Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698054902980.pdf (Papua New Guinea)
SECOND DAY ________________________ Wednesday 1 June 2016 DRAFT HANSARD _______________________ Subject: Page No: CONDOLENCE MOTION – DEATH OF THE GOVERNOR OF HELA PROVINCE – LATE HONOURABLE ANDERSON AGIRU ............................................ 1 QUESTIONS .......................................................................................................................... 12 Lae Roads............................................................................................................................. 13 Supplementary Questions ....................................................................................... 15 Absenteeism of Officers .................................................................................................... 16 Supplementary Question .................................................................................................... 18 Responsibilities of the Works Department ...................................................................... 18 Monitoring of our Border .................................................................................................. 19 Supplementary Question ......................................................................................... 21 Border Intrusions ................................................................................................................ 21 Dona-Kerowagi Road ......................................................................................................... 24 Sinking of MV Rabaul Queen ........................................................................................... 25 Public Funds for Fly-River Provincial Government ...................................................... 27 MOTION BY LEAVE ........................................................................................................... 28 SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS – RE-ARRANGEMNT OF BUSINESS .................................................................................. 29 DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL PLANNING AND MONITORING – NATIONAL GOVERNMENT CRITICAL ACTIVITY – MATRIX REPORT, JUNE 2015 – PAPER AND STATEMENT - PAPER NOTED ..................................................................................................................... 29 ADJOURNMENT .................................................................................................................. 48 SECOND DAY Wednesday 1 June 2016 The Deputy Speaker (Mr Aide Ganasi) took the Chair at 10.00 a.m..
There being no quorum present, Mr Deputy Speaker stated that he would resume the Chair after the ringing of the Bells.

Sitting suspended.

The Speaker (Mr Theodore Zurenuoc) took the Chair at 11.00 a.m., and invited the Member for Abau, Honourable Sir Puka Temu to say Prayers: ‘Oh God, our Father, our creator and the ruler of this world and this country, our people, our country and our Parliament belongs to you.
Grant that we the Members of this Parliament may fulfil our office with honesty and integrity May your first concern be for the good of all our people.

Guide our deliberations this day, bless our decisions so that your divine design for our beloved country may be realised through us.
Amen.’ CONDOLENCE MOTION – DEATH OF THE GOVERNOR OF HELA PROVINCE – LATE HONOURABLE ANDERSON AGIRU Mr JAMES MARAPE (Tari-Pori –Minister for Finance) – I move – That this Parliament expresses its deep regrets on the April 28, 2016 of Mr Anderson Agiru MP and Governor for Hela Province and places on record its appreciation for his meritorious public service and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.
He was first elected to the Sixth National Parliament in the 1997 General Elections for the Southern Highlands Provincial Seat and was Governor from 1997 to 2002.

He was appointed Member of the Provincial Government Suspensions Committee from 1997 to 1998.

He was dismissed as Member of Parliament by the Leadership Tribunal in January 2002.
He was then re-elected to the Eight Parliament in 2007 General Elections for the same seat and appointed Deputy Chairman on the Parliament Referral Committee on Minerals and Energy 1 in 2007.

He was re-elected again to the Ninth National Parliament for Hela Provincial Seat in the 2012 General Elections and on record, he became the first Governor of the new Hela Province.

He was appointed a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee and Parliamentary Referral Committee on Discipline.
Mr Speaker, at this juncture, speaking as the Member for Tari, I place on record, my heartfelt appreciation to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Ministers of State, the Opposition Leader, Speaker of the Parliament, every Members of Parliament and citizens of this country who paid respect to the late Mr Anderson Agrium who all of us know was a strong Leader of our country and today as I speak, he is lying in rest in his village of Dauli in Hela province.
The amount of support and sympathy the nation showed towards the family and the Hela Province people in general is something that we will forever treasure.

It is gesture befitting of a leader who has given his life to the course of this country.

More especially, we will all remember him for his strong signature and his strong leaderships in stitching together what we now know of as PNG LNG Project.
02/02 Mr Speaker, recalling back, as a close friend and I worked with him since 1991 when he contested his first election.

He saw from a far off PNG LNG Project, when many of us did back then.

Mr Speaker, around 1997 to 1998 when negotiations were underway for gas to be piped from PNG to Queensland (Australia), he championed the processing part of the gas in country and made sure that the project came to realisation.

He also negotiated for PNG base refinery and a processing plant.
And today, the leader is lying in rest and I take this time to present his story to this Parliament.

The Prime Minister passed his condolence messages to be presented in Parliament because he is chairing the ACP Leaders Meeting.

The Honourable Anderson Agiru is lying in rest in his village, Dauli.

Mr DON POLYE (Kandep - Leader of the Opposition) – I second the motion.
2 Mr Speaker, let me congratulate other leaders who are here especially, the Member for Samarai-Murua for being re-elected as the Member for his electorate.

I congratulate him on behalf of the Opposition and the people of Kandep.

I also congratulate the Member for Sinasina-Yonggamugl, Honourable Kerenga Kua, who is also newly elected as the leader of the National Party.

It’s one of those very historic traditional party in this country.

I commend you and I welcome the leader to the Opposition.
Mr Speaker, the late Honourable Anderson Agiru is no ordinary leader.

Yes, every leader is extraordinary but the late Anderson Agiru was uniquely extraordinary.

I say this because Mr Speaker, he was on a mission since he got elected and during his term as member of this honourable Parliament, he was on a pathway to fulfil a traditional Hela prophecy.

We have many prophecies and the Holy Bible has prophecies too.
There are other prophecies in our traditional societies throughout PNG with over 862 cultural diversity.

But here is a special prophecy that he was on that mission to fulfil.

And that prophecy that would benefit not just the Hela people if embraced and materialised in the proper way but it would also benefit the rest of Papua New Guineans.

And that is based on a Hela legend which has now become the PNG legend.
Mr Speaker, that legend is in the Hela Dauli dialogue called a ‘Gigira Laitapo’ the Gigira Laitapo legend or prophecy is to do with two things.

First is an everlasting burning fire, burning out of a wood that does not go out but gives the fire and warmth all the time.

This reminds me of an idiom, traditionally you don’t look at the sun and put the fire out in receiving the sun.
03/02 The sun can only provide its light and heat during the day but the fire can burn giving you warmth even throughout twenty-four hours of a day.

Therefore, the Gigira Laitapo talks about that fire that gives you that warmth, heat and helps you all throughout Hela and this country.

That is the first part of the lesson, which is a prophecy.

Mr Speaker, the second part of it is, the one that talks about – if somebody wants to come and share the fire that you have or envies.
You do not give that everlasting fire that is burning that wood out but you only give them the light so that the light can shine and benefit others.

The Late Honourable Anderson Agiru had a mission to fulfil this prophecy and I am happy here to stand and say, although he is dead and gone like all of us will by following 3 down lifes’s track, we have got to inspire that he has started to ignite, burn and kick start this fire.
And it is not just for our benefit but whether we benefit or not, the fact is that, under the leadership of this great man, we have seen this, Gigira Laitapo Prophecy a lesson that has come to be true.

Mr Speaker, I know many of the leaders are wondering what I, the Leader of the Opposition is talking about.

Therefore, let me articulate a little bit more in detail and this will not take too much time.

The LNG Project is the light that warms the fire.


The Late Honourable Anderson Agiru under the Somare led Government then took the lead with the Somare Government together with some of the leaders on this side and that side.

We all worked together but he took the drive and the lead.

He had a dream and he wanted to do everything under the sun to make sure that the LNG Project materialised under very difficult circumstances.

Mr Speaker, I know that there has been some criticisms and yes.
They are acceptable but there have also been good things that have come out of the project as well.

This was a challenging first project of Papua New Guinea but this man, the Late Honourable Anderson Agiru is a unique and extraordinary leader and he brought about the realisation of the Gigira Laitapo Lesson Prophecy.
But to remember this great man and other leaders who have also passed on is to try to analyse and digest what it literally stand for and what was the benefit that they wanted to derive out of their conduct of leadership and what they were portraying.

We can bury our dead leaders and all of us will go down that same road but most important thing that I think we should look at is the values that we can derive out their deaths.
If the Late Honourable Anderson Agiru started this project then what was his dreams and what did he want us to see.

Therefore, I think the government should put some agreements, projects and programmes in place so that, if we are to keep that fire burning in Papua New Guinea from Hela and not give that fire out.

That means that we must benefit ourselves fully.


We cannot give the benefit out because the prophecy also says that, if you allow the maximum benefits to go out of the country and out of Hela then there is curse also.

And of course in the modern world we call that the resource scarce and this is not a new thing.

A traditional society prophesised only what we now see in modern life today.
Mr Speaker, so, this fire that is burning there keeping us warm forever must be maintained and retained by Papua New Guineans.

It must be owned and benefitted by Papua New Guineans.

It must be enjoyed by us Helas but also Papua New Guineans.

We can shine 4 that light, we can give the gas out so that they can light up Japan, China, Korea, Australia and many other parts of the world.

Nevertheless, the fire must always be kept within us.
In other words that fire is the maximum benefit that comes down to Papua New Guineans for our enjoyment.

We cannot belittle that.

We know the significance of our projects.

In other words, I am talking about our national quantities.

04/02 He wrote the significance of our project because our local content is very important and that is what the late Anderson Agiru stood for.
I think the best way to remember uniquely honorary leaders like him is to make sure that we increase and multiply our national and local content out of the LNG project.

Before I sit down, let me say; have we delivered the UBSA project?

Have we delivered the LBSA project?

What about the MOA project?

Have we delivered that also?

Did we fairly distribute the IDGs to our people?

Where are the business grants?

Are we really maximising the State’s 19.5 percent equity share benefits?
Is it equally distributed to all Papua New Guineans?

Mr Speaker, are we also benefiting from the revenue from the LNG projects on Papua New Guinea soil?

