Yesterday I felt a tremendous sense of pride and maybe a little relief while observing the University of Papua New Guinea Student Representative Council (SRC) Executives give their statements to the press. We can breathe a little easier folks-it looks like the next generation will be getting a better deal when it comes to ‘LEADERS’, because that’s what these young men and women are handling themselves like ‘LEADERS’.

“We will pursue this issue using our intellect and we will not act in haste, a sit-in will be our next course of action. But this will only happen after more planning and strategizing. We don’t want to put student’s lives,education,reputation and future employment at risk”,

was what SRC President Emmanuel Isaac said when asked what their next course of action against the notorious, world-record-holding (it took a mere 45 minutes for this Bill to be passed!) Judicial Conduct Act 2012 would be. I repeat action against the ‘Judicial Conduct Act 2012’. There is a need to stress this because, for some reason one of the most educated, decorated, glorified and maybe ‘Hole-a-fied’ Papua New Guinean leaders seems to be a little confused about the motives for the UPNG students actions (take heed! It appears retrospective thinking frizzles the brain creating great holes in the intellect, where exactly? You be the judge). This highly educated Papua New Guinean leader told overseas media that Engan students (in their regional vendetta) were misleading the UPNG student body! Tsk, tsk, tsk! This individual probably thinks that 4000 plus elite Papua New Guineans that attend UPNG are not-so-elite and maybe even a little obtuse if he thinks they can be misled and misinformed by a (minority) regional group!

In case you’re outta the loop, last week Friday (23^rd March) the UPNG students marched to Waigani (Morauta House) to present their petition against the Bill. As you can imagine the students put their lives at risk, especially since the disciplinary forces in PNG have factions within their ranks, different groups being loyal to individual leaders. The march was successful despite the heat, the tension and the semi-automatic weapons they faced. No one was hurt and no lives were lost, the students (and opportunists) moved with as much decorum as you can expect in a mob, eventually the Chief Secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc on behalf of Prime Minister Peter O’Neil received the petition. Mr O’Neil was not able to receive the petition in person due to time constraints (surely, he could’ve spared 45 minutes!).

Mr O’Neil’s response to the petition in his address to the nation on Sunday night (25^th March) can be described as ‘much ado about nothing’ or ‘regurgitated nothing’. Mr O’Neil everyone was waiting for you respond to the petition against the Judicial Conduct Act 2012, whether or not you were going to repeal and your reasons, no one wanted to hear rhetoric on how, why, where, when or whether or not you are justified in your capacity as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea!

But the holes continue…

Today the National Research Institute launched a report compiled by Peter Johnson (former Economics Program leader and research fellow). It would’ve been a grand event if the guest of honor and official ‘launcher’ Prime Minister, Peter O’Neil had been able to make the event but alas-he was otherwise engaged! Mr O’Neil wasn’t available, his speech wasn’t available – and even the representative he sent (Mr Peter Kora) was not wholly available! Poor guy seemed a bit dazed when presenting the PMs speech; my diagnosis is that he suffered from either information overload or lack of information. At least that’s one thing that seems to be consistent with all PNG governments (previous and present)…send forth a poorly informed and poorly prepared representative to a conference to make intelligent sounding comments after a hastily prepared speech (It does not work!).

The report titled Lode Shedding: A Case Study of the Economic Benefits to the Landowners, the Provincial Government and the State, from the Porgera Gold Mine is relevant because it can be used as a guideline for creating policies and the legislative framework for the upcoming PNG LNG Project. The report findings highlighted the need for government institutions to be effective and transparent in keeping within the legislations and agreements (did this really surprise anyone?) between landowners, government institutions and resource developers.

For 20 years the Porgera Gold Mine has been in operation with no tangible development or improvement to the livelihood of the people of Porgera.  There are ‘gaping holes’ on data concerning how dividends and other benefits from the resource income are paid to landowners and their companies. It’s no wonder that Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) can’t provide audit information when it can make dividend payouts large enough to take Governor Peter Ipatas and 12 ‘resource owners’ to chill out in Manila last year!

The parting words for today are inspired by the author of the report Mr Peter Johnson,

"It must be noted that all landowner companies including the local level governments concerned should ensure that their particular institution (be it Porgera Development Authority [PDA] or Porgera Landowners Association [PLoA]) is beyond reproach before they start making holes from jumping-up-and-down and pointing fingers."