The International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) last week released a report it drafted appertaining to January’s Tumbi Landslide in the Southern Highlands.
The Tumbi Landslide is one of PNG’s worst ever landslide disasters and is believed to have claimed up to 60 lives.
The short but succinct report highlights
disturbing concerns ISCI considers to be important enough to warrant a
Commission of Inquiry into the landslide.
And I agree.
ISCI identifies four key areas needing to be investigated:
- The cause of the landslide;
- Government oversight of safety at the LNG project;
- The response of the National Disaster Centre to the landslide; and,
- Allegations of impropriety and collusion on the part of ExxonMobil via their subsidiary Esso Highlands Limited.
Commission of Inquiries vary in terms of
objectives, but generally speaking, their roles are to collect
information – coupled with expert opinion – and resolve conflict with
the underlying theme of restoring public confidence.
When an inquiry is launched to determine
facts in retrospect – most often used for accidents or tragedies – it is
widely viewed that the purpose or focus of a Commission should not be
the determination of individual blame, but rather, the purpose or focus
should be on what information is needed to educate the public and
provide context to justify the impending recommendations.
And it is precisely this key issue – the
wholesome collection and dissemination of information by an independent
inquiry – which has clearly not occurred, and it is obvious that this
has caused considerable hurt and resentment amongst our citizens in the
communities affected.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Tumbi Landslide is a tragedy. The loss of up to 60 lives quantifies that.
However, it is important to make the
point that this is not just a tragedy in the middle of New Guinea’s
forests devoid of any human interaction.
No – this was a tragedy which happened
within the vicinity of ExxonMobil’s operations; and within a stone’s
throw from a quarry utilized for a period of two years by the PNG LNG
project developer.
If there is a cause-effect relationship
here, it has to be proven – but the association between ExxonMobil and
the Tumbi Landslide is clear.
The possibility of human influence in
causing the Tumbi Landslide and claiming up to 60 lives is the reason
why this is a national tragedy warranting a Commission of Inquiry.
Detractors of ISCI’s report may point out
that the National Disaster Centre (NDC) did investigate and release a
report into the cause of the landslide which concluded that it was
initiated by “continuous heavy rainfall”.
However, ISCI highlights the total absence of evidence provided in NDC’s report to substantiate that hypothesis.
It is a point that is impossible to argue against.
Furthermore, the recently concluded Commission of Inquiry into the capsizing and sinking of the MV Rabaul Queen
has shown us clearly that state agencies responsible for regulating,
managing and responding to operational sectoral issues – let alone
extraordinary events – lack the capacity, expertise and courage to
adequately fulfill their responsibilities.
The COI into MV Rabaul Queen was equally as scathing on Peter Sharp, the owner and operator of the ship, as it was on the National Maritime Safety Authority. Similar opinions formed by an inquiry into the NDC’s oversight of the Tumbi Landslide are probable.
ExxonMobil’s PNG LNG Project is a venture
of national importance and its success will help provide the foundation
of the future economic progress of our country.
The fear of possibly disrupting this
Goliath, and consequently endangering the State’s own benefits, should
not be a reason for Peter O’Neill and his government to shy away from
investigating the Tumbi Landslide.
Instead, the importance of ExxonMobil’s project should indeed be the catalyst as to why an independent inquiry is necessary.
ExxonMobil and the PNG Government have
entered into a long-term partnership. That partnership is based on trust
and respect, and an understanding representing the views of
ExxonMobil’s shareholders and strategic direction; alongside an
understanding representing the views of the PNG Government in what it
believes to be in the best interest of our people.
Government oversight of safety at the LNG
Project, as identified by ISCI, is part and parcel of this partnership –
and its effectiveness or lack of, needs to be revisited and reviewed.
This is a point which has been emphasized by the Tumbi Landslide –
despite who or what caused the landslide to happen.
An independent inquiry will help
alleviate these concerns by defining matters that need to be addressed
in detail to help mitigate any future events such as the landslide.
Additionally, the PNG LNG Project is not
limited to the Tumbi area. It’s operational scope is extensive covering
several PNG provinces and the communities it affects and interacts with
are substantial.
ExxonMobil must appreciate that the
influence of the state on landowner concerns is reactive by nature; and
vice versa, the demands and expectations of landowners are manifested
proactively.
It is because of these dynamics that I
think ExxonMobil, through its subsidiary Esso Highlands, have done
themselves a great disservice by not publicly supporting an independent
inquiry into the Tumbi Landslide.
In any investment the size of
ExxonMobil’s, the stakes are high, but the response pursued by the
developer in this instance is reflective of the short-term thinking
which plagues many of PNG’s foreign direct investment firms.
It goes to show that foreign firms still
have a long way to go in understanding the Papua New Guinean psych; and
it also demonstrates that the PNG Government still has a long way to go
in developing the fortitude required of truly representing the interests
of its citizens.
If Peter O’Neill is serious about having
PNG’s interest at heart, then he understands that economic prosperity is
important, but at no stage does it trump the lives of our people – no
matter how large the stakes.
Tragedies like the Tumbi Landslide will
happen again, and with the long-term commitment of ExxonMobil in PNG, it
is possible that this developer will be associated with another future
tragedy. If that occurs, then ExxonMobil and Peter O’Neill will have
very little room to maneuver.
It’s a shame that this risk, although self-serving, has not even been identified and exploited to mitigate future damage.
The big losers out of all of this are the
people of Tumbi in the Southern Highlands. It will not be lost on them
that one of their own is Prime Minister, and that he has done very
little to alleviate their pain and address their concerns.
The warning signs are out for Peter O’Neill and ExxonMobil.
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