These are the questions that we should be asking to remember the passing of our late brother Member.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Mr WILLIAM POWI (Southern Highlands) – On behalf of the people of Southern Highlands and Hela I would like to thank the Government of Papua New Guinea, various government agencies including Office of the Prime Minister and Office of the Speaker who came to farewell our leader and brother late Anderson Agiru.

I also thank the people of Papua New Guinea for their respect and condolences, and for their contributions in kind during this time.
Thank you to those who joined the people of Southern Highlands and Hela.

At that time we also showcased the achievements of our late Leader and Governor who set the benchmark for development.

He set targets for development and liberated Southern Highlands and Hela from poverty, darkness and bondage.

He was the champion not only to bring the LNG projects that 5 realises the benefits of our country for today and future but for this country in the way in which he had the vision and the dreams.
I personally worked with him in my capacity as the Administrator for five years, I learnt from this great man what leaders this country should have.

His dreams and visions were not only for our own districts in the province but for the country as a whole.

Leaders are called to set the benchmark and the vision.

Some of these things may happen or not but we are leaders and we are supposed to set the benchmark.

It’s the way of life for our people to live, and I learnt that from him.
I also want to acknowledge the people of Hela and Southern Highlands for the level of respect shown to the Governor for Hela on his passing 05/02 .

The nation mourned for our leader peacefully and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Members and the Ministers that accompanied the body to Hela; special thanks should go to the Chair for representing the Independent State of Papua New Guinea to hand over the body of the late Governor to the people of Hela.
I stand here to echo the late Governor’s dream that from our resources, the people of Hela and Southern highlands looked towards setting the benchmark.

A way forward for Papua New Guinea and on behalf of the two Provincial Governments, I say thank you for what our leader has provided.

We have a lot of dreams that remain unfulfilled but nonetheless we thank the people Papua New Guinea for giving us the support and the comfort we needed during our loss.
Mr WILLIAM DUMA (Hagen – Minister for Public Enterprise and State Investment) – I would like to join my colleagues in paying tribute to the Late Governor for Hela Province, Anderson Agiru.

I first met him when he had just been suspended by the Leadership Tribunal and being one of the founding Members of the United Resources Party which I lead and at that time he was the president of the party from 2002-2007.

And due to his position as the president I happened to meet him every day.
I believe I am one of the few privilege ones to have known a leader who comes around once in a lifetime.

Mr Speaker, he was a true son for Hela.

I personally vouch for him through daily communications with him.

He was also a senior and founding member of the party that I lead and he was one of those involved in making this party what it is today.
6 From the 2002-2007 when I was the Minister for Petroleum and Energy and the Government led by the Grand Chief Sir Michael, I was fortunate that we had passionate people in the late Anderson Agiru and Peter Ipatas who committed their support to see the LNG project become what it is today.
The late Governor was a true son of Hela who believed in the legend of Gigira Laitepo and he was a man who was brought up in the Huli way and at the same time was expected by the Government to deliver the much talked about LNG project.

Mr Speaker, this was a delicate balancing act and I pay tribute to a very rare leader who was able to balance his duty as a national leader and at the same time perform as a leader for the people of Southern Highlands and the people of Hela.
There will never be another PNG LNG project and we only have one there.

Anything that comes will follow what was already set up and not many people were familiar with the business of LNG and oil.

He was one leader who was knowledgeable in these areas.

I can also say that when the present Oil and Gas Act was framed in 1998, the late Governor together with the then Minister Arthur Somare pushed for the act to be passed in Parliament.
Mr Speaker, this was a leader who contributed immensely to the development of oil and gas in the country and the creation of Hela Province.

06/02 And that is why, Mr Speaker, having known him for a long time I can truly say that he is one of those leaders who come around once in a lifetime.

And all of us here, in one way or another, have benefitted from this great man by learning from him.
As I said, Mr Speaker, no one knows everything, he was one of those I also learned from and I am sure most of us learned from him in our own little ways and his unfortunate passing has left a big gap in national politics as well as leadership from the Hela Province.
But, as they say, there will always be one who will rise up but I really take this opportunity to express my feelings and express my thanks to God for helping this country produce a great leader and I pay tribute to everything that he has done for this country.

Mr RICHARD MARU (Yangoru Saussia – Trade, Commerce and Industry) – Thank you My Speaker.

I too would like to pay, on behalf of the people of Yangoru-Saussia and East Sepik, tribute to the late former governor.
7 Mr Speaker, in 2013 I had the privilege to go and spend three days with him in Hela before the first gas left this country where I saw the state of Southern Highlands Province and Hela Province prior to the gas leaving this country.

Mr Speaker, I was shocked that there were no sealed roads in Tari, Komo and other areas and even worse, gas from that province was taken to Enga when it should have been used to fire its own province.
I was absolutely shocked by the state of play in terms of infrastructure and services to the very people that God provided the gas to.

I had the opportunity to sit down with our late outstanding leader and these are some of the things he told me which I wish to share in Parliament today.

He said, in the 50s, the Sepiks, Southern Highlanders, Hela people and Simbus basically formed the core of the heap labour of this country and roamed the plantations to do so and they must one day return home.
And one of his dreams when he became leader of Hela was to push the LNG Project in order to build a robust economy in Hela to make sure there was essential infrastructure so that the Hela people can return to their province and have a province they can be proud off.

Mr Speaker, while he is now lying and waiting for the Lord to come again the least we can do as Parliament and government is to start honouring all the commitments we’ve made to the people of Hela and Southern Highlands provinces.
I want to place on record, I was extremely happy after my visit that this government is building the Gulf to Southern Highlands Highway.

We are absolutely committed and it will be named after him.

I want to state on record my appreciation to members of Cabinet through the Prime Minister for honouring this great man.

I was happy to be part of Cabinet when we approved the sealing of the road from Komo to Tari and opened up that airport.
We supported the new Hela Hydro Project and many other projects that are coming.

As one of his brothers, I want to assure the people of Hela and Southern Highlands in Parliament this morning that ministers like I stand ready to support projects in the Hela and Southern Highlands provinces to finally give them some dignity for what they have missed out over the years.
Our people must not remain in settlements in Port Moresby but rather they must be provided opportunities in their homes and this was one of his foremost dreams, to build an economy.

8 Before his death he said, one thing is for sure, the future of Hela is not in the LNG Project.

In his own words, it is on the land.

He brought our Israeli friends up there and he started a massive agriculture project in the Hela Province.
I want to say to the new leaders of Hela and to the Governor of Southern Highlands, Anderson left us with one parting word; the future of that province is in the land.

And it is my hope that we will look at the major agriculture investment projects within the greater Hela region and Southern Highlands to transform that economy so we can bring back thousands of our people who are scattered throughout our cities and settlements.
I want to concluded by saying, Mr Speaker, the greatest lesson we can learn from Bougainville is to see resources being used to only benefit the nation and not the people where the resources are found in.

It is their God given right and blessing and I think as a country, I want to say this, I think we can only remember our late brother by making sure that the infrastructure and developments he wanted for Hela must happen in our lifetime.
07/02 I want to give my commitment to the people of Hela, to his family and his tribal that many of us who live today are committed to remember him by making sure that the project he started and his dreams are realised in our life time, and we will do whatever it takes to honour the late leader.

Thank you Mr Speaker.

Mr PHILIP UNDIALO (Koroba-Lake Kopiago) – Thank you Mr Speaker, I stand here in my capacity as a Chairman of the organising committee of the funeral arrangement.
First of all, I take this time to thank the Prime Minister and all the State Ministers, all the State agencies, Opposition Leader at that time, honourable Sam Basil and everyone that took part in contributing over the last 26 days of mourning for our leader.

Without the support from the corporate sectors to the Members of Parliament from the Government and Opposition alike, it would not be successfully story.
And let me on behalf of the Provincial Governments of Hela and Southern Highlands and immediate family members, commend everyone and thank you for being together with us during our time of mourning.
Let me also take this time to say that at the passing of the great leader, Governor Anderson Agiru left behind a lot of dreams and aspirations and one of his legacy project was in fact the PNG LNG Project which has many 9 comments are on the print media and even today, I heard many good comments from honourable leaders here.

Honourable Anderson Agiru had a vision for the nation and not only for Hela and Southern Highlands Provinces but for this nation to deliver this mega project.
One lesson we have learnt was when leaders are alive, we hear all their negative criticisms all time but when somebody passes on, we hear all the good stories which reminds of the challenges and it is also a reminder to all of us, leaders.

Let us talk about Papua New Guinea and be positive and confident about ourselves as leaders.

When Governor Agiru was alive, he was the most criticised person because he handled very prophetic curse and he died a very struggling Governor.
A lot of projects that the Governor Agiru intended to implement including the Gulf-Southern Highlands Highway, I thank the Prime Minister for his commitment to fund the project and name it after Governor Anderson Agiru.

I also thank the Cabinet Ministers and the Government for approving some of the big projects like sealing of the roads from Mendi to Tari, from Tari to Lake-Kopiago and then to Komo.
I believe all these projects have NEC approval and Governor Agiru would always want to travel on a sealed road and I think we are on the next stage to get his dreams realised.

One other dreams he had was giving the title back to the landowners and which was 4.27 per cent equity and I think the submission is before NEC today.
The Treasury is aware of the submission and I would like to call on the Cabinet members if we can facilitate it and allow the landowners to get what is rightfully theirs maybe at a discounted price because of the factors like oil prices being downgraded.

The price at the time was really high so I call on the Government to reconsider the pricing because the due date is on the 31 of June 2016.

I appeal to the Cabinet Ministers and the Government of day to reconsider that.
On the same line, the Governor Agiru had a dream to establish a company to manage separate funds for the landowners and the two provincial governments.

We as leaders from the two provincial governments should stand together and make sure that his dreams are realised.

Once again, let me commend the Government, people of Papua New Guinea, the leaders for standing together to making it a success.
08/02 The people of Hela and Southern Highlands have put aside their differences and stood together as one to mourn the great leader that we lost.

