Paula DAVID

A lot of comments by teachers and the public on the issue of teachers’ 3% have been noted. Minister for Education Lucas Dekena assured the teachers that it is a real deal signed as a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by the Papua New Guinea Teachers’ Association on behalf of the Teachers, Teaching Service Commission on behalf of the Government and witnessed by the Department of Personal Management Secretary on behalf of the State. “That MOA is legally binding." "It has not been politicized nor is it neither a lie, nor a myth as quoted in the National and circulated even on social media.” The truths of the matter are these: · That the MOA was signed after the 2024 budget was handed down. This meant Treasury had to look for and secure money to effect the MOA · That has been done and Finance Department started work on getting the teachers paid through the ALESCO pay system. · However, in view of the January 10th, 2024, unrest due to a glitch at Alesco Teaching Service Commission and Pay Roll Division of the Department of Education requested for a Test Run to Verify all teachers’ salaries before the final run. · The Test run was done and verified but there was a glitch. Finance Department was informed and is working on verifying the anomalies to avoid a glitch for the teachers to be paid. “Let me assure the teachers that the MOA is binding, and you will be paid your 3% CPI increment and allowances as the verification is completed. Finance Department is working to input all information into the ALESCO Payroll for payments to be made.” “As Minster for Education I wish to take this time to thank you the forever hard-working teachers for your patience, tolerance, and understanding in respecting the processes involved in implementing the MOA on the Determination of Salaries and Allowances for teachers in the Teaching Service from 2023 to 2025.” He also acknowledged the undivided support given by Departments of Personnel Management, Finance, and Treasury to Teaching Service Commission and the Department of Education in ensuring the Implementation of the MOA is effected. “In conclusion I wish to reiterate that the 3% pay rise and the payment of allowances to teachers from 2023 to 2025 is neither a pack of lies nor a myth, nor is it politicized as speculated. It is legally binding through the signed MOA and the teachers will be paid.”

With much disagreement thrown on the floor of Parliament this afternoon, from both the Government and the Opposition sides respectively, the Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Private Business Committee, Job Pomat said, out of the 5 technical requirements for a motion of a Vote of No Confidence, another error was found on the notice number 4 of the Alternate Government's VoNC. He said, the defect in number 5 of the technical requirements was due to submission of names which was written with the last names of the candidate put first instead of the candidate's first names. The Opposition disagreed with the ruling made by the Speaker and when the speaker asked for a motion to be made in regard to the Notice of the VONC to not be placed on the Notice Paper in what would have been Thursday's sitting, the Opposition walked out of Parliament. The Motion for the notice of VONC not to be on the notice paper tomorrow was voted for with members of Government voting 69 to 0. There will be no Vote of No Confidence tomorrow and Parliament has been adjourned to September 3rd , 2024 at 2pm in the afternoon.

Prime Minister James Marape said, the main issue regarding Bougainville’s Independence is how to adhere fully to the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) and the Papua New Guinea Constitution. PM Marape made this statement in Parliament during a debate on Bougainville, which saw active participation from both sides of the house. He emphasized that Parliament will decide on Bougainville’s independence in accordance with the PNG constitution. He urged Bougainvilleans to consider the PNG perspective and for Papua New Guineas to understand the Bougainville perspective, emphasizing unity as the Christians and Melanesians. “This will allow us to find a common ground at some place, not now, but as we journey together into the future.” He highlighted that the PNG Constitution, established before the independence in 1975, defines the sovereignty that the country enjoys today. Marape noted that those who drafted the BPA in 2001 included provisions for the PNG parliament to ratify the results of the Bougainville Referendum, which took place in 2019. In this referendum, 97.7% of Bougainvilleans voted in favor of Independence from PNG. “This is the issue we are grappling with." " There is nothing to fear about bringing the results of the Bougainville Referendum to the floor of parliament,” said Marape. He assured that each Member of Parliament (MP) would express their stance through a vote. “A vote on the sovereignty of our nation is a constitutional vote.” He also expressed concern that other provinces with autonomy might seek independence from PNG, stating, “Bougainville is a pacesetter for our country." "We must ring-fence the rest of the country.” He clarified that there are no time limitations regarding the issue of Bougainville’s independence and one day the Parliament will make a decision. “Each of you MPs will be asked to make a call on this issue and there will be no place of hiding as each of us will be required to stand up." "The only thing that is holding us back is the constitutional law requirement for a vote and ordinary law requirement for a vote.” PM Marape concluded by stating that Bougainville and PNG had agreed to involve a mediator to determine the necessary number required for a decision.

