I SUPPORT Opposition Leader Belden Namah’s call in
the media describing the government’s decision to transfer the Papua New Guinea
Defence Force headquarters from Murray Barracks to another site in Central
Province as being suspicious.
When the barracks is transferred, what will the State do to the land?
If it is going to sell it, to whom is it going to sell it?
More investors? Are these investors in some way related to the senior ministers in the cabinet, who are rich?
If that is so, the people of Papua New Guinea will again lose out. And the tactic that government ministers are applying – using their positions to advance themselves and their business partners will continue.
Is the Lands Department involved in this transfer? Which officers will be involved.
The fact that the Lands Department is one of the most corrupt departments was highlighted by the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill last year. But there was no mention of and action taken to find and charge the corrupt officers.
Does that mean they are still there and are part of the group drawing up the plans for more land transfers?
A lot of money will change hands but it is unlikely that the people of Papua New Guinea will benefit if the corrupt officers are still there.
It has also been reported that another company will be taking over some tasks as well as properties that the National Housing Corporation was once overseeing.
Why can’t the government clean up the corporation instead of appointing other parties to take over the agency’s functions?
Are all these part of a grand scheme to “take over” State entities and properties and sell them?
The government has to explain. As yet, they all looks suspicious.
PNG Tauna,
NCD
When the barracks is transferred, what will the State do to the land?
If it is going to sell it, to whom is it going to sell it?
More investors? Are these investors in some way related to the senior ministers in the cabinet, who are rich?
If that is so, the people of Papua New Guinea will again lose out. And the tactic that government ministers are applying – using their positions to advance themselves and their business partners will continue.
Is the Lands Department involved in this transfer? Which officers will be involved.
The fact that the Lands Department is one of the most corrupt departments was highlighted by the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill last year. But there was no mention of and action taken to find and charge the corrupt officers.
Does that mean they are still there and are part of the group drawing up the plans for more land transfers?
A lot of money will change hands but it is unlikely that the people of Papua New Guinea will benefit if the corrupt officers are still there.
It has also been reported that another company will be taking over some tasks as well as properties that the National Housing Corporation was once overseeing.
Why can’t the government clean up the corporation instead of appointing other parties to take over the agency’s functions?
Are all these part of a grand scheme to “take over” State entities and properties and sell them?
The government has to explain. As yet, they all looks suspicious.
PNG Tauna,
NCD
PNGDF needs funding but not a commercial arm
Post Courier
THE primary responsibility of the Papua New Guinea
Defence Force (PNGDF) is to provide for the security and defence of our nation
and our national interests. Section 202 of the PNG Constitution explicitly
highlights the roles and responsibilities of the PNGDF: defend PNG and its
territory, assist in the fulfillment of PNG’s international obligations, provide
assistance to civilian authorities in times of disaster, the restoration of
public order and security and national emergencies and contribute to national
development tasks.
Consequently, we applaud the decision by the O’Neill Government to approve through Cabinet a K170 million funding package for the force’s first major re-fleeting program since its establishment 37 years ago.
Consequently, we applaud the decision by the O’Neill Government to approve through Cabinet a K170 million funding package for the force’s first major re-fleeting program since its establishment 37 years ago.
Successive PNG government funding to this important institution has been
lacking, resulting in the hemorrhaging of its infantry (army), maritime (navy)
and air elements.
Military facilities around PNG have been showing signs of wear and tear in the last 20-plus years, which impacted on its fixed assets and are now affecting the morale of troops. Government neglect of and failure to tackle problems within the army has led to disciplinary problems, which manifested themselves through military uprisings, insubordination and a failed mutiny in early 2012. Low troop morale can be a recipe for disaster for a thriving democracy like ours; hence the commitment by this government to inject funding into the PNGDF is most welcome.
However, we note with concern the government’s decision to create a business arm for an institution that is charged with protecting our territory. Governments around the world are letting the private sector run business so the State can focus on what it should be doing best – running institutions of governance and ensuring and enabling the wellbeing of its constituency.
Military facilities around PNG have been showing signs of wear and tear in the last 20-plus years, which impacted on its fixed assets and are now affecting the morale of troops. Government neglect of and failure to tackle problems within the army has led to disciplinary problems, which manifested themselves through military uprisings, insubordination and a failed mutiny in early 2012. Low troop morale can be a recipe for disaster for a thriving democracy like ours; hence the commitment by this government to inject funding into the PNGDF is most welcome.
However, we note with concern the government’s decision to create a business arm for an institution that is charged with protecting our territory. Governments around the world are letting the private sector run business so the State can focus on what it should be doing best – running institutions of governance and ensuring and enabling the wellbeing of its constituency.
Defence Minister Fabian Pok yesterday announced that a PNGDF-owned company will
be registered with the IPA and will hold the titles to Murray Barracks land with
a view to making profit from the rental of titles held by the army.
“Whether they (PNGDF) sub-divide the land and give to other companies, that decision will be made by the Defence Force. All rentals and commercial interests will now come under the company. Profits will be reinvested back into the Defence Force.
“There will be no land-grabbing and nothing sinister in the whole exercise to relocate the army barracks to a new location. The NEC has made a decision to move Murray Barracks to a new location because when you travel the world, you don’t see a barracks in the middle of the city so the government has agreed to move Murray Barracks out of Port Moresby,” he said.
“Whether they (PNGDF) sub-divide the land and give to other companies, that decision will be made by the Defence Force. All rentals and commercial interests will now come under the company. Profits will be reinvested back into the Defence Force.
“There will be no land-grabbing and nothing sinister in the whole exercise to relocate the army barracks to a new location. The NEC has made a decision to move Murray Barracks to a new location because when you travel the world, you don’t see a barracks in the middle of the city so the government has agreed to move Murray Barracks out of Port Moresby,” he said.
However Papua New Guineans would like to know more about this policy and the
rationale behind the relocation of the army headquarters. Why the rush to create
a commercial entity for the army when most PNG state-owned entities (SOEs) have
over the years struggled to declare profit and instead became cash cows and
havens for political cronies?
While the Defence Minister has assured the nation that the army’s commercial arm will have the secretaries for the departments of Defence, Finance, Treasury and the PNGDF commander as directors on the board, the fact that the government-of-the-day is the appointee of these top bureaucrats doesn’t give Papua New Guineans the assurance any decisions they make will be free of bias and conflicts of interest.
While the Defence Minister has assured the nation that the army’s commercial arm will have the secretaries for the departments of Defence, Finance, Treasury and the PNGDF commander as directors on the board, the fact that the government-of-the-day is the appointee of these top bureaucrats doesn’t give Papua New Guineans the assurance any decisions they make will be free of bias and conflicts of interest.
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