Where ever you maybe let me proclaim 10 to you the people of Hela and Southern Highlands to focus on unity and prosperity for our people and we are ready to face the challenges ahead.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Mr ATI WOBIRO (Western) – I stand here to also contribute to the discussion on the late Governor Anderson Agiru who is probably the only party member of the People’s United Assembly Party which he formed.

I have been very privileged to have spent the last four and half years with this great man.

I came here as a first time politician and I found my footing in politics in this Parliament because of this great man.
As a party he has left us a very big shoe to wear but with God’s help we will try to continue to live his dreams and visions for this country.

On behalf of the party let me also thank the Prime Minister, the Ministers especially the politicians from the Southern Highlands and Hela provinces.

I myself travelled with the body of the late governor to Mendi and I was very pleased and greatly honoured to be amongst our people who received the body of our late leader.
He was not just a leader of Southern Highlands and Hela provinces but a leader for the whole country.

My own people in the Western province respected this man and had considered him to be a leader of the nation.

I think the greatest legacy that the late Agiru has left behind is not about PNG LNG but his life style and his way of conducting himself as a national leader.

I think we all have the opportunity to learn from this great man.
In our own time in our private discussions and even here on the Floor of Parliament, I have never heard this great leader call names or criticize other leaders.

When we all gathered in Alotau to form the government, it was our understanding then that any party that brought in at least five members to the government coalition would be entitled to one ministry.

Even though we brought in four members to the coalition to form the government, we were not allocated a ministry.
I asked the late Governor whether he should take that up with the Prime Minister and his advice to me was ministry is not everything.

As long as we are in government, we will try and influence government through relationships that we build with the Prime Minister and the ministers to focus on the way we want this country to travel.
11 Looking back I can see what this great man meant and even though as a partner of the coalition of the government who have not be appointed any ministry or chairmanships of committees, we felt that it was the right place to be in.

The late Governor Agiru was a godly man.

In every discussion and meetings that we had we always opened with a word of prayer.
09/02 because of the belief of our late leader and he felt that this country and this Government was formed by God and therefore, each one of us have to find our rightful place, whether it be in Government Ministries, Back Benchers or in Opposition, we all have to have a big picture.
I am very thankful personally that I have come across this great man in the last four years and I hope that all of us can try and work together and build relationships and see the big picture God has brought us into this Honourable Parliament to make a difference of our people and that is the most powerful message which I believe the Late Anderson Agiru has left us with to change this Nation for God.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.


Motion – That the Condolence motion moved by the Leader of Government Business be agreed to – agreed to.

Mr SPEAKER – As a mark of respect in the memory of the late honourable gentleman, I invite all honourable Members to rise in their places.

All honourable Members stood in their places as a mark of respect to the memory of the late gentleman.

Mr SPEAKER – I thank the Parliament QUESTIONS Mr KELLY NARU – Thank you, Mr Speaker.
My questions are directed to the Minister for Works Department.

12 Before I ask my questions, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Government through the Minister for Works, for the cooperation and assistance that the Government has put in to basically change the face of Lae City and Morobe Province as a whole in terms of infrastructure developments and more specifically the road network in Lae City and the outer laying areas; particularly, the Highlands Highway up to Nadzab.
I thank the Government for that.

We have also done our part in doing what we can to change our beautiful city in terms of the road network.

We have upgraded a lot of the roads in the city some of which include the cementing and sealing of the Fourth Street road going into our premier Lae International Hotel.

Now, when you drive to Lae International Hotel, they have good roads and there is no more dirt road.

Also at West Taraka, highly notorious for its port holes is now being sealed.
10/02 We are also contributing to sealing Malahang to the new Wagahang Fish Wharf that is to be developed jointly in cooperation with the NFA and I want to thank the National Government for the continued cooperation in that regard.

It is this kind of spirit of cooperation – Mr SPEAKER – Honourable Governor, the Chair will interrupt you.

We have 45 minutes of Question Time, and you are talking up a lot of Question Time through your statements.
Lae Roads Mr KELLY NARU – Thankyou Honourable Speaker, I will ask my questions.

My first question is in relation to the road that is now nearing completion, the four lane highway to Nadzab.

That road has been contracted to a Chinese company and they are now almost completing that section from Bugandi turnoff to Wau-Bulolo turnoff.

There has been a lot of misinformation about the total cost of that road.
(1) Can the Minister inform this honourable Parliament and the people of Morobe on the actual cost of the contract that was awarded to the Chinese company for that road?

This road is now nearing completion and I am informed that the contractor has not been paid and there are outstanding payments to be done to the contractor.

If so; (2) Can the Honourable Minister inform Parliament on how much is yet to be paid and how much is outstanding to enable this contractor to complete that portion of the road?
13 There is a stage two of that protract that will continue from the Bulolo-Wau turnoff to Nadzab.

(3) Can the Minister confirm whether the documentation for that project is being let and if so, how soon can we see the contractor on that stage two, part of that road?

There’s a very important economic road link from the power station in Lae to the main wharf, called Milfordhaven road.
My understanding is, a contract has been awarded on that part of the road which serves a lot of business houses right down to the wharf.

(4) Can the Minister inform the Parliament if that process been completed and how much has been awarded for that part of the road and if that has been awarded, which company has been awarded that contract and how soon can they start on that road?
As for the road from University of Technology to Bumayong, I understand a tender has been let for that section of the road and a contractor has been selected.

(5) What is the amount that has been earmarked for that piece of road and who is the contractor that will embark on that road project and how soon can we see this project get off the ground?

Otherwise thank you for helping the people of Morobe province and may your response put our people at ease.

Thankyou Mr Speaker.


Mr FRANCIS AWESA – Thankyou Mr Speaker, and I thank the honourable Governor, Kelly Naru for these important questions.

I will answer the last question first in relation to the University of Technology to Bumayong road.

The answer is that, that section of the road is the only one apart from the Milford Heaven Road.
11/02 In relation to question five these two roads are very important roads and costings have been done but no contracts have been awarded to any contractors as yet for both Milford Heaven and Unitech to Bumayong road.

Once those are done, by then all the roads in Lae would have been completed all concrete 45 kilometres of it.

When we started three years ago he was always supportive because Lae City road was once called porthole city but now it turned into concrete city.
And I know the Governor is doing fine and he will succeed in his next election.

14 So Milford Heaven Road is very important because of the access to the new main wharf, which is always busy at all times and we intend to award the contracts shortly for the rest of the remaining roads.

Question three, in relation to the second stage of the road from Bumayong to Nadzab, documentations have been done but contracts have not been awarded and therefore, I don’t know the cost.
But I want to advice you that no preferences of contracts will be awarded to anybody.

Everything will be based on prices and competitive bidding from that section.

Question two in relation to contracts not paid in full to that contractor for the first nine kilometres, it is true that we have not been up to date because of the case flow situation that we are facing right now.
Some K30 million has been paid three months ago to catch up on the outstanding amount that will keep them going but I want to advice that once funds become available, we will pay the amount in full so that they complete that section of the road.

I am happy to report also that it’s progressing very well and as to the full price I will have to come back to you on that one because right now I am not prepared to give you an exact price on the first nine kilometres.
Because a lot of money has been paid for improvements along the way including relocations of power poles and properties so all these prices will accumulate.

So once, I know the prices I will advise in writing to the honourable Governor and also whoever is interested in it.

Question one in relation to nine kilometres, I think I have answered that as to the cost but I will give a full cost of that in writing.

That will include all improvement payment as well as a four lane road.
I think I have answered all the six questions accordingly but if there is any other questions then I am willing to discuss with you after the session.

But meantime I will reply in writing to confirm all the answers.

Supplementary Questions Mr JOHN SIMON – Mr Speaker, one thing I don’t understand about Works Department is that a lot of Works Department sub-branches throughout the districts and provinces.
15 Mr SPEAKER – Honourable Member, it is a new question and not a supplementary question related to the previous question.

Mr JOHN SIMON – Can I ask the new question?

Mr SPEAKER – It’s a new question then you can ask.

Absenteeism of Officers Mr JOHN SIMON - Thank you, I want to direct my question to the Minister for Works.

Minister a lot of sub-braches of Works Department in districts and provinces are not functioning well.

One example is in my district in Maprik.


Three months ago 12/02 I had to try to fix the main road myself and I requested the Works Department engineers in the district if they could come and supervise.

The engineers then told me that there was no money for maintenance and they could not help.

Mr Speaker, the Sepik Highway from Wewak all the way to Nuku and Lumi, the sealed road has now become a one lane road because the bush is growing onto the middle of the road which can also cause accidents.
The Sepik Highway is a national road and not a feeder road or provincial road.

Mr Minister, my question is a short one.

Therefore, when will you allocate at least maintenance funding?

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure.

If we do not have maintenance funds now to maintain some of these national roads, we are going to spend millions of kina when these roads eventually deteriorate.
Therefore, at least we spend a little a bit of money now to maintain this road then spending millions of kina later.

If I get in an accident on this road between Wewak and Maprik road, I am taking you to the courts because the road is getting narrower and I have difficulty driving down.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr FRANCIS AWESA – Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for Maprik for his important question.

The first part of the question I will answer this way.
Regarding officers who are not at the office and do not cooperate with Members and whoever else, I will speak to the secretary for Works Department and get all his people 16 working.

As for the second part of the question, yes, we have maintenance funds but like everybody else, we have a serious cash flow problem.

With that, this has been said many times before and that our budget is framed on K110 per barrel on the LNG.

This has now gone down to K39.40 and coming back up to K45 per barrel.
Mr William Samb – Point of Order!

The government in its wisdom, set up the National Road’s Authority which looks after maintenance of national roads here.

Mr Speaker – Honourable Member, the Minister is answering a question but you are entering into a debate.

Therefore, that is not allowed under the Standing Orders.

You should debate it during grievance debate.

Minister, you may continue.

Mr FRANCIS AWESA – Thank you, Mr Speaker.


To answer the Honourable Member’s question, I think this situation with cash flow is a problem faced by many countries around the world and we are no exception.

