Quickly

• Remember when I mentioned the rumours about Mr Duma and petroleum licenses? Well this came up in the news a few weeks back about the prolonged delays with licences. Could it be these companies aren't paying that extra side money?
• Still keeping an eye on the Lupari case, its been thrown back down to the National Court so we have to wait around for that one. I wonder whats happening with the Somare v Ila Geno case?
• The Unitech student protest was on the mark! I've blogged on this before, the question of why when the Government is convincing us of all these budget surpluses and a happening economy is life getting tougher for most people.
• On a good note, there's $700m going to education and an apparent $3b sitting around waiting to be used. No Mr Tiensten, don't get rid of it fast quick, sit down, put some thought into it and address the fundamentals that aren't obviously being addressed with mothers mortality rates doubling in the last 10 years!
• For all my fears of propaganda TV, i do appreciate the showcasing of PNG films/talent on the government station.
• Oh and anyone noticed improvement in the Immigration office since the overhaul?
  
  To end, I've blogged about the importance of national ideology before, the need to unite everybody from grassroots up so we can progress together. The other day I had a conversation with someone who told me of his experience working at one the mines. He said he was in charge of a team who had to do some preliminary work (can't remember the correct terms) before the actual mining operations could start. They were pushed for time and he really needed to get his team moving but he had never worked with these guys before and they were from all over PNG. His words, "hau bai ol harim tok bilong mi, mi man nambis na ol bilong ol narapela, narapela ap." So what did he do, he went through team exercises with them, broke down the cultural differences, told them what their goal was, educated them on what exactly it was they were trying to achieve and why and they had to get the job done! His point? Unless everybody knows what the end goal is and why we want to achieve it, they'll get lost and take issue with petty differences like what part of the country we originate from. We need a "cultural identity", national ideology, a clear goal for this country, a motto even, that we are all aware of, whether you are a villager or Supreme Court Judge, and that's the only way we can progress united. It's brainwashing maybe but that's how nations progress and remain resiliant to disruptive factors.

Integrity of Political Parties & Candidates

So I was talking about looking at the organic laws on the integrity of political parties and candidates and it must have meant to have been because unbeknownst to me, in a personal email i received a day before i blogged, a friend had actually sent me a bunch of documents including that very piece of legislation.

I had a look at it and to tell you the truth it the bulk of it is good in terms of bringing stability. I had read a newspaper article that indicated it was very restrictive and here are some of the restrictions it places that are onerous:

• s57: Members of a registered political party can not resign from the party unless they do within a 3 month period before the next elections are called. Further, resignation must be tendered with 30 days of the 3 month period. ie; So if elections are being called in December 2008, you can only quit your political party in September 2008. The only other way of quiting your political party is to show that the party committed a serious breach of its own constitution or has been made insolvent. The onus being on the person wishing to quit the party. Resignation for any other reason amounts to misconduct in office. So say, an independent member joined a party before parliament resumed after an election and 1 year into it finds he/she can't support the actions of that party any longer, it really is a "too bad buddy" situation. That member is stuck with that party for the whole 5 year term!
• s75 & s81: Citizens and non-citizens can donate a maximum of K 500 000 to candidates and political parties. Donating more than that results in a K10 000 fine or jail for no more than 2 years. Are you kidding me? K 500 000! If someone had more than that to donate, i'm sure they are not about to be perturbed by a mere K10 000 fine. Why is the maximum amount so huge? The US Presidential candidates can only have max donations of $US 4600! K 500 000 (or more) is preposterous and allows for favour-buying.

Something interesting though:

• s42(d): The Commission may cancel the registration of a registered political party where – the party without reasonable justification, fails to file financial returns, as required by this Law, for two consecutive years.

I know Somare hasn't been filing them but what about his party? If NA hasn't either then here's another way to get rid of them.

P.S the 18 months grace period for votes of no confidence is contained in s145 of the Constitution.

In other news, PNG will be one of the four Pacific countries Australia involves in their Pacific Solution/working visa arrangement. This makes me very happy because I swear I read just the other day that PNG would in fact NOT be one of the countries in the pilot program and was poised over my keyboard ready to cry out at the unjustice of it all!

