250610PARTNESHIP ARRANGEMENT
By Aloysius Laukai

Member for the New South Wales Parliament, DIANEN BEANER with her two collegues Simon Johnston and Les Gonye are in the Autonomous Region assisting the newly elected ABG members at a one week induction workshop that ended this afternoon at the Kuri Village Resort.
According to the ABG Clerk of Parliament, ROBERT TAPI the two parliaments would be working together under a MOU that would be signed on July 16th this year.
The twinning agreement will enable the two parliaments to work together and develop a long lasting partnership.
The understanding would enable our parliamentary staff to undergo on the job training under a secondment arrangement.
New Dawn FM understands this arrangement was first initiated by the first ABG Speaker NICK PENIAI when he joined the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association as a member.
ABG has not paid its affiliation fees and is not associated any longer unless the pay up their yearly subscriptions.

Comments

[Ogoi Rats]

Can the Japanese extend the bridging work all the way to Buin via Siwai? I thought the late Kabui intended to bridge the whole of Bougainville, not just stop in Arawa.
More importantly Yamamoto's grave site is in Buin - an important historical site.The roads & bridges must be upgraded to allow the Japanese to visit their war sites.

[PISO TO'OKAH]

Dear People,

In 2009 alone, 2.9 million Kina was unaccounted for, money that rightly belongs to the people of Bougainville, money that would have been used to build schools, improve library units, attract quality teachers through better teacher's houses, money that could have been used to build health facilities and improve roads, 2.9 million Kina belonging to every Human being on Bougainville...eaten up by one or two greedy human being in positions of power!

I'd say, there is too much money around but 'governance' is the issue! Go get the report from our own wantok, Auditor General, Peter, and you will be amased,,,,,

Mirahu.

[Paulus]

@Buinirai
Governance is important. You are right in this.

But as important as governance is the time.
You have to make the right decision at the right time.
If you try to catch a fish one second too late - it is too late. The fish will not come back.
It is the same with selling something on the market. To get the highest price you have to sell it when the customer needs it.

Another point is : good government needs enough own money. If a government lives from donations of other countries - how can this government be proud and strong ?
And if the government is not proud and strong - how can the people be ?

Is your example Japan and Swiss right?
Does these countries have resources that they not use ? Or do they use everything what they have for the benefit of the people?
And is it inevitably for the youth in Japan and Swiss to leave their homeland and to find workplaces in other countries because of the situation at home - because the government is not making the necessary decisions at the right time? I don't believe this.
The people would chase away such a government - as they made it with the government in The Soviet Union.

[Buinirai]

@Paulus you seem dogmatic about mining.Your mind seemed locked and you can't possibly think of other more sustainable means of income generation.
We see other countries and learn from them - Japan or the Swiss people,have no resources they are simply very good in downstream processing. Even studing our neighbouring small island countries - no mining and still their social indicators are good. In the nut shell,they manage the small available resources with good, transparent, responsible government institutions - good gvernance.
If one digs up the ABG files, let me assure you, one would be suprised to know the millions of money that is spend very poorly, stolen, misused.
That is why governance is first & foremost.

[Paulus]

@Hinau
You should know - and perhaps you know already - that "persons" are taking the gold out of the ground with terrible dangerous chemicals nearly every day.

This "persons" don't care anything about the river and about the nature because they use the cheap dangerous chemicals.

And this persons don't care anything about Bougainville because they pay no taxes.

And this persons don't care anything about some young men because this "persons" pay only low prices to the young men who work hard with the dangerous chemicals to take the gold out of the ground.

And the other families suffer because of this greedily "persons".

[Hinau]

Put the mining issue aside for the time being. Too much blood spilled, pain & environemental damage at the cost of B/ville.
Those of you adamant about mining, please start planning to dump the tailings waste at different coast line - maybe the eastern coast line - Loloho or Arawa.
The Jaba river & south west coast line must regenerate back to life.

[Hinau]

Mining is still a very contentious issue.
In the mean time, we must still grow vanilla, cocoa and copra and hopefully with the ABG govt go into downstream processing. Those of us looking for vanilla markets, Paradise Spices in Port Moresby is buying vanilla beans and processing into value added products.The factory needs good consistent supply of dry vanilla beans to keep in maximum operation.This is a definite buyer.

The other sector that is undervalued in PNG is local fresh food market.
In Port Moresby alone there is about K15 million kina circulated in local markets each week. In PNG it is worth around K500 - K700 million per year. Local farmers from Bougainville can get a market share through some innovative supply chain management.Retailers like Boroko Food World are literally air lifting food from Brisbane and Cairns to feed the growing population as a result of demands from the LNG project.
The Fijians are exporting frozen taro & cassava to Australia & New Zealand - especially targeting the growing Pacific Islanders. We should try these opportunities.