And I think for people to ask questions like these, I believe that this is an issue that every one of us here should be aware of, for it is a reality.

One time before in the past – Mr John Simon – Point of Order!
Minister, I want to offer a clarification on the situation while based on that cash flow situation.

I think that this is the best time in the country when we have a lot of money and I have seen in the past that spending is not controlled.

This is the same for all the departments as well.

There are so many unnecessary spending but I think the country still has money and the Treasurer and Finance Minister will confirm this this.
I believe this is the best time for us to exercise how to control our money and that is why I would like the Minister to say there is funding.

Therefore, you must allocate funding and rather than debating on the issue.

Mr SPEAKER – I’ll make a statement in passing Honourable Member.

You are also entering into a debate here.

Therefore, allow the Minister to answer the question.

17 Mr FRANCIS AWESA – The reality is that, simply I do not have the money.
At one time in the past the Works Department was the saviour of everybody’s problems in the rural areas and roads maintenance – 13/02 The Department of Works had the money and were up there working on it but the reality now is that we do not have the money.

If you want me to find the money somewhere, I am telling you that I cannot find it unless you can advise me where to find the money.
Supplementary Question Responsibilities of the Works Department Mr JOE SUNGI – Thank you Mr Speaker, my question is regarding the responsibility of the Department of Works.

The Sepik highway is the national highway like the Highlands highway.

It is supposed to be the responsibility of the national works department to maintain.

That is why the money should be locked in the budget.
But what we are seeing now is that the Department of Works is diverting the core responsibilities of national works and going down to the LLGs to do their roads.

It is supposed to be concentrating and maintaining the national highways instead of attending to a road in the district.

Can the Minister clarify the role of the Department of Works and the road boundaries?

Mr FRANCIS AWESA – I thank the Honourable Member for his important question.

For the first time in many years.


We’ve got the road agenda right in terms of district roads, provincial roads, national highways and city roads.

You can see it for yourself when you travel around.

You do not have to ask me where the boundaries are.

If you go back last 15 years you will see what I mean because we now have the road agenda right in terms of road infrastructure.

You can see that in your district roads through your DSIP and PSIP funds.
18 The Provisional roads and the national highways can also be seen.

The city roads like Lae – Mr Joe Sungi - Point of Order!

I was not referring to his roles, I am referring to Department of Works and its Ministry.

We know that Sepik highway is maintained by the Department of Works.

The Department of Works will not do any work in Nuku because I have already done that because I am responsible for it.
I just wanted him to tell me whether his Department are responsible for maintain the Sepik Highway or not.

Thank you.

Mr FRANCIS AWESA – Thank you Mr Speaker and thank you Honourable Member.

In terms of the national highways, the highlands highway, the Sepik highway, and the Buluminsky Highway, all these roads are catered for equally.

We are not spending money on selected highways.

You can check with the Treasury or the Finance Minister.

Why do you have to ask me?


Mr SPEAKER – Minister, can you address the Chair.

Thank you.

Monitoring of our Border Mr GARRY JUFFA – I direct my question to the Minister for Defence.

Papua New Guinea share a 760km border with Indonesia.

In the years gone by there were plans to build posts along the 760km border and guard posts to protect the national interest of our country but that has not transpired.

Meanwhile Indonesia has moved almost 45 thousand military troops into Wamena in West Papua.
Most recently they continue to build up military presence in that Province should confirm otherwise to Papua New Guinea.

Yet we don’t seem to have any knowledge of what is going on in there.

What is Indonesia doing?

- 14/02 My questions are; (1) Is the Minister aware of these build up?

(2) What are we doing in relation to these?

19 (3) Have we asked Indonesia what they are doing as a form of courtesy in sharing the land border?

(4) What have we done about the border posts that were to be built?
(5) What is the size of the Papua New Guinea Military presence along the border?

I understand that the military patrols that used to take place from north to south of the border no longer take place.

(6) Is there any intention to re-introduce those patrols?

Dr FABIAN POK –I thank the Governor for Oro for his questions and I want to say that we have to consider ourselves as being from a very lucky country in a sense that we have two powerful friends in Australia and Indonesia.
They are our friends because I have met with my counterparts on a number of occasions and we have a very cordial relationship.

Mr Speaker, Indonesia has a population of well over 300 million people and their internal problems include their military presence in our part of the border.

And I do not believe because they have told us that we will do joint patrols at the border.

That shows that we are working together with them on the border issues and we have had many meetings with these two countries.
The military personnel sent to the border are to control their problems in their territory as per our understanding.

This is why I say that we should not really worry about these border issues because I have talked and met with all Minsters and people concerned so many times and I know that both Indonesia and Australia are powerful friends that we have.

Mr Speaker, don’t we need to worry about the movement of their troupes as if it were a threat to our sovereignty.
We have people on the border at Wiam and Vanimo who are patrolling the border but I do not think we should worry.

As sometimes the information we are getting is either to take one as our friend and the other as not being our friend but being a Minister for Defence for the last five years, I have realised that they both are very good friends.
We should not be threatened or look at it from the build-up that it is endangering Papua New Guinea but because of the big population they have and the trans-migration of people moving from island to island and so forth.

They are trying to protect their own citizens.

20 Supplementary Question Border Intrusions Mr BELDEN NAMAH – My good friend the Defence Minister seems to be very friendly with our two strategic partners in the region.
But my concern is that while he is encouraging friendship, is he aware of many intrusions by the Indonesian military into our border threatening the sovereignty of our nation.

We must embrace the sovereignty and security of our people.

I come from the border district.

15/02 My electorate shares a common border with Indonesia.

I have had many intrusions by the Indonesian military.

What has the Defence Minister, the Prime Minister and this Parliament done about it except calling them friends?
Mr Speaker, what measures does the Defence Minister have to counter with such activities by Indonesia?

Mr FABIAN POK – I thank the honourable Member for Vanimo-Green for his questions.

You must also remember that we have over 13 million Melanesians living on the other side of the border and sometimes they cross over to our side of the border.

That is what causes the problems.

Mr Belden Namah – Point of Order!

If you are Defence Minister you should answer my question.
What actions are you going to take as a sovereign nation on someone intruding your border?

Mr SPEAKER – The point of order is in order.

Minister answer the question.

Mr FABIAN POK – I’m coming to your question, just wait.

I’m trying to give you a background since you don’t know the background even though you are from the border.

21 We have over 13 million Melanesians living on the other side of the border and sometimes they have gardening and other activities on this side of the border.
You know that you have activities on the other side of the border as well.

Mr Garry Juffa – Point of Order!

Mr SPEAKER – Allow the Minister to answer the question.

Mr Garry Juffa – Shut up!

Mr SPEAKER – Honourable Governor you have to withdraw the word shut up.

Mr Garry Juffa – I withdraw the word but this is not a laughing matter, you have to take it easy.

Mr SPEAKER – You have to address the Chair, honourable Governor what is your point of order?
Mr Garry Juffa – The Minister is not answering the question.

Minister, we are talking about military incursions.

We are not talking about traditional border crossers.

We are talking about military incursions by armed military personnel from another nation.

This is what we are talking about.

While you are being friendly, they are building troops.

Mr SPEAKER – Your point of order is in order.

Minister, please give a precise answer.

Mr FABIAN POK – I am answering the question.


Mr Garry Juffa – You are not, just answer the question.

Mr FABIA POK – Just shut up and I’ll answer the question.

Mr SPEAKER – Minister, address the Chair.

22 Mr FABIAN POK – Okay, I’ll withdraw.

I am trying to answer the question.

The fact of the matter is this.

There are 13 million Melanesians living on the other side of the border with Indonesia and they are part of Indonesia.

But they have relatives on both sides of the border.
We know there are activities going on at the border at all times where people are crossing into and out of the country at all times.

Whether they are genuine or shadowy, they use the border as if there is no border.

That is why some of these things are happening.

It is not because the Indonesian military is coming across because they want to come across, they are following people across the border.

(Mr Garry Juffa interjecting!)

Mr FABIAN POK – Can you just listen?


Mr SPEAKER – Minister, you address the Chair.

Mr FABIAN POK – Sorry Mr Speaker that is where the problem is.

Where there is an incursion, we try to investigate what the problem is and there is a lot of reports on why these things are happening.

Sometimes you must also remember that in those thick jungles there is no boundary markers.

Nobody knows where which country ends and which country begins.
There is a big no man’s land in between so you can just walk through the jungle to the other side without even knowing where you are.

Mr Belden Namah – Point of Order!

The Minister is insulting the intelligence of every soldier in the Defence Force.

They carry maps, they carry compasses to determine the boundaries.

I think the problem here, Minister is that your intelligence is a big problem.
Mr FABIAN POK – Mr Speaker, I will stop here, very shortly, but all I have to say is that Australia and Indonesia are our friends.

We must consider these people as our friends.

Our relationships must be built on cordial friendship and that is what we are trying to foster 23 while some of you are rumour-mongering and some of you are making these statements in order to suit your personal needs and situations.
16/02 Our country, Papua New Guinea is much bigger than one or two people or one or two border provinces and must maintain close relationship with the both countries that’s Australia and Indonesia.

I have mentioned these relationships so many times while talking to the Ministers, the departmental heads and commanders of both countries.

Mr Don Polye – Point of Order!

In relation to the answers to such questions, we are not politicising but raising important issues here.
When we talk about security issues, it concerns us and our neighbours and I am a bit concern here about two points the Minister made.

He tried to justify from the perception that because the same people live on the same side of the border and they move around, the soldiers on the other side come chasing after their citizens on PNG’s side.

Now that’s a wrong perception.

The second perception is, nobody knows where the border is, therefore, everybody is moving around uncontrolled and unmonitored.
Those two are dangerous statement therefore, Mr Speaker, we need to put our perspective clear in such statements; they are not laughing matters.

They are important international security issues that I think the Minister should get the two right.

Dr FABIAN POK – Mr Speaker, I will respond in writing but the point is, there’s no invasion.

