By Graham Davis* for Pacific Scoop

Australia’s impotence in influencing events in its own backyard is being demonstrated in dramatic fashion this week as the Fijian dictator, Voreque “Frank” Bainimarama, fulfils his long-held ambition to assume the chairmanship of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

All of the other Melanesian leaders – from Papua New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu plus the Kanak FLNKS from New Caledonia – are joining Bainimarama for the MSG summit in Suva on Thursday.

By DENI TOKUNAI

I refer to the story about the release of evidence by a terminated whistleblower which implicates executive managers of the Department of Health, as reported in The National (March 28).

There is a dire need for whistleblower protection legislation to be endorsed in Papua New Guinea, which places a mandatory obligation upon public sector organisations to create robust internal procedures to allow for protected disclosures. 

By PETER KORUGL*

An expert team is to probe how five million hectares of customary land were acquired by foreign firms to cut logs under the pretext of developing the land for agriculture and other business activities.


The commitment was made by Lands Minister Lucas Dekena in response to concerns raised by the United Nations, green groups, NGOs and interest groups in PNG over the allocation of land in PNG by the Lands Department under the Special Agriculture and Business leases (SABL).

The latest round log export data from SGS shows that Papua New Guinea exported 3 million cubic metres of round logs in 2010, almost a 50% increase on 2009.

China remains the main export destination, increasing its export share from 83% in 2008 and 2009 to 86% in 2010.

By ROWAN CALLICK

PAPUA New Guinea's founding father and Prime Minister Michael Somare, aged 75 next month, was found guilty last Monday of 13 charges of misconduct and on Thursday was suspended from office for 14 days. 

Until recently, this would have caused a sensation that would have virtually stopped the nation.

From the Daily Telegraph 

• Millions lost from AusAID program
• 175 cases of fraud under investigation
• PNG is corruption central with 71 identified cases of fraud

AUSTRALIA'S $4.5 billion foreign aid program is plagued by record levels of fraud, with millions of dollars being stolen by corrupt officials and overseas agencies.

AusAID has 175 cases of fraud under investigation - stretching across 27 countries and totalling millions of dollars.

There has been a massive increase in the alienation and the conversion of customary land in recent years through the issuing of special agriculture and business leases (SABLs). 

The allocation of these leases, some covering hundreds of thousands of hectares, seems to be occurring outside all proper legal channels and without the informed consent of affected landowners. The leases are being handed out by the Department of Lands without compliance with relevant laws, which indicates either negligence or fraud on the part of lands officers and the government.

With the World Bank drafting the legislation for Special Economic Zones in Papua New Guinea and the government eager to use the new Act to declare the Pacific Marine Industrial Park in Madang as PNG's first SEZ, it is timely to review a report on the Untold Agonies that SEZs have created in SE Asia and critically examine some of the benefits they supposedly bring

In its latest briefing paper, the Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PiPP) looks at the need for political reform to governing systems across Melanesia as its young population booms.

It asks a troubling question – will democracy be sunk by demography?

The Pacific in general, but Melanesia in particular faces a serious demographic challenge. More than half the population is under 24 and in broad terms, urban populations are doubling every 17 years while national populations are doubling every 30 years.

Spotted on PNG Blogs

BETWEEN 2003 and 2008, the Somare government amassed a whopping K6 billion in extra revenue. That is money over and above what was budgeted each year. The excess billions were parked in trust accounts and drawn down in one-off payments which were approved in a number of mid-year supplementary budgets.