I agree with Piso To'okah, the issue is governance - this is big issue. It is siphoning money out & resulting in lack of good service delivery.
Who says there is little money on B/ville. The number of landcruisers is a good indication.

The Japanese are already building good bridges, hence, cost of service delivery should decrease, quality of service should improve, market accessibility should improve and production costs should go down abit.

[Paulus]

@Nago Nago
The gold and copper belongs to the people.
It belongs to the landowner. It belongs NOT to any foreigners.

The company BCL is nothing more than a tool.
We - people and government - have to decide how we use this tool.
We - people and government - have to decide if we use this tool.
We - people and government - have to decide
if we use another tool.
And as every person who sells something on the market - we should sell it at the highest price.
And it looks as if the highest copper price was some months ago.
In the past the earned money was used to build PNG. Everybody knows this. It was a lot of money. And everybody can imagine what we would have in Bougainville with this money.

Certainly - we can wait and wait and wait and wait and wait to use our tool and in the meantime some use very dangerous chemicals to take gold for their own profit out of the ground and they sell this gold at a very low price and without paying taxes - and at the same time more of our youth will leave us and others will die. That is sad - only sad.

Paulus

[PISO TO'OKAH]

Thats right BB! If only we have transparency, accountability, and good governance, will we ever make the island a better place to live!

The name calling must stop!

I think the President is heading in the right direction.

As for some of us, we've done the hard yards, and are living comfortably.

Mirahu..

[PISO TO'OKAH]

Thanks Buinirai,

Since you talked about your state during the crisis, I'd like to share my story. Just two years before the crisis. In 1987, I was young and sweet, fresh out of UNITECH, and proudly took my diploma to the employment office, at PANGUNA. I walked into the office as politely as I could and presented my diploma with a letter to the HR officer on duty who was also recruiting a lot of employees.

The officer took my paper, and he threw it to what looked like waste paper box on the side. I had to plead with him to give me back my papers, so he gave back the papers, and said that he was not recruiting my type people.

After the long day, I was so hungry, as I did not have any close relatives and having travelled all the way from SIWAI, I could not go home on that day....

This was really tough (the lowest point in my life) but I managed to land a job in POM, and two years later, I heard aboutn the rebellion and the rest is history.....

I have no grudges against BCL, and the mine will open when the time is right, and this will be determined by the people of Bougainville. In the meantime, lets be a little more innovative about alternative means of generating revenues...

Mirahu...

[BB]

I see we have a number of "whingers" as usual on the postings. You always seem to have people who feel as though they are "victims" in this world instead of just getting on with life and making the Island a better place for all.
I am getting rather sick and tired of these people who in the main have never worked in their lives, but who have always got their hand outstreached for something they "think" they deserve.
Go work for your awards in life, it will make you a better person and for heavens sake stop moaning!!!

[Nago Nago]

A well researched featured article by prominent lawyer Peter Doniga estimated that marine resources couple are worth billions of kina compared to resources on the land - very interesting reading. B/ville is surrounded by the vast oceans.
A well researched work on B/ville will reveal much more monetary value than the revenue from dirty mining.
The sad thing after 25 years of mine closure, mining impacts is still felt on our rivers even to the extend to rivers like Ore in Nago.Our rivers will take more years to recover.
My distant relatives are simple uneducated villagers and never paid a single toea by the dirty greedy exploiter, BCL.

So those of you who are adamant about the mine opening, you have to pay us first for the loss of our fish.
Who cares about the price of copper dropping. There are far pressing issues with BCL.Clean our specks from eyes first and talk about mining.

[PISO TO'OKAH]

Thanks Paulus and Buinirai,

I have to disagree with Paulus, when he says that falling copper prices are directly connected to health issues. Do you have data on this speculation?

The lack of quality health units is more related to corruption and mismanagement of govt funds. The reason why we have parliamentarians is so that they address the core government business of roads, schools, health etc...Where are all the EDF monies being expended? This is number one question...

The alledged exodus by youths out of Bougainville has to do with seeking opportunities. They are NOT given the same opportunities, like their agegroups in other parts of the country. Again, this has to do with governance issues. The bottom line is that the lack of governance leads to lack of quality schools, hospitals, roads, etc and other opportunities....

Mirahu...