Let us not provoke unnecessary issues.

Dona-Kerowagi Road Mr CAMILLUS DANGIMA – Thank you, Mr Speaker, for recognising the people of Kerowagi.
My question without notice is about the Dona-Kerowagi road.

Prime Minister promised me last time during Parliament session when I asked this question.

My question goes to the Minister for Works that; under the trench 4 funding from ADB project, they will build the Dona-Kerowagi road.

Trench 4 will end in 2018 and we have about one year left before we can procure and ensure that construction is done.

When will your Department start procuring this process to get this road started?
24 Mr FRANCIS AWESA (Imbongu – Works) – The answer to his question on trench 4 funding from the ADB project is that the funds are not available.

We don’t have the funds in the country so at the moment, we are only implementing trench 2 and trench 3.

So there is no way the Government can fast track the Dona-Kerowagi road, which is already on trench 4 program.

It is impossible.

The answer is that, there is no way ADB will be requested to move the money forward.

Mr Camillus Dungima – Point of Order!


I want to know whether this program is going to end in 2018.

I’ve got one and a half year within which to build this road but it will take longer than one and a half year to build so I need to know.

Clarify this please.

Mr FRANCIS AWESA – For all the roads under the ADB trench 4 program in the Highlands region, funds will be made available after review is done and then the next program after 2018.
The Doma-Kerowagi road remains priority of the government but we cannot bring the funds forward to 2017.

It will be processed as documentation and scoping is done but won’t be implemented until after 2018.

We will try our best to bring in tenders to be alert in 2017 to be ready in 2018 and beyond.

Anything after that will be subject to a new agreement between ADB and the government of Papua New Guinea.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Sinking of MV Rabaul Queen Dr ALLAN MARAT (Rabaul) – My question is directed to the Minister for Justice and Attorney general which relates to the funding of the trial into Peter Sharp, the sinking of MV Rabaul Queen and the death of more than 200 passengers 17/02 And I ask the Minister for Treasury to take note.

Mr Speaker, all Members of Parliament are aware of the sad story that so many people died more than four years ago.
We do not know how many people died because the ship owners kept no manifest of the passengers.

25 We very much appreciate Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for the swift tabling of the Commission of Inquiry Report in Parliament after the 2012 General Election and the deputy Prime Minister’s graphic description of the report findings.

The commission of inquiry report alleges that Rabaul Queen was over-crowded, unsafe and un-seaworthy.
The commission of inquiry was unable to determine how many people were on board because there was no manifest but said it was carrying atleast 392 passengers and possibly as many as 411 passengers despite a maximum capacity of 310 passengers.

Mr Speaker, we must also be concerned for the accused.

The national leaders know the need for those accused of crimes to have the opportunity to prove their innocence.

We can only imagine Mr Peter Sharps anguish as he remains accused of so many deaths.
He needs a fair and timely trial.

However, the State prosecutor has told Justice Terence Higgins that the trial cannot continue because there is no funding to bring witnesses.

My questions to the Attorney General are as follows: (1) Is there no funding for the State prosecutor to bring witnesses to Rabaul Queen Case?

(2) If the Government has decided not to fund the prosecution, is it because the Government has decided that the untimely death of so many of our citizens is not worthy of notice?
Or is it because the Government has no money to fund the prosecution because of a wider financial crises?

Or is it because there is an irresponsible decision by a public servant blocking funding?

(3) Will the Attorney General now assure this Parliament that he will do all he can to find funding for this trial?

Mr ANO PALA – I thank the Member for Rabaul for his questions.

His questions are basically about funding and I am not aware of the status of funding with regard to this matter.
I will discuss this matter with the Minister for Finance and my department and get to the bottom of it about where the funding is so that I can advise you accordingly.

However, I want to point out here that this is an important trial.

It is a trial that has affected a lot of families, a lot of people and the nation wants to know the result of the trail.
I want to assure the Member for Rabaul that we will do want we can to ensure that this trial is conducted properly with financial support from the Government.

The nation wants to know and the families that lost loved ones also want to know.

26 I want to again assure you and the families of those throughout the country that we will do want we can to make funds available to see this trial carried out as it should be.
Public Funds for Fly-River Provincial Government Mr AIDE GANASI – My questions are directed to the Attorney-General and I want the Minister for Finance to take note and I would have liked the Prime Minister to take note also but he is not here.

18/02 Mr Speaker, you would recall that the Commission of Inquiry into Processes and Procedures used to brief out matters to law firms and the Processes and Procedures for paying monies to Law Firms was setup in July 2014 under the Commission of Enquiry Act.
The Commission of Enquiry under the Chairmanship of Enquiry, Justice Wawik Andrew took several months to hear and consider evidence which were presented and at the end of 2014 a final report was prepared and was to be tabled in Parliament soon after.

Mr Speaker, you would recall that a Court Injunction was taken out by a law firm representing the Fly River Provincial Government and that stopped the Prime Minister from tabling that very important report to Parliament in a timely manner.
Mr Speaker, the report was prepared two years ago and still to today we do not know the substantial relief hearing in relation to the matter.

Mr Speaker, I would like to know about the progress of the case for the single reason that eight million of my people’s money kept in the non-claims fund administered by the Department of Mining was accessed and used by the Fly River Provincial Government to pay a law firm by way of a retainer for probably legal work done by firm.
Furthermore, Mr Speaker, I have evidence with me to show that millions of Kina more in Government Grants meant for Projects in the Province have been diverted and paid as recently as February this year by the Fly River Provincial Government to the same law firm for legal work done by this firm.
And so, Mr Speaker, my first question is; (1) Given the huge sum of public funds involved and in the interest of funds currently, can the Attorney-General immediately instruct his lawyers to go to Court and have this injunction removed to allow the report to be tabled in Parliament?
(2) Can the Attorney-General liaise with the Minister for Finance and Provincial Affairs to request for an audit to be conducted by the Department of Finance to look into the books of 27 Fly River Provincial Government for the last two years?

I believe it is highly irregular, improper and inappropriate for the Provincial Government and it’s administration to divert Government Grants and monies which are meant for Projects to be used to pay for legal; fees.
(3) Mr Speaker, what sort of legal services were provided?

Because Fly River Provincial Government was not in Court.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr ANO PALA – Thank you, Mr Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member for South Fly for his important questions.
Mr Speaker, this matter is also still before Court so we do not want to discuss the substance of the matter in this Parliament but I also want to thank the Member for South Fly for giving me a glimpse of his question before asking them so I was able to check the status of this case.

19/02 Mr Speaker, the matter is before the Supreme Court and it is been fully argued before the Supreme Court and we are now waiting for the final decision to be made by the Supreme Court.
Until that is done, there is nothing much we can do but it is important that while the matter is before the Supreme Court, no discussion of the matter should be entertained both on the Floor of Parliament and outside of the Parliament.

Let’s respect the process and wait for the final decision and after that we will get the full direction from the Supreme Court as to what to do.

That was in answer to the first question.


The second question relates to the financial auditing of the Fly River Provincial Government and I am sure the Minister for Finance has taken note of that and is within his jurisdiction and I am sure he will address it from his Department.

I am not in a position to make a comment on that, I am sure if the Minister for Finance wants to comment on that he can.

Maybe the Member for South Flay can liaise with the Minister for Finance.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.


MOTION BY LEAVE Mr JAMES MARAPE (Tari-Pori – Minister for Finance) – I ask leave of the Parliament to move a motion without notice.

28 Leave granted.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS – RE-ARRANGEMNT OF BUSINESS Motion (by Mr James Marape) agreed to – That so much of the Standing Orders be suspended as would prevent Notice No.

263 of Government Business being called on forthwith.
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL PLANNING AND MONITORING – NATIONAL GOVERNMENT CRITICAL ACTIVITY – MATRIX REPORT, JUNE 2015 – PAPER AND STATEMENT – PAPER NOTED Debate resumed from 22 July 2015 (See page …) Sir PUKA TEMU (Abau – Minister for Public Service) – Mr Speaker, I wish to begin debate on the issue presented by the Minister for National Planning with regards to the matrix that the Minister for Planning has been using to monitor the performance of the Government particularly in relation to the Alotau Accord and the commitment made by the current Government which was featured in the major policy of the Government and I must commend the Planning Minister because.
Mr Speaker, if you can recall, it is the first time ever that a Government is able to monitor its performance on the commitment that it has made.
This policy and strategy have never been deployed before and so following the Alotau Accord, the process that the Minister for Planning used was to make sure that all the commitments that were echoed when his excellency inaugurated the Ninth Parliament in his statement was in line with the Alotau Accord, which was the commitment made by the incoming Government to deliver those promises as per the his Excellency’s inaugural statement when the Ninth Parliament was formed.
29 Being the responsible Minister, the Planning Minister took charge of the commitment, the Alotau Accord.

In that commitment, there were 16 key action plans that the Minister and his team under the leadership of our Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, made sure that we maintain monitoring of our performance as a Government.
Mr Speaker, part of that accountability process was when the Planning Minister brought to Cabinet the 16 key activities platforms to monitor regularly and the Prime Minister in his own wisdom established the Leaders’ Summit.

So every February the leaders meet at Gateway Hotel.

In the last leaders’ Summit when district administrators came and presented at the Leaders’ Summit which demonstrated the enormity of the work that is now being performed throughout the nation.
20/02 All of our people were there but unfortunately, as a Government, we have not delivered that information to our people.

I was there for two days, Mr Speaker, when each district administrators were asked to present the delivery of this DSIP and PSIP and the National Governments key impact projects that have been pronounced by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Planning and Implementation on how we have performed.
As I listened to all the district administrators’ presentation on their performances.

I could not but believed in this Government, Mr Speaker.

When I entered politics in 2002, we were talking about K1 million to K2 million.

But when we joined this Government in 2002 together with the then Treasurer who is now the Leader of Opposition, our Prime Minister made a commitment through the first budget in 2012, to allocate K10 million to every districts and then we changed this after 2013 to 2014.
And this is the 2014 report that we are debating now and we brought in what we call for the first time PSIP, which is K5 million per district which is managed by the honourable Governors.