Minister for Bougainville Affairs Manaseh Makiba said, the issue that is facing the country and its parliament is the procedure in is which the Bougainville referendum result would be brought into the house to make a final decision for the political settlement for Bougainville. This is in response to Central Bougainville member Simon Dumarinu on the status of the Bougainville Referendum with a result of 97.7% votes. Minister Makiba said, in the last consultation that took place in POM last year, the Era Kone agreement was reached between the 2 governments and the referendum results should have been brought in last year for the rectification process to take place. But due to no standing procedures of parliament as well as the enabling constitution of provision, particular section 342 of the constitution which does not provide the procedure or process by which the referendum result will be brought in for rectification. He said, they will need to adopt an appropriate procedure in order for the referendum to be rectified. “In the last GSP meeting, we have resolved to find a way for the parliament to establish an appropriate procedure for the rectification to take place.” “But before that ratification is put in place, the referendum result cannot and will not be brought into this parliament." "And that is what we are working on." Minister Makiba said, he would provide a full ministerial statement in the next meeting on an update on the sessional order that will be brought into parliament for adoption for the rectification to actually take place.

With a total number of 6 seats still vacant in Parliament, Member for Finschhafen Rainbo Paita called on the government to give an update and when funding would be made available for the Local Level Government By-Elections to take place. “We live in a country with many challenges, and these are unprecedented times and it will continue to do so ahead,” said Paita. He said, in an event when disaster strikes, the first person to stand and support its people are the mandated leaders, but at this time, there are currently a couple of seats that are still vacant, and the by-elections has not happened yet. He said, when a seat is free, the people from that area don’t have a voice to air out their concerns on the floor of parliament. In response, Prime Minister James Marape said, there are 6 seats that are still vacant and a few of these seats are still attached to court cases and some of which are due to the passing of the members. But he reaffirmed to the house that, they will get the by-elections done once they retire Maprik Open (East Sepik) and Sohe (Oro) will move too 2 of the vacant seats. “The reason why they were a little bit late in calling for the by-elections was because, those seats were lost by the death of former members and out of customary obligations, we have to allow for the natural time for recovery to take place." “But the Pogera-Paiela seat (Enga) and the Dei seat if it is free of the court case, it will be in line for the by-elections at the very earliest.” Marape further stated that, the Dei seat, Madang seat and the Kabwum seat are vacant at this time due to court cases running against them. “Once the 2 by-elections for Maprik and Sohe is totally retired, we will hold by-elections for the other seats that are vacant.”

With the first Parliament session underway, Provincial Member for Oro Province Garry JUFFA raised several questions on the floor of parliament if there are any plans in place for the government to take and respond in a swift manner to help the people when disaster strikes. Juffa said, the current disaster laws and response protocols are outdated and asked if the national government have plans to assist provinces in building provincial disaster management centers in our province. Defence Minister Dr. Billy Joseph in response said, critical disaster emergency departments are not in one place which makes work difficult. "The first responders on the ground are the provincial disaster management committee, and the person in charge is the provincial administrator." "At the national level, from a national government standpoint, when there is a disaster, the national disaster management committee is activated, and it is our job to make sure that the provinces that is affected by disaster have all the resources that they need." "So, we expect the provincial disaster management committee to, within six to 12 hours, do a quick report, send it to us at the national disaster management committee and where we assess and define what kind of help they need." Dr. Joseph said, the disaster emergency departments are not under one umbrella which makes it difficult to act fast. Furthermore, Dr.Joseph said, he will take note of the important questions and respond at a later time.

