Are the District Development Act and the Kumul Consolidated Limited Act unconstitutional?
Today at the National Development Forum organised by the Consultation, Implementation, Monitoring, & Implementation Council, the Chief Justice called the two laws above “bad laws.”
The District Development Authority Act (DDA Act) and the Kumul Consolidated Limited Act (KCL Act) are responsible for millions, if not billions of Kina flowing to institutions these laws created.
The 96 DDAs created by the DDA Act controls about K960 million per year in District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) funds. Whilst the actual amount fluctuates, the Prime Minister James Marape hinted earlier this year that this amount would be doubled. The Auditor General complained early this year that 40% of MPs didn’t acquit their funds.
The KCL on the other hand receives millions, if not billions of Kina in dividends coming from various companies that the state is a shareholder. These include state owned enterprises, oil and gas companies, mineral companies, agencies such as National Fisheries Authority and PNG Ports, and others like BSP.
What did the Chief Justice mean by “bad laws”?
He didn’t go into detail, but he may have implied that the laws are unconstitutional.
However, the Supreme Court, or Judges cannot intervene on their own to rule a law passed by parliament unconstitutional. A person with standing will have to take the matter to the Supreme Court to ask the Court to interpret these two legislations’ constitutionality.
Among others, the MPs would have a standing, defined as individuals recognised by the Court as people who can ask for the Court’s interpretation. But if MPs do that, and the Court rules the DDA Act unconstitutional, for instance, they will lose K10 million per year to spend at their discretion.
So it’s now up to the other individuals that the Supreme Court recognises as having a standing before the Court.
Travelling in PNG, unfortunately, is expensive. This post follows my visit to New Ireland, which is unbelievably beautiful, but it’s not getting as many locals as it should.
The return flight for just one traveller will easily run up to K2000. Accommodation for three nights at a lodge may cost another K1500, and breakfast and dinner would cost about K150 per day (about K400 if you staying for 3 nights), and you pay a professional tour guide anywhere from K500 to K2000.
To be clear, these costs are a reflection on the state of the economy and not necessarily New Ireland or PNG businesses charging unreasonably high rates. We are an import based economy, and with weak Kina, you spend a lot on imported goods. From fuel to food. And then you charge at a rate that makes you profit.
For places like Kavieng, it will continue to thrive because a good number of its visitors are international tourists (and PNGeans who can afford).
So here’s how you can get around it and travel at low cost.
Special or promotional tickets
Take advantage of Air Niugini’s special fares on Tuesdays where you can pay for a ticket for as low as K200 (plus taxes etc). This is usually for flights that are scheduled for travel in three to four months time.
The payment for the specials are restricted to online booking and payment. You will need a Visa card to make payments. If you don’t have a Visa card, give cash equivalent to a wantok who has a Visa card and he/she can make the payment for you online.
Budget Accommodation
Stay at a budget accommodation. There are budget accommodations in New Ireland ranging from K180 to K200 per night. Unfortunately you cannot find this information online. Travel should never be impulsive, take time to plan and research accommodation well.
*if you’re travelling with family or kids, and if you’re a female visitor, it’s better to stay at a lodge/hotel
Arranging your own tour guides
I have great respect and admiration for PNG tour guides such as Karanas Comfort, and there will always be customers who will require their amazing services. But if you take all the associated costs for the visit, it will be a bit pricey for ordinary Papua New Guineans to afford their services.
This is for those who want to travel but cannot afford a tour guide.
There are local taxis, and outboard motor operators (dinghies). You can engage them at lower rates. As locals, they will also act as your guides, and that way you cover the cost of transport and guide under one payment.
If the site you want to visit is along a bus route or ferry, pay the normal passenger rate (bus/dinghy fares) instead of paying for a tour through a professional company. Better if you’re travelling as a group.
Get one of the locals boys and pay him some money to accompany you. One of our guides was the taxi driver’s siblings (who refused payment but I insisted she gets paid – such beautiful souls – thanks Malis).
Networking
If you have a friend or save pes from the area you want to visit, you can negotiate with him/her, and stay with his/her family. You get to pay them half of what you would have spent on accommodation and tour guide.