You can recall that, that’s an enormous volume.

So when you look at the report you will find that in the summary of the financing the two largest sectors that received funding in 2014 Budget was the provincial functions component which is over K2 billion and infrastructure also K2 billion.
So Mr Speaker, I have been around for a while and this is my third term and I have also framed Government Budgets through various Ministries such as Treasury and Finance.

But 30 the commitment that the previous Government missed to make was demonstrated by this Government.

That is why we have decided to allocate certain amount of funds in order to meet the commitment that we made in the Alotau accord.

Mr Speaker, we are a country with very good plans.


I was one of those that led the first ever 10-year National Health Plan.

Many good plans have been written; National Agriculture Development Plan, Infrastructure and Transport Plan which was led by the then Opposition Leader, which was brought to the Parliament.

But the challenge which always undermine me as a leader was who will make the decision to commit the funds to implement the plans.

No previous Government has done it.


I was once the Deputy Prime Minister in 2007 to 2010, we could not commit that money.

I remember one time the then Opposition Leader, Sir Mekere Morata was sitting on that side, the then Treasurer Mr Bart Philemon was sitting on this side and Bart Philemon got up and said you have thrown away the treasury key, saying there is money but what have you done?
But today I can argue with pride because the O’Neill/Dion Government set a record and is the only Government that has made the commitment to fund its plans and policies.

On the sector that I know best is the Health Sector.

At one time, I went to the Secretary for Treasury and waited until he gave me K22 million for buying drugs.

I would tell the Finance Secretary not to decrease the figure below K22 million but yet I would be given only K12 million.
For the first time essential services such as health and education are taken care of by the Planning Minister.

21/02 Mr Speaker, Port Moresby City is changing.

I was the one that secured US$10 million when I was the Deputy Prime Minister then to move the wharf from where it was to the other side.

And when the Governor, Wari Vele – Mr Ano Pala – Wari Vele!
Sir PUKA TEMU – Mr Speaker, when Wari Vele was governor, both of us made a plan to relocate and this has happened, and that was to build a ring-road around Paga Hill.

Like all plans we planned and dreamed and were excited but Wari lost and I am still around 31 but thank God this Government had built the ring-road.

The city has transformed in a short amount of time.

Mr Speaker, I am from Central Province and I fight for this city.

Today, I am a proud man from Central Province.


I am proud because my city which I will take over later is now transformed.

Look at the infrastructures, they are so different now.

We are also proudly hosting the ACP now.

President Robert Mugabe has just left and while he was here, he was impressed with Papua New Guinea.

He was impressed with our bypass and meeting room.

I was there at 5 p.m. in the evening to welcome him at the airport.
I have been there at the airport from Sunday to Monday since 4 a.m. in the morning.

At 1 a.m. on Monday morning I welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister of Nigeria.

At 4 a.m. again, I welcomed the Prime Minister of one of those countries – (Members laughing) Sir PUKA TEMU – It will come.

I am focusing on the point that I am making.

These leaders have come and seen our city and they are impressed.

They said that they never knew that Papua New Guinea was like this.
They thought that we were still living under sago leaves and driving through mud cities.

Mr Speaker, the point that I am making is that we had made a commitment in Alotau under this platform, which is the basis of the report that what commitments we had made, we are delivering.

Mr Speaker, this is the first time that the government has delivered its commitments to the people.

This is the first that the National Budget is tied to the commitments and that is the first time ever.
We need this type of leadership.

We need this type of government because our people, and nobody could believe that we could introduce a Tuition Free education Policy.

I, too, was afraid and I advised the Prime Minister to do this slowly and over five years but we did it.

We took over 643 million burdens out of the pocket of mothers and fathers and took it upon our shoulders to carry the burden.

This was first time such a policy was to be carried out.
The Treasurer was scared when he looked at the Budget and what kind of revenue were going to come, and under that commitment we created certain budget deficits.

32 Mr Speaker, you tell me, which country in the world under any leader does not live on budget deficits.

Tell me how many countries are comparable to us today with regards to the debt to GDP ratio.

How many countries are beating us regarding the debt to GDP ratio?

There are none.
There are none.

Which countries also are not affected by this Global Economic Crisis with the drop in oil and gas prices?

22/02 Mr Speaker, many countries are scrambling and I must say that when these things happened some of us become so excited that we go through other avenues to shake people up.

Avenues like face book, media and the universities and colleges in order to make our evil feel good.

But that is not good leadership.


Good leadership is when you check and see whether the nation is having a problem.

Then we should all hold hands and work together to carry the nation through and not by playing politics.

Mr Speaker, looking at this report, I want to say that I am a very proud Papua New Guinean and a politician in the ninth parliament of O’Neill-Dion Government.

I stand to defend this report.

I stand to confirm the commitment of the Alotau Accord which we are now delivering.
This is the way forward for the nation.

The challenge now is that when we want to do the measurement, our difficulty was the data base.

The information that we have not generated through the institutional process over time.

Mr Speaker, when I debated on the national planning and legislation that we proudly passed on the Floor of Parliament, I did say that we as a country must development Papua New Guinea development indicators.
We must have our own Papua New Guinea development indicators based on our social economy, geographic situation and enormous cultural diversity.

We know that we have the millennium development goal of which we agreed that we have not performed well as a nation in regards to the national commitment that was made through the United Nations.

However, our greatest challenge is - and I will be debating and will discuss this issues with the Minister for Planning.
I believe that one of the commitments that we must make from the village recorder level, village data base, LLG data base, district data base through to the provinces and building it up to the national level.

33 Mr Speaker, we are able to do that because when you look at the matrix, many institutions did not have data base therefore, we are not able to properly and fully access the performance indicators that we have prescribed.
But the most important point that I wish to conclude on this debate is, when a government after an election makes a commitment to its people it must deliver.

So this performance report demonstrate that we have done extremely well.

The second challenge apart from the data base, is the capacity issues.

This is because for the first time the government is delivering enormous volumes of funds to the districts and the provincial level.
But unfortunately our public servants have not been trained over time to handle that type of situation.

They were not having K10 million budget at the district level.

They did not have training to plan and design programs and projects.

They were never trained to do those things.

So when we are forcing them to perform, we are hitting the brick walls in most instances.
Mr Speaker, the leaders themselves are now providing the leadership in doing designing and developing program, costing them out and even delivering them too.

So when we are forcing them to perform we are hitting the brick walls in most instances.

Because without your participation they will procrastinate the delivery of services.

This is the dilemma so my Ministry has now partnered the Australian Government.
We are now rebuilding the Papua New Guinea Institute of Public Administration formerly known as Administrative College to run truly skilled development programs for civil servants in the country.

23/02 We know that students are dropping out from universities or grade 12 and searching for jobs and we know that a university degree does not necessarily give you the skills to go and perform.
And therefore when that graduate becomes a public servant, they have to go through the process to make sure that they are properly skilled in order to respond to the demands of the people, particularly under the leadership of the leaders of this nation.

That we have structured and that program is going on very well.
And I would like to make a plea to those of you Members to look at your district staff and maybe allocate K50 000 for your staff to attend IPA We have the programs for them, as capacity building is not a one off thing.

It is an ongoing thing and institutions are now geared 34 to do those.

Our medium term Plans for IPA is that over time move to the regional areas but more importantly into the provincial service training centres.
That is very important and that we all agree that human resources development is very important.

The good Lord in his wisdom gave every nation of the world human beings but did not give every nation the resources that some enjoy.

Therefore, the commitment is to making sure that we properly train and skill the 8 million citizens that God has given us.

And part of that program is to highlight that particular issue, and to 300 new teachers each year is a huge commitment that the Minister has highlighted.
Mr Speaker, the enrolment figures are going up and the health indicators are beginning to improve together with the infrastructure development programs.

If you look at the rural support services it is doing alright and we can do those with K5 million.

We do not need K10 million.

We use to deliver with K1 million, so when the economy is down we must agree to a lesser amount and deliver, it must be our commitment.
During the South Korean war, after the war during the early 80’s, all the South Koreans wanted to rebuild the nation and every citizen gave gold to the nation.

And because of the situation we are in right now and in terms of the revenue for our budget, we members of the Parliament should tell the treasurer to cut down our K10 million in half or even K3 million.

We can still deliver a lot.

We do not have K10 million.


Mr DON POLYE (Kandep – Leader of the Opposition) – I enjoyed listening to the debate by the Minister for Public Service and if I would give him an award, I would give him two.

First one would be giving credit where credit is due and you talking about cutting down on K10 million, and DSIP.

I did that and one thing that you did not mention is that, I put K500, 000 for individual LLGs, all 300 of them but you have cut it down to K100, 000, what a shame.
Mr Speaker, the second would be on too much rhetoric.

And some misleading statements which I would like to qualify my arguments on are; firstly when you talk about budgeting, the budget structure and reform, I am glad the Minister highlighted those issues and I would like to commend the Finance Minister, the Minister for National Planning.
When we had the budget committee meeting, we foresaw the revenue that was coming in and we also saw the shortfall and any unexpected shock that might come about in the economy.

35 24/02 While some things have gone wrong, I’ll discuss a little bit in respect of this matrix.

But onto rhetoric, the Alotau-Accord is really a political accord and we should not rely too much on that because of its political nature.

It should not be seen as a development policy.


When we did that budget, if they can recall, we put in something called the National Development Strategy that is a real policy.

You have the Medium Term Development Strategy and the Vision 2050, those are real policies.

Those are policies that you make for the economy to operate but it must be underlined by the fundamental principles of fiscal responsibility under the Fiscal Responsibilities Act.
Debt Management Strategy, looking at your debt levels all the time.

We should not liken ourselves to other developing nations that would be a mistake.

Certainly, Mr Speaker, I said rhetoric because these have not been followed.