Preparations are coming along well for students attending Wesley Secondary School in the Esa'ala District in the Milne Bay Province. School Principal Mr. Davanai Robia said, out of the 80, 015 grade 10 students nationwide, a total of 214 grd10 students from Wesley Secondary School are confirmed to sit for the National Written Expression Examination on Thursday 6th June 2024. He said, all through this term, their teachers have been conducting remedial classes with the students. “Our teachers have been doing remedial with our grade 10 students and I believe our students will do well.” “Everything is in order, and we are just waiting for the day to come.” He added, they have seen positive results, and he is confident that the students will do well in the exam. Meanwhile, the exam will be conducted in their newly built mass hall which is big enough to cater for the number of students who will sit for the exam. “Our new Mass Hall is more than enough to cater for our students with good installation of lighting, fan and good ventilation done.” “So, this is another boost for our students at this time.”

Prime Minister James Marape says one of his government’s priorities over the last five years has been health, resulting in the sector achieving some major milestones. Among these achievements is the development of new health infrastructure such as the rebuilding of Wewak’s Boram Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility funded by the Government at a cost of K200 million. The government also completed the new Enga Provincial Hospital in Wabag, Enga Province, as well as the Angau Memorial Hospital Redevelopment with the help of the Australian Government. The Prime Minister noted these achievements in a five-year anniversary report of his government’s accomplishments during last week’s Parliament session. Other new infrastructure includes the 41 health facilities supported by the Asian Development Bank, such as community health posts (CHPs), district hospitals, and health centres. These facilities include 10 new CHPs in places like Bulolo, Watut, Mumeng, Umba in Menyamya, Mutzing in Markham, West Taraka Poly Clinic, Tent City in Lae, Gaulim in East New Britain, and Bitakora in East New Britain. Two district hospitals have been built in Ambunti in East Sepik and Pomio in East New Britain, with Madang’s Bogia under construction and Bougainville’s Buin District Hospital set to commence soon, funded by a US$21.6 million grant from the Australian Government. Completed health centres include those in Gloucester in West New Britain, Agevairu in Central Province, and Koroba in Lake Kopiago, with construction set to begin at Maramuni in Enga. The Prime Minister also highlighted his government’s aim to establish tertiary health care services in the country, with the Cancer Centre at Port Moresby General Hospital scheduled to be completed and opened next year. Additionally, Angau Memorial Hospital has renovated its existing Cobalt 60 Source Centre facility and upgraded its security in anticipation of new cobalt radioactive isotopes arriving in 2024 “Investing in new health infrastructure has been a top priority for our government over the past five years." "Our goal is to ensure that every Papua New Guinean can access a health centre within an hour by any mode of transport, as outlined in the Medium-Term Development Plan IV (MTDP IV),” said Prime Minister Marape. The other major areas of concern in health that the Prime Minister says his government has prioritised include health workforce and medical supplies reform. Currently, there are only 18,929 health workers serving throughout the country, with a total of 13,135 vacancies that have persisted for several years. He says his government is addressing this serious health sector capacity issue with plans to recruit 7,130 health workers this year in different cadres of health work, including doctors, allied health workers, and nurses. The balance of 7,388 will be prioritised in the coming years. The medical supply procurement and distribution remain a huge challenge for the country, and the reforms being implemented as per the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee and Special Audits Report are already addressing some key issues, coordinated by a newly formed Steering Committee and Secretariat. Key milestone achievements so far include improvements at warehousing facilities and stock management at the central, provincial, and hospital levels. The rehabilitation of the four Regional Area Medical Stores was completed in 2022, with ongoing upgrades of Provincial Transit Medical Stores, with 12 fully rehabilitated and in operation. Prime Minister Marape also noted that the Inventory Management Software (mSupply) has been installed at all Area Medical Stores and is in progress to roll out to all public hospitals. This will provide data to inform procurement and pipeline management.

