Landowners group decries land deal

Post- Courier



A CUSTOMARY landowner group that owns most of the land on which the nation’s capital, Port Moresby, has been built wants the Motu Koita people to be fully involved in any new development on their land.
The Ogoni Dabunari Incorporated Land Group (ILG) of Baruni in NCD has warned to appropriate action against developers who employ divisive tactics to bypass genuine and majority landowner groups by dealing with minority and/or paper landowners.
Ogoni Dabunari ILG chairman, Dikara Gomara, issued the warning because of heightened landowner concerns over illegal squatters in NCD, corrupt deals involving Land and Physical Planning officers for portions of city land and other illegal land-grabbing activities.
Mr Gomara expressed anger and frustration over a front page story in The National newspaper titled “Unique Housing Deal” on Friday March 22.
It was about a partnership between a Dubai-based multi-national housing firm and a relatively unknown PNG company. The newspaper reported that Red Sea Housing Services of Dubai and PNG company, Sixth Estate Ltd, plan to turn a 59-hectare land behind the University of PNG in Port Moresby, identified as portion 2733, into a unique housing estate in time to provide alternate accommodation for the 2015 South Pacific Games.
A brief by Sixth Estate directors claimed that “we are pleased to state that in January 2013, the department of Lands and Physical Planning approved and granted individual land titles to 849 allotments for 99 years”.
 
However, Mr Gomara queried how Red Sea Housing Services and Sixth Estate acquired portion 2733 without involving Ogoni Dabunari ILG, which represents the majority and true landowners of Baruni, NCD. Investment Promotion Authority records show that the directors of Red Sea Housing Services Limited are Saudi Arabian nationals and the sole director of Sixth Estate Ltd is a PNG citizen.
Mr Gomara queried how the land was acquired; whether it was through a ministerial direction, National and NCD Land Board decision or through license and exemption.
“If the answer is any of the above, we must be told of how the final decision was reached and for whose interest,” he said. “If the Land Board met, when and where was the meeting held. Were the board meeting resolutions and gazettal published to provide opportunity for public objections?
 
“It is the public interest as well as for purposes of good governance and transparency that these questions are fully answered.
“We fully support Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s hard-line stance and directive to Lands and Physical Planning Minister Benny Allen to rid bribery, fraud and corruption in the Lands Department,” he said.
 
Mr Gomara explained that his people did not oppose development of portion 2733, but the manner in which the land was acquired.
He urged the parties involved to revisit their local partnership to include genuine and majority customary landowners through the ILG.
“Fifty-nine hectares is a lot of land in any man’s language and for such development, majority landowners must be involved,” he said.
 
Mr Gomara urged Minister Allen, NCD Governor, Powes Parkop and Motu Koita Assembly chairman Miria Ikupu to intervene to help Ogoni Dabunari ILG have their customary land formally recognised and adviced of their outstanding claims for that portion of land.
He reminded the three political leaders of seminars for customary landowners in 2008 and 2009, which concluded that out of the 100 percent land in Port Moresby city, 60 percent had already been utilised by the State and that the remaining 40 percent, portioned or not, was rightfully owned by respective Motu Koita customary landowners.
The seminars were organised and attended by then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Lands, Sir Puka Temu and Governor Parkop, together with regulatory services of NCDC.