Photo credit: Greenpeace

Today’s PNGFM Maus Wara Show - SABL

Today PNGFM aired a talk about logging and foreign intervention into customary land for so-called ‘development purposes’ – mainly focusing on Special Agricultural Business Leases (SABL). There was a good summary by Eddie Tanago Paine who called in and spoke about the importance of safe keeping customary land and saving our virgin dense forests from foreign companies that use the pretext of agricultural  schemes for logging. He elaborated that most of these leases were “scams” as Prime Minister, Peter O’Neil himself stated and that those found to be fraudulent ‘MUST’ be cancelled.

As well as text messgaes from the public and Eddie Tanago’s phone call, Dr. Lawrence Kalinoe, Secretary for Department of Justice and Attorney general called in.  He stated that the owners of responsibility for the mistake of selling land, are the landowners themselves. These landowners, he said, are the ones who, when aggravated or disagreements arise come running to the State or force blame on the State. He stated that the State is now owing K8 billion incurred from liabilities caused from these disagreements and mistakes that landowners (themselves) create. So, he asked, why should the State/government pay millions of kina to correct the mistake of landowners? He further stated that Prime Minister Peter O’Neil is being cautious and set up a Ministerial committee to look into it hence the Commission of Inquiry.

But, shouldn't the landowners interest be protected in all this? The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a government set up by the people, for the people. We work for our people’s interest and no one else. The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) found out (and moreover states clearly) that State agencies were involved in incurring these potential liabilities (that Dr. Kalinoe is talking about). And it is the corrupt deals of people with these government officials in these mandated government offices such as the Lands Department and the National Forestry Department that approved these deals and the leases signed off. So why are we blaming the landowners? Was there really Free, Prior and Informed Consent from the landowners, who mind you are numerous people, as land is culturally communally owned in most Melanesian societies, or was this deal done by one person?. If we cannot protect our landowners and conceal corrupt activities by officials in the department, than where is the justice in that?

The Commission of Inquiry identified all the abuses in the Department of Lands and the officers responsible for the fraudulent and unlawful leases but the government prefers to blame the land owners rather than try and protect their interests. If the SABL deals were illegal as uncovered in the CoI report and in courts, than there is no case against the State as claimed by Kalinoe.

Corrupt officials responsible for these fraudulent deals should be prosecuted and not protected because they are the people responsible for incurring the ‘liability’ Kalinoe speaks off.

The Maus Wara Show will continue with the SABL topic tomorrow on Yumi FM (93.1) so interested listners please tune in….and share your thoughts. More than 5million hectares have been captured by so-called developers (mostly foreigners, logging and making money out of your land) Will you allow more land to be eaten away?