By James Wanjik
When Ghana gained independence Africa celebrated. Colonialism could be removed. The celebration was short lived. Then new form of colonialism crept in. It was neocolonialism. It was colonialism by Africans against Africans.
South Africa had apartheid till 1990. Congo had no government for years. Somalia has no government with pirates running riot in Somali waters. Nigeria has civil war in the Niger delta where oil is produced and exported.
Many African countries are mineral dependent economies. They rely on mineral receipts for keeping respective national economies alive. The resource law and policy favoured the outsiders. Land and resources were hard to get in former colonising countries.
The recent oil spill in Gulf of Mexico jostled President Obama's plan to allow oil and gas drilling in offshore of USA. No such action would be possible in Africa.
Africa is a black continent. War rages on in many black nations of Africa. Politics of oil, minerals and money power is the source, means and end of many of these wars.
Papua New Guinea is now well positioned to follow African tube way. Panguna mine led the onslaught. Ok Tedi mine destroyed the Fly. Misima closed leaders' eyes. Ramu is waking up people of Madang. Nautilus is moving people of New Britain and New Ireland. Liquefied Natural Gas will let all hell break lose in Hela.
So many leaders are working for money. It is the reason for bad leadership and corrupt governance in PNG. PNG is vulnerable now more than ever before. Only true national professionals will tell truth and advocate truth for change. Change where PNG people become source, means and end of development.
PNG is now a nation of resource abundance. It is a land of milk and honey. No leader is leading people for people. Money and more of it has made many leaders arrogant. Arrogance leads leaders astray. Many of them are on the way to being exposed and deposed.
Any leader who is worth his or her salt will make PNG a place for all PNG people. Where leaders use money and position to dictate what, for who and where development should take place is leadership of position power play PNG must reject.
PNG needs leadership of development where all people of PNG will share in the spoils of development. This will land power playing leaders without power.
Tunnel Vision 2050 is a dangerous plot. Never have we been openly lied to as we are with Vision 2050. National Alliance Party has been systematically manipulating leaders, advisers and institutions to stay in power. More and more leaders are realising it and exposing it. No way and no more will they continue without people making a stand.
Our leaders are only opening their eyes from deep slumber. People have political power and it will be leaders who will politicise leadership for leadership of development. Sun and rain leaders will be removed and replaced with all weather leaders. Only then will PNG get out of African tube.
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Bad law and corrupt lawyers in bed with corrupt regulator Papua
Bad law and corrupt lawyers in bed with corrupt regulator
Papua New Guinea is led down the African Tube by bad law and corrupt lawyers in bed with corrupt regulator.
Myths about Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) being a government agency and a regulator of mines have been debunked.
MRA and Corruption of Mineral Regulation in Papua New Guinea, a book edited by James Wanjik, lawyer and former Secretary for Mining tells it all.
Killing lies and deceits of MRA, Wanjik exposed it for what it is; an entity with statutory dressing that makes love to and with miners for money in illegal tax known as production levy. MRA is a counterfeit and a prostitute regulator of mines.
MRA is a creature of statute law namely the Mineral Resources Authority Act 2005. This law is unconstitutional. It was brought into operation on unlawful advice of a former Minister for Mining in 2006. It was set up by persons without lawful mandate and authority. It is collecting tax in production levy without the requisite prior approval of the National Parliament.
The so-called “top international law firm” drafted the MRA law on contract from World Bank under a dubious project at the Department of Mining at the relevant time. In 2006 it advised persons other than the Department of Mining to bring MRA into operation. We should ask this law firm what motive they had. To benefit from illegal tax in illegal production levy MRA collects from unethical miners? Rotten it is.
Now we know why Department of Mining was smothered in 2007.
In 2006 James Wanjik was the Secretary for Mining. He put a stop to persons other than the Department of Mining promoting the MRA in breach of law in particular constitutional law. He was removed and replaced with a weak lawyer.
Little did the Government know that this lawyer was a good friend of a lawyer at the named “top international law firm” and the World Bank consultant who had been the instigator of MRA.
Slaying the goose that lays the golden egg was the motive. Two moles were used by the World Bank consultant. Their weaknesses were money and envy for position.
Awestruck and powerless MRA is running to its creators. World Bank has injected millions of Kina for policy and politics. Lawyer for MRA is politically connected to the Government. Lawyer for Ramu NiCo MCC is politically connected to the Government. Lawyer for the landowners is politically connected to the Government through Electoral Commission. No coincidence but where the plaintiffs come from in Rai Coast a National Alliance candidate Mr. James Gau won the by-election and supports the project. It seems the litigation had no dent whatsoever.
People are taken for a ride by lawyers. Legal ethics demand four duties; duty to the law, duty to the profession; duty to the court, and duty to the client. All duties are equal.
So where is ethics in lawyers handling litigation on DSTP? Why have they not raised MRA as an important constitutional law issue for the court to deal with? Would it be breach of duty of care by these lawyers?
People will soon know whether legal profession is indeed noble and ancient.
May the law reign for PNG to reign.