By Martyn Namorong*

FORMER Papua New Guinea Customs Commissioner Gary Juffa has condemned the recent announcement that Papua New Guinea would return to talks related to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT). Mr Juffa described its as one of the many worse deals Papua New Guinea’s ruling elite continue to enter into on behalf of the country.

“The year has started with the selling of our natural resources for far less then what its worth....then we gloat over this event and congratulate ourselves about how intelligent and successful we were...last week it was our fish...the media (foreign owned) gushed with how smart our leaders where in negotiating a deal with the USA for our tuna...we imagined ourselves great experts in international trade and we marveled at how such the great economy was brought to the negotiating table and heard us out and agreed to our terms and conditions...but let us take a closer look at the facts that surround this situation....firstly, who are the developers or investors that benefit? Who owns the fishing companies and the canneries?” Mr Juffa stated yesterday on Facebook.

The SPTT came into force in 1988 and allows the United States UNLIMITED ACCESS to Tuna stocks in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Pacific Island Nations in return for the tiny sum of US$ 18 million in the form of Aid to 14 Pacific Island Nations. You gotta admit Pacific Island Nations are run by crack addicts or something if they can accept such a BAD deal.

Papua New Guinea withdrew from the Treaty last April after 24 years of being the United State’s bitch. However a phone call between US Secretary for State, Hilary Clinton and PNG’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neil has led to PNG rejoining talks.

Mr Juffa added that the scenario in the Tuna industry is being replicated in all other resource sectors.

“This picture is replicated in every natural resource industry...forestry, minerals, oil, gas....tax and duty exemptions galore, lack of enforcement and monitoring, capital flight and marginalization of locally owned companies in preference to foreign investment.....we have happily carried our pigs to the market....we have sung with much joy and dizzy excitement at the fact that our buyers have exchanged with us for our pigs, rats...we have feasted on these rodents happily, still singing and fed them to our children, squabbling and bickering whilst regaling each other with tall tales of our prudent bargaining prowess and we have convinced ourselves that this was a great deal....shame and shame and more shame, the very people we have placed as guardians at our gates, have let the enemies in...they have done so for a piece of the spoils of war...and we worship them yet, carry them on our shoulders and go weak at the knees when they walk in our presence...meanwhile our children stand by ready to take up begging pans and stare into a tattered and grim future....ready to be subservient and slaves for the children of the new colonial masters that are here upon us...and we let them...” he said.

Meanwhile, the Namorong Report revealed last year that Papua New Guinea receives only about K100 million in taxes, fees and spin off benefits from its K 2 billion tuna industry.

* The Namorong Report