[Buinirai]

I was a poor civilian caught in the crisis. With God's protection I haven't lost a single close relative during the dirty war . Like many others we were in the thick & thin & tossed here & there but did my best to help the weak feeble, wounded, hungry especially mothers and small kids. I still bear the scars, feel and share the sorrows with the orphans & widows.
I still get night mares from the mighty mortars & gunships from choppers.

I will not ask for compensation for the sufferings & pains, despite the fact that the crisis took away my most productive years of my only one life on this earth. I feel rewarded with the political autonomy.
To those who lost their beloved ones - fathers, mothers, uncles, & relatives, I feel strongly it is morally & culturally right they (crisis victims) be accorded some little compensation.
Then you talk about the mine.Lets clean our rubbish first. This should be an urgent matter for ABG.
If BCL is keen to spend about K8.8 billion to open the mine, then BCL should show Corporate Responsibility by compensating war victims. BCL year after year despite its closure keeps on making profits.Remember, the BCL agreement is an old colonial,dirty, discriminatory agreement drafted under colonial powers.

[Miruro]

Please; we need compensation for the 20000 who were killed or died of no proper health care during the Bougainville crisis. We are in mourning consciously or unconsciously and as such people will be very slow in making decisions to allow development in their areas.

[CJ]

Bunirai, that is very true. Panguna mine is still a very sentitive issue. Let the ABG talk about different thing to raise money.

[Paulus]

Gut de Buinirai
gutpela moa - stret.
The problem : more and more youth are leaving Bougainville. Lusim your child is sad.

And at the same time the copper price is falling.
A lower copper price means less hospitals - more cholera, more will die. That is only sad.

[Buinirai]

The mine needs real careful analysis from all fronts -(cultural,political,social, environment, etc). The mining war caused the death of 20 000 of B/ville lives( including many prominent leaders: Miriung,Anugu Ben Kirepe and many others). It is not respectful to talk about the mine without any a little compensation. This is our culture.

[PISO TO'OKAH]

Thanks @Paulus,

I also fully understand your perspective on the topic under discussion. My comments are just that, mere comments and should not be taken seriously. In any case, I have not done any detailed study or analysis on the subject matter.

But one thing that interest me, was the advertisement by the new president for a position of research officer. I think this is a very important position, and in fact the president is right on this for a research office, to be staffed by qualified and motivated reseachers. This will be the office to undertake research on respective matters, then all the decisions by the house should be guided by statisitcally factual information and data.

For example, the LNG project is so big, huge, than any other project and how can Bougainville take a piece of the pie? Should we build a water bottling company considering the low CAPEX & OPEX and supply it to the LNG project? Or should we get intensively into the real estate market, in POM, HAGEN, and LAE, MADANG? These activities can generate sizeable funds, I think? The question which does not hurt to ask is, how can we benefit from the LNG?

Mirahu.

[Paulus]

@PISO TO'OKAH
Perhaps you are right.
But the problem is the copper price.
In 2008 the price was 8600 - now it is 6400.
If the copper price goes down more and mining is no more interesting, we have to take much more taxes from citizens and companies.
The question is : can we receive enough taxes from agriculture, tourism, marines and other sources to build a strong Bougainville so that our youth can find work in Bougainville ?

[PISO TO'OKAH]

There is no question on the lucrativeness of the mining sector, but if one undertakes a (political, economic, social, technological, environment and legal analysis)on the PANGUNA mine, maybe the picture will be a lot clearer. After all the factors have been rationally assessed, only then, should the next step be taken. At this point in time, one can not just say open the mine without the neccessary due diligence. I'd say that there is more to it than meets the eye.

Mirahu,

[Paulus]

We need agriculture, tourism and marines.
But it is not possible to receive enough taxes from the people and companies who will work in agriculture, tourism and marines to build a strong Bougainville.

And look at Manam Island. If it is cholera or not. You should understand how important it is to build a strong Bougainville with good hospitals.
And a strong Bougainville needs the taxes from the selling of gold and copper.

[s40137]

so much having being said about re-opening of Panguna mine.Government should not peroritise panguna mine as main source of income of ABG. There are other avenues where Government can considered. For example agriculture sector where most people in the rural area will be benetting from whereas mining only certain people will be benefited.Again look at other Pacific countries like Tonga, they do not have many resources like us yet their economy is good to sustain its population.Lus tintin lon mining na lukluk lon agriculture sectors, tourism, marines na araplea areas long supportim govement blon yumi.

[linda]

Hi Aloys,
Pls drop me a line.
We've met during the ABG inauguration of Prez Momis.
Thanks.
Linda