I think the Government has compromised these very important fundamental policies which should guide them as to how it should deliver.
If you look at the Vision 2050, the Medium Term Development Strategy and the National Development Strategy and see the enablers as to how you spend your money to maximise growth in the economy, you are not going to see any accords.

That’s where I think the government has erred.

You have deviated from it and you have compromised these very important values, in those policies that the government itself defined.
So we cannot say Port Moresby is growing, GDP is improving and the people are okay so the rest of PNG is okay.

That would be rhetorical.

It is a misleading statement and is not correct.

I’ll tell you where it is not correct.

(Members interjecting!)

Mr DON POLYE – I’m there.

I have always been there and I have seen what is happening, Mr Speaker.

Mr Patrick Pruaitch – You built the roads in NCD.

Mr DON POLYE – The road is built because of World Bank money which I budgeted for four years ago.
36 You haven’t delivered anything new.

You’ve abused the trust given to you because you have abused the Fiscal Responsibilities Act and the policies there.

I now see that the government is so keen to talk about the Gross Domestic Product or GDP.

Let’s forget about the GDP.

We should go beyond that, a little bit more in depth and more focused.

Let’s broaden our scope and perspective as to what we are really talking about.

You talk about a matrix to address real issues.


For those of us who are not economists we understand it the simple way.

We understand that GDP is an aggregate or collective wealth a country has, it doesn’t mean anything else.

Whether it is owned by a Papua New Guinean or a foreigner, whether it is in Papua New Guinea or outside the country but you add it all together and say that is GDP.

But it does not define who actually owns it and who is benefitting from that wealth.

Furthermore, where is it?


Is it parked here onshore to give strength to your reserves and foreign exchange, give further stability to the macro-economic development or is that wealth outside the country?

So Mr Speaker, we’ve got to get all these things right in this House.

This is where the brain is.

Without that it is very difficult to explain it properly because we will mislead or misguide ourselves.
I say we should not measure the progress of Papua New Guinea on just its GDP value alone because it is not realistic.

We must measure it by these following areas.

I would like to be very short.

The National Content, the wealth of Papua New Guineans in business.

How much of the GDP size that we so proudly quote is owned by Papua New Guineans.

The landowner in Kandep, Pomio and Telefomin is who we are talking about.

Not here in Port Moresby.


How much of this GDP is felt, consumed and dealt with by these people?

We don’t even know.

25/02 Mr Speaker my good Public service Minister should not boast.

We only boast on the real value reflected on the real Papua New Guineans.

Not on GDP own by foreigners.

Number two, realistic development agenda we should see is this; human development index.

The government is not just here to build infrastructure, not here to just run or do business.
We are here to build our people integrally, meaning all aspects of life.

Every part of us must be developed.

Not just increasing wealth and forgetting about health, not just having this monument.

37 We are talking about per capita income.

Out of the 8 million or 10 million people, how must is going into the father, the mother, the child produced in that home?

The matrix will suggest that per capita income is real development.

Not just GDP, not just a monument here in Port Moresby.
Mr Speaker not just the transport things we see only in the urban centres in Port Moresby and Lae.

We have got 20 provinces out in the country, we have got rural areas out there.

We heard members asking questions about roads in their districts.

Those are the real things that matter, that enhances the per capita income to household and family.

Equally sharing.
Equally sharing.

How many Papua New Guineans have been given contracts, owning businesses, builders and contractors awarded to the so call wealth we are talking about in Port Moresby?

How many Papua New Guineans have been, given contracts to share this wealth?

Minister for Public Service can answer questions about roads to Hula, Abu which I designed and travelled funded by the World Bank?
(Members interjecting) Mr DON POLYE – Yes, I designed that for you Mr Speaker, under the World Bank partnership with Papua New Guinea government.

I did that for you.

What I’m saying Mr Speaker is how many Papuan leaders from your district have benefited from this so call infrastructure you are talking about?

Who is the contractor?

This is real development we must look at.

The third development indicator we should look at is liveability.
Port Moresby, Lae or Mt Hagen or Wabag for that matter; is it liveable?

Look at the report.

You don’t have to create your own systems of assessing yourself.

Look at the assessments already in place, is it safe for my daughter to go out in the city, is it safe for mothers and children to walk out at 2 o’clock in the night like in other safest cities in the world?

Or shall we just say, when a girl gets rape and we say, when did she move out?

Or she went out at 10 o’clock.


Or that’s her fault to do out at 10 o’clock.

Is that the attitude we are going to portray all the time?

Or should we justify by saying she went out at the wrong time.

I said no.

We should not see it that way.

We should make our country liveable.

That’s is real development.

Safety, protection and security by not compromising the police and supporting the police to provide that security.

38 Another indicator we should see within that matrix is the quality of education.
Not just free education, quality education and quality literacy to acquire knowledge and use it.

If young people are aware, if they are literate and know it, they will avoid HIV AIDS all the time.

They will know how to avoid TB, multi drug resistant.

The quality of education is important and how broad it is spread throughout the country.

Not just throwing out so much money and you think, K20 million gone, K100 million gone and you think it is okay.

It is not okay.
It is not okay.

26/02 I am basing my arguments on statistics.

Our city of Port Moresby is similar to a city in Afghanistan or much inferior.

If you want to argue about statistics then I will give you and I know what I am talking about because I am a man who talk according to statistics.

Mr SPEAKER – Minister for Public Service, please allow the Leader of the Opposition to complete his debate.

Mr DON POLYE – He always wants to argue with me so tell to shut up.
(Members laughing) Mr DON POLYE – Mr Speaker, we need to measure ourselves by the quality of our education and not by just mere free education and full stop.

With regard to the public service, what reforms have we done for the public service?

For instance, we have the Public Service Commission and the Department of Personnel Management doing the same job.

We should reform them and restructure them.

Why are two government organisations doing the same job?
We have been talking about the reforms for so long but when is it forthcoming?

There are so many institutions doing the same thing.

It is a waste of money and operational costs.

Mr Speaker, I am a person who speaks about the truth, perceive where the problem is and provide real tangible solutions.

39 Mr Bire Kimisopa – Point of Order!

Some of us on this Floor breath oxygen and the interjection from the Member for Abau is blocking our pulmonary base.

We need oxygen in this Chamber for goodness sake.


Can you please shut him up?

Mr SPEAKER – Honourable Member for Goroka, you have made your point.

Minister I must caution you about your continuous interjections.

This is our Parliament so please allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak.

You have been given your opportunity to debate so allow him to finish his debate.

Mr DON POLYE – Thank you Mr Speaker, as I was saying if you then you would understand me.

We must talk with facts and statistics.


We must really analyse our problems and come up with accurate solutions for them.

We can’t just assume every time that everything is okay.

For example, you can’t say it’s okay to carry passengers on a vehicle that has a braking problem.

If the brakes fails then you are surely going to endanger people’s lives.

It would only be proper or wise and the right thing to do to fix the brakes before transporting people in that vehicle.
(Members laughing) Mr SPEAKER – I must inform the public in public gallery that the Standing Orders do not allow for members of the public to make noise during the meeting.

Mr DON POLYE – Finally, I want to speak about governance.

The government benches mistake us the Opposition every time we make our arguments and debates.

Let me tell you that we never make blunt or wild accusations.
We debate from the statistics and the reports that we get from Transparency International, Human Development Reports and reports from the World Bank and the IMF or the National Statistics Organisation for that matter.

You Government benches on the other hand are not basing your facts on anything.

For example, the Minister for Defence was totally out of line with his debate.

It’s not all ministers but just a hand full of them.
(Members laughing) 40 Mr DON POLYE – The other issue that I would like to talk about is about life expectancy.

I want the Government to tell us if what our life expectancy was 10 years ago and what it will be 10 years on?

Have we added 5years or 10 years to our life expectancy?

I would like to see that kind of a meaningful discussion on the Floor of Parliament.

Let’s just not come and talk and think that we are doing our job.
We are only cheating our people and I do not care whether you are in the Government ranks or in the Opposition benches.

We in the Opposition want to debate with quality debates with facts and statistics.

We are not here to fight you guys.

We must fight the issue that is affecting our country as in good governance.

If there is corruption somewhere, we must find it and fix it.

27/02 Corruption in that, whether we like it or not the report states that we are right down there.
And we will say it is nothing, let’s cover it up, we are okay, Papua New Guinea is growing, we own the high rise buildings and we are okay.

I will say no.

If someone sees me outside and says I have dirt on my face, I will go to the mirror look at myself, clean my face, look good and come back.

That is what Papuan New Guinean Leadership must think and cast ourselves in the direction of honest and realist ways of approaching this country’s development.

Not covering things up.


That is not the right way to run this country.

Come on, this is the 21st Century we are supposed to be educated, quality debates more specific on issues, statistics and data.

I’ll show it, I am showing it to you so when I am talking I am showing it to you.

If you give me a chance you will see that I will do much better than you are doing.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion I can say that the Government issues are very important.
Do not compromise our State Institutions and try your own individual quality with the State Department; don’t do that.

They are as important as the road infrastructure, building infrastructure so these systems must work independently with a compromised delivery services.

The Provincial Government system must be supported.

We must not politicise the Provincial Government whether we like the Governors or not.
For instance, in Enga Province my honourable Governor Sir Peter Ipatas and I, have our political differences but I don’t interfere with his work in the province.

He can testify to that.

I don’t try to go to him and say I am going to put a vote of no confidence or mobilise the councillors.

I only support because I know he will deliver.


41 The LLG system must be working, we must understand that this country needs all those systems of Public Service Governance to work effectively because when you block them then you think of yourself as your own body where the heart pumps through your body systems into all parts of your body.

Therefore from this Parliament you have a budget there that the Public Service Machinery must deliver.
Mr Speaker, I disagree with the Minister for Public Service, he is saying because the Public Service is not working so the Members are taking responsibility.

I say that is wrong, I disagree.

You cannot have Members of Parliament deliver services which is the job of the Public Service through the Provincial government System and down to the LLG so forget that rubbish, Mr Speaker.
I want the Minister for Public Service to re-think and he should strengthen the Government Systems and Institutions, not giving the monies and cheques to the Members of Parliament.