Also, because I can't keep up with the hypocrisy, I will now have a column on the side for "Somare says" so we can all keep track of his "fight against corruption." I won't front, I started this blog to give an objective as possible insight on PNG politics and corruption but when the PM continues in the way he has, it's really hard not to just disbelieve and remain sceptical of everything he does say.

Here are two very good letters to the editor from The National: http://www.thenational.com.pg/081908/letter1.php, and; http://www.thenational.com.pg/081908/letter5.php. I strongly agree with the latter, the only way this country can really progress is by developing our human resources in a well- rounded way, education + attitude development, and I have blogged about the importance of ideology before.

Before I leave, here is a blog by a Papua New Guinean really trying to empower the people. I've heard about him and read his column but haven't yet read one of his books which I hope to get around to, he is the type of Papua New Guinean that gives me hope for our country: http://tirikuimbakul.blogspot.com/

Coming up soon: issues/rumours about the judiciary and its independence.

Oh and how much faith can we have in the Finance Department's new corporate plan?

Keep it alive and make it right

K700 million missing from the Treasury and no one says anything really. (I'll be glad for more info on this if anyone is in the know)
The Sandline Inquiry is floating about (PNGscape News Board) but who really cares anyway...i mean Chan had a convincing win.

Again the same old same old with PNG and corruption. "We ignore it/accept is as part of PNG and life (bulk of the population)/blame anyone but the people responsible, preferably the Aussies- not just for their part of it but for the entirety of the problem/get in amongst it/talk, talk and talk about it some more- well hey look who’s talking (I try)/ try to fight it but fail (cast your mind to UPNG student demonstrations 2001)/ try and keep on trying and trying (NGOs)…what a choice eh."

Independence is around the corner and I think it is about time that PNG and PNGeans made a commitment to themselves and to their country to care even when it seems hopeless, even when it seems that there is really no point. To send a message out there to all those at the top that someone out there is watching them and WILL hold them accountable for their actions even if holding them accountable amounts to very little.

The most effective way to change the whole culture of corruption in PNG is to work from the top down. Ideology is a solution that can only be successful if once the incubated are out in the real world, their society emphasis and maintains the values they have been instilled with. I can only hope that no one will let the Moti issue die until a final and just resolution is reached. Let's make this the symbolic case that indicates a change in the tide for PNG and its attitude towards corruption. Keep it alive and make it right.

It's 31 years since Papua New Guinea got independence.
Up until today, nothing much has been achieved. I still eat kaukau and drink cold water from the bamboo.
I walked many miles to catch the next donkey to get into town. While in town, intimidated by street boys and robbed of my only K5 meant for a packet of rice and a can of fish.
On my way back home, gun wielding criminals threatened and robbed me of my only clothes.
At home my wife is in labour.
No nearby aid post, we had to transport her on a stretcher miles into the nearby clinic.
Upon arrival told that the medicines were run out or I have to pay a fee up front first. While waiting she dies.
The story goes on. Good leaders of this great nation — When will I see electricity into my kunai house? When will I see a road into my village? When will tribal fighting stop in my village?
It's 30 years since independence and I haven't seen any real development taken place yet.
What I read every day in the news- papers are the stories of corrupt politicians misusing public funds, travelled overseas on regular basis, passed parliament bills to suit their own interests, appoint their own political wantoks to head government offices, deals under the table for exploiting of our resources by foreign companies, etc.
Leaders, whose country are you destroying and whose interests are you serving?
You must know in you heart that you are representing the interests of the country, not yours.
Always do what is right to protect the interests of the country and its people.
If it means to sacrifice your own life, please go to the extreme. You can go to another country for medical treatment if you are sick.
But when you die, your body will never leave the shores of Papua New Guinea to be buried in another country. You can change your face by plastic surgery. You can change your skin colour. You can change your appearance.
You can do anything to your body as long as you don't want to be called a Papua New Guinean or recognised as one. But remember, blood is thicker than water.
Deep in your heart you will still know that you are a Papua New Guinean by birth. Leaders of this beloved country of Papua New Guinea, I'll die rather than live to see you destroy our beautiful country.

– Lucas Kiap
UNITECH, Lae


On the side: And again the Post is caught out with its unsubstantiated reports. As I thought. It seriously needs to lift its game, PNGeans are again driven into a tight corner, here where they have no choice but to 'support' The National while its owners plunder our forests in the background.