We are not in contempt: Pato

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, January 29, 2013 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

MINISTER for Foreign Affairs, Rimbink Pato has affirmed that the national government is not in contempt of the Supreme Court ruling that ordered the closure of the asylum seeker facility on Manus Island.

Responding to queries by Member for Rabaul, Dr Alan Marat, on the legal status of refugees and their movements on the island province. He also pointed out the continued operation of the facility would be contemptuous considering the ruling made last year.

However, Minister Pato maintained the work on the facility is in compliance with the court’s order to maintain to maintain human rights and dignity of the refugees in drawing down the operation of the facility- adding the option of resettlement remained for those willing to settle.

“Obviously there are clearly refugees that have left the facility and are freely moving on and about Manus Island.”

“This is clearly not our intention but we are law abiding country that works within the framework of our constitution and the international frameworks which are administered by the UN and there is a ruling of the Supreme Court which requires that we must allow the refugees freedom to leave the facility.”

“Therefore we are not in contempt of the Supreme Court and its orders we are complying and working through the process to ensure that the human rights of the individual refugees and those who are, very few number of them still remaining, to ensure that the full effect of the Supreme Court order is complied with so that these people are treated properly and will be resettle if they need to be,” Pato said.

He said there remains a whole range of issue from bilateral obligations and the country’s obligations to the United Nations, with its own conditions to the Australian Government.

 

Sir Michael farewell budgeted for

Acting ESP Provincial Administrator Elizabeth Kaprangi.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, January 29, 2017 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)




ACTING Provincial Administrator, Elizabeth Kaprangi, has indicated that the 2017 provincial budget for the East Sepik Province will draw from its internal revenue to cater for the farewell celebrations for Grand Chief Sir Michael.

She said on the end of his final term as governor and in politics spanning over 40 years- 2017 is marked as a special year for the province.

“This year is a special year, and in it we have capture in our little internal revenue that we earned a part of it will go towards his expenditure,” Kaprangi said.

“We want to give him a hero’s farewell- and if the national government comes good with us in our requests that we have already been presented to the prime minister request for the exit of our governor.”

She paid tribute to the veteran politician and founding father of the nation with a quote from Sir Michael during the years before independence.

“I want to quote from him what he said years ago when he was fighting for independence- he said while passing our colonial leaders at that time.”

“He begged for them to please give us independence- he said I have many wombs and out of these wombs will come pilots doctors, nurses, police,” she quoted.

“So with that it was his dream and he has been closely seeing what has been developing and his dream has come true by seeing a lot of us professionals now in the fields he had actually dreamt of and I am proud to say that he is one such leader.”

She said though Sir Michael did not demand much, he has quietly in his own timing seen what has happened to the nation.

Sentiments that were also shared by Treasury Minister and Member for Aitape-Lumi in the governor’s last big achievement in the Freida River project earmarked to begin soon.

“One thing I want to add is that Sir Michael under your leadership since the early days as you all have heard that the Frieda River Gold Mine has commenced as you got elected and you’ve been the champion behind the push to develop that particular resource.”

“On behalf of myself and National Alliance party, on behalf of government- we take this opportunity to thank you for your leadership in the past.”

“We know that this will bear your last responsibility as governor for East Sepik. Your wealth of experience those of us who will be coming behind you will be calling upon from time to time to assist us in doing what we are doing today,” the minister said.

East Sepik presents K261m budget

Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch receiving budget documents from ESP Governor Michael Somare as district MPs from the province look on.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, January 29, 2017 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

 

TREASURY Minister, Patrick Pruaitch, received the K261 million 2017 budget of the East Sepik province.

Presenting the budget to the treasurer for the last time as Governor and a politician, Sir Michael Somare, outlined several financial difficulties facing his province from PSIP allocation shortfalls to special government allocation in 2013 that were subjects of concern.

“I want to present to you our last budget. This is 2017 we were supposed to present to you earlier. I was going to ask you a question on our PSIP and the others because PSIP makes the component of our budget in the province, we tried where we could to readjust and where we could not spend the money we brought the money back,” Sir Michael said.

“Internal revenue is K13 million we raised it within the province itself and out of that we were given K7 million. It was not big but at least we raised some money ourselves.”

Receiving the budget documents, Mr Pruaitch thanked the provincial government team and the governor and assured them of treasury’s scrutiny of their money plan.

“Sir Michael we will go through the budget and give the approval for the provincial team to commence spending of the funds for this year.”

“I note your concern insofar as raising an issue about special funding from 2013 budget to a member of parliament from the province and the fact that it has not been spent on what it was intended for. Like you know it is subject of an expenditure requirement report has to be put into treasury because it is money from the budget.”

“On the issue of shortfall in PSIP and DSIP. I think in the DSIP fund most districts have received their DSIP from end of last year. I think you will have K5 to K7 million shortfall in East Sepik in the PSIP funding. We will make sure that you receive that funding in the first quarter of this year,” the treasurer said.

Pruatich added that given the cash flow situation from 2016, they were unable to complete PSIP funds.

“Most provincial governments still have outstanding from last year and we are working to make sure that funding is made available to yourself and other governors in the provinces.”

“But I must thank East Sepik for holding fort because we had to make adjustment year before last and last year so far as keeping to ensure that we remain above board of the continues plumage of word commodity prices has resulted in us readjusting our expenditure level.”

“It goes to show that when times are tough we also need to take demonstrated leadership in ensuring that money we don’t have we have done adjustments and I am sure that provinces like East Sepik who also did adjustments when the national government responded in managing the economy that way.”

