PM raises concern of quick buck LOs

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, March 27, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has lashed out at growing trend of landowner compensation claims on State Land in the country, adding that it was a growing concern for the State.

He expressed that land that were also acquired legally through landowners prior to independence for vital services like education and health were given with the full consent of landowners either through monetary gains or voluntarily.

“I want to say that it has become a national concern that all over the country where there are government services established we are finding more and more claims coming through for land compensation,” the PM said.

“We all know for fact that no government- doesn’t know which government in power cannot settle claims that people are claiming.”

“In some remote areas like my own some people are claiming millions and millions of kina. We know that even if you utilize that land you cannot earn that kind of money.”

“But because government is now putting a school or hospital and government service there. People think that government has unlimited amount of money so we should just settle. We know that some of this land around the country was acquired in a legal manner.”

He said that there were titles established not because government had compulsory acquisition of the land.

“Some of our ancestors voluntarily gave the land away so that they can get services and education so that you and I to be in this parliament.”

“We must not encourage people to claim where schools are, people who are coming in with the opportunity to just claim compensation because they feel that that’s the easiest way to make money. Our aim is to try and give them opportunities.”

“We cannot continue to have a separate group of people coming to government on a regular instance for more and more money. It is not advisable to settle every land claim in the country,” the PM concluded.