leaders, who would be strong pillars when they got into parliament and bear the interest of the people. “Lae was an example to the rest of PNG in how to run a good and clean election and we must show the rest of PNG and the World that we can run our own affairs,” he said. Mr. Philemon said the endorsement of Mr. Aaron by PNG Party was against the agreement reached between leaders of the O’Neill-Namah coalition not to put candidates against leaders.

Mr. Philemon is the leader of the New Generation Party. He said the agreement remained but it was up to each party to make their own decisions. Mr. Philemon made a speech after nominating and urged candidates to nominate and contest the seat he held, and exercise their democratic rights. But he warned voters to exercise their democratic rights with caution and vote God-fearing and incorruptible leaders who have their interest and well-being at heart. He said for the last 37 years PNG had gone backwards because of corruption and had not met its international obligations it agreed to, in the Millennium Development Goals it signed in 2000 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. They included reducing extreme poverty and hunger; adopting universal primary education for its citizens; promoting gender equality and women’s rights; fighting HIV/AIDS, corruption and ensuring that the environment is protected. “But it is sad to say that PNG has failed to deliver these goals because the Government and the Prime Minister that ruled this country for the last nine years failed the people of PNG,” he said.

He said it was time for a change and this election was crucial as people must be careful in making their choice on how to elect to represent them in parliament, questioning whether the leaders they were voting had their interest at heart or were just using them for their own corrupt gains.

Basil accused of not doing enough

By FRANK RAI

The three landowner villages of Hidden Valley Gold Mine in Bulolo District of Morobe Province have cried foul over basic services delivery in the district by Bulolo MP Sam Basil.

Through their Nakuwi Landowners Association, Winima, Gwembu and Nauti villages aired dissatisfaction that the 2012 National General Elections was just a few weeks away and nothing much had been done in their area. The local landowners raised this concern at Winima village during the Benefit Sharing Agreement (BSA) presentation of a 4 x 4 three tone truck, a portable sawmill, two chainsaws and two 700 liters fuel drum last week.

 

During the occasion, Councilor Yaning Bataturana presented four sawing machines on behalf of Mr. Basil to Women's groups of Winima and Gwembu villages but the villagers refused to accept these items, saying the MP should do better than distribute sawing machines. The womenfolk demanded Mr. Basil to bring better services or even buy three trucks for the women's groups in the three landowner villages than giving them sawing machines. Association president Rex Mauri, who was there at that time also aired dissatisfaction that as landowner villages, the Government should compensate their resources with better development and not sawing machines.

 

Mr. Mauri said Wau was still a 'ghost town' while Government services had been centered around Buang and Mumeng Local Level Government (LLG) areas respectively over the last four years. He said basic services into the three villages had not been forthcoming even though the gold mine had paid millions of kina as royalty to the LLGs and the Government.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Basil refuted that the landowners did not include the district in the signing of the Hidden Valley memorandum of agreement (MOA). He said they should not complain about having trucks and other projects because Government funds were limited. Mr. Basil, who is also the Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, said as local landowners, the developer – Morobe Mining Joint Venture (MMJV) was closely looking after the three villages with basic services. He said other remote villages in the district were suffering and as the local MP, it was his obligation to ensure that basic services like health, education and agriculture were delivered. Mr. Basil said the Hidden Valley royalties were kept by the Morobe Provincial Government and he was still fighting to get the money back, adding that the landowners should talk to the Governor Luther Wenge for the royalties. He added that the district was focusing on the least developed LLGs and Wau Rural was one of those that would receive K1m worth of services this year.

MPs, you have not done much out of DSIP funds

ANY Government of the day is responsible for proper delivery of basic government services to its people and PNG is no exception.
The service delivery mechanisms in PNG are the companies or businesses of the government called State Owned Enterprises). These included the public utilities in the nation were goods and services are delivered to the people.

However, many services provided by the government involve costs of great sums of money. Hence, the services mean taxation, While there are many types of taxes to raise the needed funds, the ultimate source of the money is the same – the people, Since 2006, each MP was given these sums of money for the district services improvement program (DSIP) every year:

• •K500,000: District Support Grant
  
• •K900,000; District Transport Improvement Program
  
• •K200,000; District Education Improvement Program
  
• •K200,000: District Health Improvement Program
  
• •K100,000: District Water Supply Improvement Program
  
• •K100,000: District Law and Justice Program
  

This is K2 million and in 5 years, the total is K10 million. Though, these funds were realisable, we have only little tangible development in our districts today because of the ignorance of our MPs.