You are only putting them into trouble.

Improve the accountability and auditing systems.

That is what I am implying, Mr Speaker.

So, let me conclude by saying, I see under the current Government, we started off well but now you are deviating.
You have compromised your policies, compromised your Medium-Term Development Strategies, the Fiscal Responsibilities Act, the Fiscal Strategies and Debt Management Strategy Act, these are facts.

The IMF has just reported and they are coming in for a meeting with Treasury, the Prime Minister and all the Ministers there and they have report that your debt now stands at close to 60 per cent to GDP, 56 per cent to be specific.
Mr Speaker, if the Public Service Minister doesn’t know these facts than I am telling him now, to read through this IMF Report.

You keep on saying 35 per cent and I have been warning you and I said no, it has gone beyond now, look at it.

(Member interjecting) Mr DON POLYE – Where is the Report?

You don’t trust me, you log in to IMF Website.

Mr Speaker, I know my time is up and I will sit down but I conclude that matrix should only be implemented on realistic development data, thank you.
42 Mr JAMES MARAPE (Tari-Pori – Minister for Finance) – Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me an opportunity to make a statement and I note one or two other Members like our good Member for Goroka is standing up.

If I can kindly ask the Speaker of the House to give opportunity for all of us to make our statements in regard to this Government Business?

Firstly, let me commend the Planning Minister.


He is not here but on record may I say that he is on record, one of our hardest working Minister in the circumstances that we are in.
28/02 He has taken on the responsibility of clearly outlining to us where our country should go and should be in the future and may I join the Minister for Public Service in commending the work that he has done thus far, and also with the current Opposition Leader, we were all part the Alotau Team, led by the Honourable Minister for Public Service, the Sir Puka Temu.
We sat together as leaders, putting together what we would want as vision for our Government that will come on board in 2012 and the Planning Minister has put the Matrix together to look at how we have come in the last three years and where were today and how we would like to go into the future to address some of the concerns our colleague, the Opposition Leader is raising on the other side.
Mr Speaker, when we put together the Alotau-Accord, we realised that in any given year, the total cost of development completely outweighs the revenue envelope we have as a country.

No economy either in the country or outside will come and create miracle for us.

The total cost of meeting all our national aspirations in any one year completely outweighs the revenue basket we have.
That is why Mr Speaker, when we went into budget in late 2012, to prepare for 2013, the then Treasurer leading the discussions, now the Opposition Leader, we all looked into the Medium Term and I allude to the fact that he tries to differentiate between Alotau Accord and places value on the National Development Strategy and the Medium Term Development Strategy, all these are part of our National Plan.
The Alotau Accord encapsulates our collective vision of what we as leaders want in this term, on how our Government should go about doing its business to ensure that our country moves to the next level.

Mr Speaker, our plan is not much different from what the Governments prior to us were trying to embark for this nation.

May I this time, give credit to every Government before us.
They all tried their absolute best but most of the time, Members in the Parliament were in the business of playing politics instead of running the affairs of this country.

43 I give you case in point the Government prior to 2002, has always enjoyed an average life of 18 months that is our history.

In 18 months you cannot do much.

I take the words of one of our former Prime Minister, the honourable Paias Wingti.
He mentioned right here in this Parliament, he was managing politics instead of managing the country.

What can you do for the country in 18 months?

From now we have come in the last four years, we realised that you cannot do much when you are half the time playing politics in this Camber or outside this Chamber.
Mr Speaker, having said this, through the matrix, the Minister has put us all whether in government or opposition, to deliver what we promise to deliver to them at the Elections when we took office in 2012.

The matrix is a simplified version.

We said that during the Election period that this is what we will deliver and the matrix gives us both the government and the opposition and the public to have a record and look into the matrix.
That is what we promised to the people and that is what we confirmed in the Alotau-Accord 29/02 The Members of this Parliament and agreed to work and we have delivered 2013-2015 National Budget.

And now we are in the mid-year of 2016 fiscal year.

Mr Speaker, at one time the Leader of Opposition when he handed down his maiden speech in reply to the National Budget he made one statement, which I rebutted him was that we were operating in a policy vacuum.

But we were not operating in that manner.


For instance, for PNC Party, as the leading party in Government of this coalition party, we conducted our election campaign on five simple premises: free education, free basic health services, improved infrastructure, law and order and making intervention in the economic sectors.
Mr Speaker, pick up this matrix and have a look into this basing on these five simple policy outlook that we said we will deliver to the country and assess us on this matrix and see whether we have not delivered.

Now the Leader of Opposition in his statement said statistics and facts speaks.

Let me put some statistics and facts on the score board and mind you, I will be using them in the elections also and you stand ready to rebut me in election time.
Mr Speaker, on record K600 million has been dispatched to the country for free education.

When people were saying that in the face of 2012 election, this is a political gimmick.

But the Government was committed to free education under the leadership of Prime 44 Minister, Mr Peter O’Neill and every Members of this Parliament and the current Treasurer is continuing on the legacy on free education.

By the end of this year K2.4 billion would have been given back to PNG.
Now you ask me this question, which Papua New Guineans have held back K2.4 billion for four years, they would have paid into the Education Department but yet they kept it in their pockets.

Regardless of that as the Government we have injected K2.4 billion into the economy and into all the schools.

You asked me where the schools are operating from.

They are operating in the rural areas of PNG and societies and in the districts because they receive directly from the National Government.
And we are putting back K2.4 billion into the economy as a result of free education policy in four years.

And there goes one of our response to SME, Micro sector is getting moneys directly from National Government.

As if this is not enough over the last two years K4.665 billion directly to PSIP and DSIP in all the districts.

The previous Government had this amount but was spined by the then Minister for Finance, National Planning and Implementation and Treasury in Vulupundi Haus and not in the districts.
My sister, the Hon.

Member for Lae asked about DSIP, I am sorry but I was straight yesterday in saying that K1 million for this year but we will catch up on the rest.

But for the first three years, this country received K4.665 billion directly to the local economy; the small contractors, SME contractors.

This Government for the first time sealed 3000 kilometres of roads which my brother the Leader of Opposition planned very well but never delivered those additional kilometres of roads.
But I give credit to him for planning the roads but we are delivering it by sealing the roads.

When you see Port Moresby International Airport, Kagamuga Airport and Goroka Airport on its way.

Mr Don Polye – Point of Order!

Minister for Finance wants me to tell the truth to what he is saying, 30/02 I planned and brought into this country the micro finance package that you are using to do your roads and airports.

They are a part of the programme with the World Bank and all that.
At that time there was no LNG Project so please, let us not lie here.

45 (Members interjecting) Mr JAMES MARAPE – Mr Speaker, let me continue.

The needs of our country is so big.

Any government at any one time will fight over something.

Let us not play politics just for the sake of playing politics.

On record you pick up the matrix that Minister Charles had said and on record he will justify that.

We promised in the Alotau-Accord, and have we delivered?
What percentage of delivery within the constraints within revenue envelop we have today?

I keep on referring to some who try to inhibit our choices of progress and development.

You know glass house economies continue to erect, especially from our neighbours next door.

They tell us every time not to get out there and borrow.

What then will you do?

Do just sit back and allow kids not to be educated and hospitals not to be built?
In order to get there you must train, educate, equip and build the roads today.

That is what you must do.

Glass house economies, for instance, the Australian economy in 1945 to 1978 when Bob Hawke became the Prime Minister.

They were financing their budget through a deficit budget.

Today an accumulation of the deficit has seen them to be at 218 percent debt to GDP.

Mr Speaker, they have built infrastructures that is sustaining their economy today through sustainable debt financing.
We do not need to be lectured by people who are living in glass houses drinking coffee somewhere when you and I talk about building the rural infrastructure today.

Where will you get the money?

As a responsible government, you look within revenue envelops coming in 5 years, 10 years or 15 years.

To get to that 15 year target you have to educate your society, build your road and keep your population healthy today.
As a responsible government we will not sit back and take criticisms from people drinking coffee in Port Moresby.

Yes, we have built up Port Moresby, Lae, Mt Hagen but that is not PNG and much work remains to be done and we have started.

Pick up the matrix book because we have started correctly.

You hold us to judgement in 2017.

Mr Speaker, many of you are visiting students all the time.

My goodness, (words inaudible).

Don’t visit others.

Take it easy on this Floor of Parliament.


The matrix gives you an opportunity to criticise us.

Mr Sam Basil – Point of Order!

What is the relevance of students in this debate?

We are debating a different issue.

46 Mr SPEAKER – Honourable Minister.

Mr JAMES MARAPE – I am not calling one name.

I have never mentioned your name Mr Sam Basil.

Never.

Mr Sam Basil – You are deviating.

Mr JAMES MARAPE – I never mentioned your name my brother.

I was just making an inference.


Many of us – Mr Sam Basil – You are getting out of context.

Mr JAMES MARAPE – Mr Speaker, the matrix that the Planning Minister put forward gives everyone of us an opportunity to look and criticise our government.

We are not operating and trying to bulldoze things.

We are putting our matrix out there on how we have come thus far and where we intend to take this government for the remainder of this term.
I, therefore, commend the Planning Minister for really coming out and showing to ourselves and in fact, every time he speaks in government caucus he impresses on every one of us to take accountability and measure out performance, and be honest in what we have done.

Therefore, I am satisfied that as a government we ticked off almost 75 percent and if not 80 percent of what we said we would tick off when we formed government in Alotau.
Mr Speaker, thank you, I take this time to commend the Planning Minister for taking leadership and putting forward a clear way for us to assess ourselves and from what we have come and where we will go.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me this opportunity.

Motion – That the question be now put – agreed to.

Motion – That the Parliament take note of the paper – agreed to.

47 ADJOURNMENT Motion (by Mr James Marape) agreed to – That the Parliament do now adjourn.

The Parliament adjourned at 1.


40 p.m.. 48