*This means you need to start treating your New Ireland neighbour or school mate at UPNG as though he’s Will Smith 😂
Take your own food
Take tin meat/fish, biscuits, noodles etc. You’re going for a visit, not to put on weight. Plus food can be expensive depending on where you are in PNG.
Eat organic
Market food is cheaper than hotel food or processed food. This is true anywhere in PNG.
Plan and research
Don’t just pack up your bags and go. Travel should be a well planned, well researched trip. Plan, research and budget.
There’s a research that says travelling benefits the individual more than buying electronic gadgets. And there’s a common sense that says spending K500 on alcohol over a weekend doesn’t improve the quality of life in the same way travelling does. So save up, and travel.
Always have a plan B
PNG airlines have a tendency for flight cancellations and delays. And worse still, because of non-payments, lodges and hotels around the country are not taking in passengers left stranded by the airline companies even if the airline promises to pay. So have sufficient funds to cover at least up to 3 additional nights.
Travel in groups
If you can travel in groups, you can share the costs on some of the services. For instance, you can hire a vehicle from a local and split the costs to go visit the Belifu Canyon or cruise the Boluminski Highway. If you travel alone, you pay for the costs – alone.
10. Take advantage of AIR Niugini tour packages both international & Domestic.
The packages offer return airfares where you pay only 40% of the full airfare, meals, airport transfers. Air Niugini tours has list of hotels to incorporate into the package based on your preference. They can customised a package for you
The End!
What other travelling hack would you offer to a friend?
Shoutout to Kavieng Niu Lodge and staff. You guys are super duper amazing. Thanks a lot. Taxi drivers Jonah Salot and Coba thank you tumas – if anyone travelling to NIP and want a taxi driver I can send you these guys numbers.
Numerous articles, and viewpoints have been discussed on podcasts and television. Here, I discuss three related issues that I believe form the core of the present conflict: the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the religious rift among Muslims, and the shared animosity of Arab countries against Israel.
Religious division: Shia versus Sunni
Just like Christianity has numerous “denominations,” the Muslim faith is divided into numerous sects. Muslim religious sects have different interpretations of the Quran, just as numerous Christian denominations have different views on the Bible (such as whether to worship on Saturday or Sunday). The Sunni and Shia sects are the two main ones.
Shiites hold that Imam Ali, the prophet’s son-in-law, should have succeeded him as leader of the Muslim world and that the prophet’s lineage should be the source of future leadership.
Sunnis disagree that a hereditary line of succession should be used to determine Muslim leadership.
There was and still is carnage as a result of these divisions. For example, in Syria, the conflict involves Shia rebels seeking to topple the government, which is dominated by Sunnis.
Saudi Arabia versus Iran
The largest and richest Sunni nation in the Middle East and among Muslims is Saudi Arabia.
The richest and most powerful Shia nation in the Middle East is Iran.
Iran and Saudi Arabia both aspire to lead the Muslim world. Their opposing religious philosophies prevent them from cooperating. Actually, both nations provide funding for the conflicts and unrest in the Middle East.
Iran, for example, is arming and financing the Shia rebels in Syria who are battling the Saudi Arabian-backed government forces, who are dominated by Sunnis.
Under Trump, the US and Iran collaborated to eradicate ISIS, a Sunni organisation that originated.
How does the Hamas-Isarel Conflict make sense in light of these two factors?
The Arab world and Israel
The Abraham Accord, a peace agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain, and Morocco under the Trump administration was meant to bring about a peaceful co-existence between the Arab countries and Israel.
Iran’s adversary, Saudi Arabia, is part of the Abraham Accord. Saudi Arabia and Israel alliance is the last thing Iran wants. Iran’s goal to be the undisputed leader of the Muslim world and would not be possible in a world where Saudi Arabia was supported by Israel power.
Iran then defied convention by arming and training Hamas, a Sunni organisation (Iran is Shia) in order to attack Israel.
The Iranian strategy was that the Hamas attack would make Israel go on rampage and in the process kill innocent civilians. This would turn Saudi Arabia and the other nations in the Abrahamic Accord would turn against Israel as Muslims. A wedge between Saudi Arabia and Israel works for Iran.
Iran + Hamas vs Israel
Notwithstanding their differences in faith, Iran (Shia) and Hamas (Sunni) share the same objective of eradicating Israel from the Middle East.