Unfortunately for Papua New Guinea, overseas news speculations regarding PNG to become the 18th NRL team are false. PNG NRL BID Chief Executive Officer Andrew Hill in an interview with PNG HAUSBUNG today clarified that they have not received any word or confirmation from the Australian Government to be the 18th NRL team and the media speculations that came from overseas during the week were premature. “We have not received confirmation yet, but I can say is that we are working really close with both the Australian and PNG Government and the NRL nearly on a daily basis on all the details that would be required to make a finals submission to the NRL.” “Those conversations are going very positively and there’s lots of general agreement, but we haven’t got the word that we are the 18th team yet.” Hill also confirmed that there’s still several months away from the NRL making the final decision and both governments will play a key role in making sure the financials for the club are taken care of. “Ultimately, it’s the NRL that gets to make that decision.” “They’ve certainly indicated that they want to expand, they want an 18th team and that they will be ready to make that decision, hopefully before Christmas.” “We are still some months away but certainly before the end of the year, I’m confident that the NRL will announce the 18th team.” Hill expressed much excitement and anticipation for the announcement of the 18th NRL team by the end of this as this would be a wonderful opportunity for PNG to participate in the world’s best rugby league competition on a weekly basis against the very best athletes across Australia and New Zealand. “We are getting closer to be the 18th team but we’re not there yet.” “I’m very confident that the final submission and discussion with the NRL will see that if they agree on the merit of us becoming the 18th team and they will have the confidence that over a period of time, we will start to develop lots of players and lots of staff.” Hill further stated that, if PNG is confirmed to be the 18th team once the decision is made, there will be a great amount of work for the team to do to prepare for the 2028 NRL season.

Prime Minister James Marape is confident after the first week of parliament sitting with a secured number of 77 parliament members. PM Marape said the country witnessed the stability of the government by passing the bill to restructure the Judiciary and came in today and presented the government’s 5-year achievement report on the floor of Parliament. Marape urged citizens not to get caught up in the political play even as the opposition has the right to contest, the public, businesses and the people of PNG must continue to carry on with their normal operations. “Don’t get caught up in this political play by leaders.” “If they are in the most serious business in controlling a government that has secured mandate from the people from the National General Elections, they should be seriously applying the due process correctly.” Marape reaffirmed to the people that the government is intact and confident with results of the recent bill to restructure the Judiciary and presentation of the government’s 5-year achievement report today in parliament. He further urged the Business Committee in PNG and those watching abroad to stay confident in the government especially all investors, big and small. PM Marape also acknowledged the latest inclusion of Belden Namah and PNG Party that has moved from the Opposition to Government. Meanwhile, Parliament has now been adjourned to next Tuesday, 4th June 2024 at 10am.

Through the PNG Defence department and the Disaster office, Prime Minister James Marape mentioned in Parliament that they have sent out K250, 000 for food and relief supplies. Both the departments are currently on ground with the PNGDF, the Australian Defence Force and the New Zealand DF to carry out assessment reports from the Enga Provincial Administration and recovery efforts in Yambali village in the Mulitaka LLG of Enga Province. “The food and relief supplies are being distributed as I speak. And there’s a complete cut off of the road that leads into the Pogera mine that’s been in production.” “We are also working closely with the company, The New Pogera Limited to see how best we can mobilize support to reopen the road at the very earliest.” Marape also stated that, the government has received written condolence messages and sympathies from various countries including the Buckingham Palace from the King himself, Australia, New Zealand, The White House, China, the France President, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Philippines and our Pacific Island nations. “The Australian DF and the New Zealand DF have mobilized to assist and work with our Defence force in fullest relief restoration and reconstruction to the loss that has taken place in Yambali.” Marape said, this disaster has not only affected and claimed the 2000 lives but affected over 10, 000 people in the immediate area. “There’s nothing much we can do in the face of disaster, but the best response is our love, care and assistance and restoration to those who are facing these problems.”

Opposition Leader Douglas Tomuriesa has called on the Government today during parliament session to immediately release K250, 000 to help assist the people in the Mulitaka LLG in the Enga Province. He said, disaster is everyone’s responsibility and of the house of Parliament. He said, K250, 000 is not enough and has urged both sides of the house to put money aside to help the people of this great nation when disaster strikes. He also stated that, the people of Kiriwina Goodenough who were hit by a recent drought are still waiting on supplies of medical drugs to be airlifted to the islands in the Milne Bay province. Meanwhile, West New Britain Governor Sasindran Muthuvel has suggested to the Prime Minister and Government to declare a three-day public holiday as a mourning period for the victims of the recent landslide in Mulitaka, Enga Province. He also suggested using K110 million from government funds to help the affected communities quickly. Muthuvel urged everyone to support each other and asked those blocking relief efforts to let aid reach the victims. He further admitted that Parliament was slow to respond and said this should not happen again.