THE NATIONAL (February 3rd 2023) 

By FRANK SENGE KOLMA (fskolma@gmail.com) 

Papua New Guinea has a problem. The Pangu-led government’s silence on a major breakdown in decision-making speaks volumes on the lack of leadership quality and the stance of the current government in fighting corruption.

As exposed last week, an estimated K20 million (AU$8 million) has gone to waste on the purchase of expensive and unnecessary Maserati sports cars, yet no one is being held accountable.

By Customary Land Advocate. 

A much-publicized four-lane road is being constructed by a Chinese company while customary landowners are not aware of what is going on. It is a perverted ploy by the State through its agencies and certain individuals to bring what seems to be a glamorous mode of development to Morobe Province at the expense of people’s customary land.

By Land Advocate

Exactly 25 days to 2023 and 96 Districts and 22 Provinces are yet to put together their five-year development plans. An eye-popping K24.56 Billion is budgeted to be spent in fiscal year 2023 and that amount will continue to increase for the next five years.

The question though is, how will the people benefit from those funds and how will the spending translate at province and district levels?

By Customary Land Advocate

The Wafi-Golpu Pipeline corridor will run from the mine site in the mountains of Wampar Local Level Government (LLG) area right through to Lae City and then onto the coastline of Wagang village in Ahi LLG area and finally into the sea of the Huon Gulf. Along the way this pipeline will run through mostly customary lands of the peoples of Wampar and Ahi LLG areas, and only a small portion will run on state land.

By Customary Land Advocate

Due to the lack of affordable housing in urban areas, especially in the larger cities of Lae and Port Moresby, working class people are moving away to the periphery of these two cities to have access to cheap land where they can live and work without having to pay for rented accommodation. People in overcrowded and crime-infested squatter settlements in these two cities are also moving away to the periphery of the two cities to resettle and have a new lease of life.

Source: No to Wafi Golpu DSTP

The Deep Sea Mining Campaign warns that if nodule mining is allowed to take place in the Pacific Ocean, species such as the Sperm Whale could be adversely affected. Photo: WILLYAM

Source: RNZ/Pacific news.

Papua New Guinea’s long-awaited Independent Commission Against Corruption must be allocated substantial funding in the 2023 Budget if the government is to make good on its anti-corruption promises.

The Prime Minister has promised a fully functioning ICAC by 2023, but there are two crucial pieces of the jigsaw that are missing.

First is a substantial budget allocation and the second is the appointment of the first Commissioner and their Deputies.