Hamas opposes a two state solution where Palestinians and Israelis co-existed. Hamas doesn’t want any Israeli state in the Middle East.
Hamas’ hatred for Israel is so strong they went to Iran, a Shia country for support despite being a Sunni group.
Iran is so desperate to emerge as the undisputed leader of the Muslim world as well as the Middle Easter superpower they are willing to work with Hamas, a Sunni group, to keep Saudi Arabia and Israel separated.
So let’s answer the question: would there be peace in the Middle East if Israel was eliminated?
The answer is a huge NO. If Israel ceases to exist as a nation, the Sunni-Shia Divide will continue to devastate the Middle East.
In the absence of Israel, Saudi Arabia an Iran would continue to sponsor proxies to do their beating. So long as there are religious differences and the Muslim world cannot reconcile, there’ll be wars in the Middle East.
While many celebrate Paul Paraka’s 20-year sentence, a crucial aspect remains overlooked: the K162 million he stole is unaccounted for in any bank – there’s no K162 million in Paraka’s bank accounts. Over a decade, this substantial sum was likely laundered — a process concealing the illegitimate origins of criminal money.
Prominent figures in Papua New Guinea often launder stolen money to Australia , turning Australia into the “Cayman Islands of the Pacific” as Sam Koim put it.
Current Australian anti-money laundering laws don’t compel these professionals to disclose the real owners.
Exploiting legal loopholes, professionals like accountants, lawyers, and real estate agents facilitate the acquisition of Australian properties, shielding the identities of their PNG clients.
The Unexplained Wealth Act:
The unexplained wealth act is poised to revolutionize the money laundering landscape.
When individuals like Paraka face corruption charges, the legal battle pursues dual objectives: prosecution and reclaiming illicit gains. However, PNG laws only allow for recovery of corrupt money only after the courts rule that it was indeed the proceeds of corruption. However, the money is laundered before the court hands down the decision.
The unexplained wealth act empowers authorities to confiscate unexplained wealth without establishing its criminal origins, a game-changer. Regrettably, despite being passed, this crucial law awaits certification. So long as it’s not certified, the law cannot be used.
Let’s mobilize. Tag your local MP, urging them to champion the certification of the Unexplained Wealth Act.
The first time I took a banana boat ride out to open sea was from Kavieng to New Hanover. It was the scariest day of my life. There were about six of us including the skipper with only one life jacket on board. All of the passengers were from coastal provinces so naturally I assumed that the life jacket was intended for me as the only highlander on board. . It was a fine sunny day so I encouraged myself..You are seeing the world brother, before your kick the bucket…but I did not want to kick the bucket while heading out to see the world. I told myself that I could be among only a handful of highlanders or could even be the first to go to New Hanover from Kavieng. For my tribe, Yamka, I was absolutely certain that I was the first. There will be stories to tell why worry, I encouraged myself. . I tried to pump myself up. Usually pumping up worked with me, but not this time. Non of the pumping worked. The more pumping had the complete opposite effect. The fear and dread was overwhelming. . I could never have gone but the invitation had been given by the then Provincial Administrator of New Ireland Province so sink or swim after much self encouragement, that didn’t work, I took the plunge because the success of my work there in New Ireland depended on the Administrator. . On the boat I sat next to a Morobean, my friend and co-worker and the life jacket was at our feet on the boat’s floor. I moved the life jacket closer to myself with one of my feet. The Morobean noticed and said,” K** yu lusim display samting stap long namel.” I was still shaking inside so I said,”Hul yu, yu highlands or mi highlands.” His reply was a sad,” Mipla olgeta Morobe ino gat sol wara. Mi blo Pindiu ya na em wan kain olsem ples blo yu. Lusim samting ya stap namel na husait i laki bai win.” I told him not to joke and that this was not a winning or losing game, it was life or death. He looked at me seriously and said he was not playing around either, he was dead serious. . His words made me realise a long held perception that all coastal people were good swimmers, was not true at all. So that made two of us. I had some comfort knowing that I was not going to die alone. But whatever it took, the life jacket was mine by default as the only highlander on board and no Morobe from Pindiu, Heaven or wherever was going to take it. If something happened and we competed for the jacket, he was a small sized man, I was going to knock him out with half a punch, before the sharks got him. . The plan was, after I was rescued with