It has not been a great start to the year in Papua New Guinea - as we review below. But the negative stories about our government, stealing from the public purse and the resource industries only emphasis the importance of making OUR voices heard. If our leaders do not hear from us then the only changes we will see will be negative ones.  

Democracy

While Parliament was recalled on the orders of the Supreme Court to elect a new Governor-General, MPs voted in a former Forest Minister, Michael Ogio, who has been involved in a number of illegal and unsustainable forestry deals.¹

After the election, Parliament was immediately adjourned again until May to avoid any vote of no confidence against the government. This means Parliament will once again fail to meet for its Constitutionally mandated minimum number of sitting days and MPs will not be fulfilling their important governance role.

It also means the new Governor General cannot be sworn in for another four-months. In the meantime the Speaker - Jeremy Nape - who was heavily criticized by the Supreme Court for his role in last years annulled GG election - will be acting GG.

To rub salt in these wounds, Prime Minister Michael Somare is back in his job, five-weeks after stepping aside to face a Leadership Tribunal (a Tribunal that was announced after your emails to the Chief Ombudsman). Although the tribunal has not yet met to hear the charges against the PM, Somare now claims he was only ever 'on holiday'. ² 

It seems these men are a law unto themselves. They do not respect the people of Papua New Guinea and have even issued a blanket ban on protest marches. Where does that leave this country?

Meanwhile, as retired judge Graham Ellis has pointed out, there are a number of important constitutional cases that seem stuck in the legal system. Is this a simple oversight, a lack of effective case management or is there undue political influence on our judiciary?

Stealing from the public purse

By failing to reappoint Judge Mark Sevua, who has reached the age of 60, the government has ensured a number of outstanding decisions, including one on the injunction over the Finance Commission of Inquiry findings will never he handed down.³ The injunction is preventing prosecution of lawyers and senior public servants for their role in the theft of over K700 million of public money.

Meanwhile, a leaked memo from the Planning Department alleges the government handed out K98 million in un-budgeted expenditure in 2010 to shore-up support among MPs against a possible vote of no-confidence.⁴  

Mining

On Jan. 17 the government granted a mining lease to Nautilus Minerals for the world's first undersea mine. Prof Rick Steiner, who has studied the mine Environmental Impact Assessment, says the project poses a grave risk to people and to marine life and the environmental assessment is inadequate.⁵

The project is going ahead despite the fact there are no regulations or conservation guidelines in place for deep sea mining.⁶

Meanwhile Human Rights Watch has released a new report on the human rights abuses at the Porgera Mining, including gang-rapes by mine security personnel⁷ and the giant Exxon-Mobil LNG project has again been stopped by landowners who says their rights and interests have been bulldozed.⁸

These different events over a few short weeks, together with the heavy handed tactics of PNG security forces against West Papua refugees⁹ and further revelations of severe domestic violence by serving police officers¹⁰, have left commentators wondering how much more abuse we are prepared to take before we make our voices heard and tell the government that enough is enough and things must change.¹¹

Surely NOW is the time when we have to stand up and be heard!

2011 - make your voice heard

With these thoughts in mind, we NEED to hear from YOU!

What are the priority issues that you want ACT NOW! to be fighting for this year?

And what are your ideas on how we can make our combined voices heard in 2011 - heard so loud that we see real change take place to make Papua New Guinea a better place for all its citizens?

Please share your ideas in the comments box below.