Rules for safety and Development

Source: 

The National, 01st May 2012

SECURING a safer community in partnership with the community policing unit has gained momentum in two of the  six council ward areas of the Lae urban local level government in Morobe province.
Due to increased lawlessness in urban settlements, the leaders and youths from Kwaso village in Nawaeb Block near Timber Industry Training College drafted 12 laws to guide and protect the 260 households.
Kwaso is the eight settlement in Ward One to set up by-laws.
At the launching of the two-page document on Saturday, community policing Chief Sgt Peter Gorek told the leaders who framed the by-law to lead by example.
“Laws are provided to protect and secure families to live peacefully and harmoniously,” said Gorek.
The community policing unit provides the “link” to communities involved in proactive educational awareness about law and order issues, to promote just, secure and safer community, he said.
Landowner Tobias Omba warned families to live peacefully.
“When residing in Kwaso, no one is to promote any ethnicity background. Kwaso is where we all belong. So abide by the laws and live peacefully. Otherwise we will evict you,” said Omba.
Copies of the by-law were circulated to all 260 households three weeks before the launching.
The laws cover homebrew production, sale of illicit drugs, stealing, rape, adultery, harboring criminals,
fight, accommodating relatives, street markets, disturbances during late hours, discos and liquor trading.
The by-law was effective from Monday.

Appalling State of Road for Development

Source: 

The National, 01st May 2012

By GABRIEL FITO

PEOPLE in the TewaeSiassi district of Morobe province have a sorry state of road. This road only allows for 4X4 trucks using this roads. Likewise Angoram district of East Sepik province are now completely cut off from accessing essential services in Wewak because of the appalling road condition.
Sections of the road between Ibab and Kasmin villages had deteriorated over the years and in recent weeks reached a stage where it could only be used by four-wheel drive vehicles.
The road is very slippery, with patches of mud, huge potholes and trenches caused by the lack of a proper drainage system.
Some passengers who travelled into Wewak last week said they spent 12 hours pushing and pulling a PMV through the difficult conditions before arriving at Wewak in the night.
It takes about two to three hours to reach Angoram by PMV from Wewak.
A former ward member at Gavien Rubber Scheme, Emil Gambro, said it was the same story for all feeder roads, including the 100km Gavien Rubber road, which was now only accessible by tractor.
Gambro said the settlement had serious law and order problems but police could not visit and the sick were dying because they could not access decent health care and treatment.
The situation has caused almost all PMVs servicing the route to suspend services.
The Angoram PMV Owners Association has made a public appeal through the local radio station throughout last week for all PMVs to stop work starting today in protest over the government’s failure to maintain the road.
Gambro said the people were aware of the situation affecting their MP Arthur Somare but the district administration should use money appropriated by Somare and his joint district planning and budget priority committee (JDP&BPC) members to fix the road.
Angoram district administrator Aloi Agat could not be reached for comments but Karawari LLG president Timothy Wani said the JDP&BPC had committed K1 million for road maintenance two weeks ago but work had been delayed because the provincial works office wanted the awarding of contract to go through the normal tender process.
Wani, Angoram LLG president Ken Charles and Marienberg’s Arnold Arero met the provincial works manager last Thursday.
They recommended that gravel be laid on the damaged section of the road while they awaited full maintenance works to start.

MP urges govt to empower rural people venture into business

Source: 

The National, 01st May 2012

http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/32144

By ANCILLA WRAKUALE

PEOPLE living in rural areas need more government empowerment to assist them venture into  small business, Minister for Trade and Industry Charles Abel says.
He said it was time the government provided services to rural areas that would enable people to venture into business.
Abel was speaking at the graduation ceremony of 49 women who underwent business training conducted by the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC), at the Masurina Lodge in Alotau last Friday.
“Only few people own wealth and we need to reverse the trend if we are to survive in the long term,” he said.
Abel said that:
-Most businesses were owned by foreigners and there was a need for change;
-The Melanesian culture had an impact on the way we did business and it would be better to incorporate modern ways of doing business into our culture;
-The small medium enterprise (SME) policy went back to 1996 and was outdated; and
-The new 2012 SME policy would help in preserving businesses for locals.

SBDC women-in-busi­ness officer Maria Kalap said people wanted to venture into small businesses but they lacked the know-how.
Kalap, facilitator of the start improve your business (SYIB) training for women in Alotau, said SYIB was an internationally-recognised programme with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and was delivered in 96 countries worldwide.
She said SBDC had the mandate to promote SMEs and they would continue to instill knowledge and skills in those trying to start businesses or help improve existing businesses.
Kalap said the training had proven successful in PNG