Major expenditure areas for the province include:

·         Corporate Sector we have K5.5 million;

·         Personnel Emoluments  K84.3 million;

·         Social Sector K24.5 million;

·         Economic Sector K3.9 million;

·         Infrastructure Sector K45.5 million;

·         Capital Budget K79.5 million;

·         Wewak Sustainable Seawall Project  k3 million;

·         LLGs ward SIP K4.7 million.

Schools told not to charge any fees

Education Minister Nick Kuman.

By MATTHEW VARI 

Sunday, January 29, 2017 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

WITH enrollments for the academic year to begin, starting tomorrow- the tussled issue between schools and the department of education on fees charged to parents continued in parliament this week.

Minister for Education, Nick Kuman, reaffirmed in parliament to all school that no form of fees should be charged to parents of students in order to be enrolled in any public school in the country.

He said that he was very disappointed to learn schools continuing to defy the government and his department.

“This morning a parent brought me a form from Kilakila secondary with a couple of fees that went up to K700 for grade 12 student.”

“School enrolment starts on Monday next week (tomorrow) and obviously first week Feb(ruary) school start.”

“I have said this on the floor on many occasions. Beginning last year, cabinet made a deliberate policy decision for the department to advise all the schools in the country informing all the principles, headmasters, boards to ensure that no project fee or any other fee for that matter should be charged to the students.”

He said with the government paying school fees under its Tuition Fee Free policy- there was no reason why schools continue to charge various fees.

“I appealed in a media conference to all the schools in this country not to collect fees from parents as a condition which the students need to enrol for 2017 academic year.”

Member for Sinasina-Yonggamugl Kerenga Kua, however, pointed out the issues of released funds as an issue forcing the hand of schools to impose fee.

“The reality is that these funds are not released in a timely manner forcing the administrators of the school to impose those fees.”

“Can he (Kuman) undertake that he will release those funds in a timely manner this year?”

Minister Kuman assured the member of the release of K75 million before the beginning of the academic year in February.

“Before the school year starts K75 million will be remitted to the schools for this year. Last week the expenditure committee has sat and they appropriated that amount of money.”

“When it hits the bank it will hit the schools accounts in this country, let us not forget that we have not failed in any one year.” Kuman concluded.

Kua calls on labour to delegate

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, January 29, 2015 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

FOLLOWING revelations by Governor for Oro Gary Juffa regarding illegal acquisition of work permits by foreigner working in the country- Member for Sinasina-Yonggamugl, Kerenga Kua has called on the government to consider delegating labour powers to provinces to address the issue of illegal working foreigners in the country.

He said politics aside, the issue has been asked one too many times with no progress in sight.

“Government and opposition are united to resolve this particular issue, because it has been going on for year and years and years.”

“We continue to ask about it on this floor of parliament but we do not seem to successfully nail it.”

“Could we look at possibly reforming the law and perhaps transfer or delegate these powers to the governors in the provinces because the department of labour itself in Waigani might not have the capacity to deal with it,” Mr Kua said.

He said in that way effective result may be achieved.

Minister responsible for labour, Benjamin Poponawa agreed with Kua that a holistic approach is needed to address the issue, however, put back the issue of the ability and capacity in the provinces to take on the task to assist the department.

Juffa puts labour under spotlight

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, January 29, 2017 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

ORO Governor, Gary Juffa, expressed an ironic twist to the government’s aim to create jobs in the country by shedding light on the loss of local jobs to foreigners as a lack of protection on the labour front.

He directed questions to the labour minister that efforts to protect local jobs are lacking due to what he claimed exists an organised syndicate operating within the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations to allow foreigners from a South Asian country.

“Most recently in Oro the provincial administration stopped work on a portion of land that had been illegally acquired and on that portion of land where a couple of foreigner performing duties of building,” Juffa said.

“These persons could not speak a word of English. Is not English a very important requirement before a work permit is issued? Because we are seeing instances like this not only in Oro Province but throughout the entire country.”

“Drivers, shopkeepers, security guards- all types of workers cannot speak a word of English are working in these positions. What is your department doing about this?” he asked the minister responsible Benjamin Poponawa.

He queried about the ability of the department to carry out inspections and prosecutions of foreign individuals not conforming the country’s labour laws.

“You will not find a Papua New Guinean only speaking pidgin operating in Australia, New Zealand, China, and Vietnam, and working there happily without anyone turning up.”

“Are you aware that there is a Bangladesh syndicate that has facilitated hordes of people from that particular country to enter illegally into this country- illegally obtain work permits and they are now proliferating the entire nation setting up tucker boxes, shops, supermarkets- any little business they can get their hands on.”

“That syndicate is operating within your department with the blessing of corrupt officers within your department.”

“It is hypocritical for us to claim that we are concerned about Papua New Guinean jobs and this is happening and we continue to turn a blind eye,” the governor said.

In his response, Minister Poponawa, said he did not understand how such foreigners are being allowed into the country.

“English is a prerequisite and a must that whoever is applying for works permits English. I fail to understand how some people are out in the provinces and districts are unable to speak English,” he said.

“I’ll try my best to send officers out there. As you know we have got labour officers in Oro and if they are these sort of people existing under their nose then I think that they are wasting their time and we have to get those labour officers off.”

Juffa, however, added that officers from his province were instructed not to pursue their investigation from officials within the department.

“Those labour officers have lodged a complaint with me that headquarters has deliberately instructed them not to pursue these inspection investigations,” he said.

The minister stated that he would deal with the officers concerned, confessing that the issue was not only restricted to his department but existed in others.

“I am not aware of these said officials but if you can provide me with the names and list of those officers we will deal with them.”

“As you know it is not only in my department but other divisions that we are seeing that some of these officers going to bed with these.”