the help of the life jacket, I would have said,” Sore mi traim best long savim em but shark kisim em.” It would have been the perfect cover. . Anyways, as we set out, the sea was all calm and I was growing in confidence by the minute. I recalled the many songs I hear on the radio about…sol wara slip sore…and actually laughed because the sea was indeed calm. What was all these fear and shaking about? . I didn’t realise that the closer the sea is to land, the shallowness calms the sea. . As we hit open sea, my confidence immediately melted. The bloody sea that appeared calm from a distance was not calm at all. The waves looked like small mountains dwarfing the little boat and looked like they were going to fall down on us. Bloody hell, why did I come? Fuck the work and the Administrator. Hell, it was not my private business but public service work. Who the hell wanted to die for the public. I should have stayed in the comfort of the hotel and let the Morobean and other coastals take the risk. . I thought of our big fat juicy over paid and under worked MPs who were relaxing away with all the perks, privileges and money whilst little struggling public servants like myself risked life in the name of serving the country. I wished they were here in my place right now to face this. . The skipper was truly a master. He maneuvered the giant waves in such a way that nothing fell on us. One guide was pointing to some islands and explaining…this is Limus, Governor Ian Ling Starkey’s island…This is an island where only birds live, no human is allowed there…This is the direction to Mussau…I listened and smiled occasionally but my “mong ting” that’s Melpa for side eyes, was always on the life jacket. . My Morobean later related to me that he had done the exact same thing. His side eyes were always on the life jacket too. I told him that he was a small man and I was going to knock him out for the jacket. He told me he knew that and was going for a timber that was used as a cross on either sides of the boat to knock me unconscious for the life jacket. I saw the timber and got angry with the Morobean because it was made of kwila and it should have finished me off and not given me a fighting chance with a mere unconscious knock. So much for being friends! . After hours of sitting on the edge and contemplating murder. We finally arrived on a group or rather string of islands separate by passages in between, about five or six such islands. The last of which was our destination. The village there is called Tsoilick. . The fear had made me oblivious to the sheer beauty of the place. It is truly paradise. The places and beaches I see on magazines of Fiji or any other place was not comparable to this. . It’s just natural and just there beckoning for visitors. I saw white sandy beaches stretching for miles. The sea breaking two three kilometres away and the water and white sandy beach coming right up to the shore. I soon forgot the fear. I even told the Morobean he can keep the life jacket on our return trip. I’d rather die here and let my spirit roam freely than in the highlands where trespassing is a big offence. . We stayed at the Administrator’s own guest house built right on the shore. You could just walk down the stairs onto the white sandy beach into the sea which was chest high during low tides. How I wished never to return back to Port Moresby, where I knew now was contaminated and so so unnatural.
From Tsoilick to the main island of New Hanover was only 30 minutes or so, so I took the ride there at night just to set foot on New Hanover as if it was a Neil Amstrong type visit to the moon. Set foot I did, may be the first Yamka to do so, but not first highlander because I was told that two or three were married there and were permanent residents there. “Ples blo ok nogat meri o”, so I thought. . Looking back now, I’d say that if there was a bikini wearing one such as seen in photos in tourism magazines,…sori tumas, Yamka would never have returned. I would have started a new Yamka tribe in New Hanover. . When I hear songs that refer to the sea as, ” sol wara slip sore”, I am quick to exclaim that that is bull shit and very misleading. From the shore it will look calm and serene but it is not. The waves are like mountains popping up every seconds and the valley so deep making the boat and the passengers look like ants. It is so scary. . The Morobean and I worked together for about seven years and is still a close friend of mine today. One time he took me to Pindiu, but that is another story. . Please if you get the chance, visit Tsoilick Island next to the main island of New Hanover. There is a beautiful guest house there at almost next to nothing and I tell you, you wouldn’t want to ever return, but it will be much better if your baggage included a bikini. . CHEERS!
After Academia Nomad followers voted for New Ireland as the place to visit, being doing research on it, and came across this funny story by Wilson Punim shared by a page called “A tap into my imagination”.
Academia Nomad 