Just a quick question for all your readers out there – what is Sir Michael Somare’s position with regards to the proposed Frieda River Mine?

It is my personal view that as the Paramount Chief of the Sepiks and founding father of the nation, PM Somare has a moral responsibility to the nation and peoples of the mighty Sepik River to preserve its existence. Of all people the PM should know better that the Sepik River is not just any other river – it is a force of life! The river is vital for the very existence of the Sepik people – it directly/indirectly links with their Sepik way of life, culture and tradition.

I beg all you Sepiks out there and the entire nation to prevent any level of mining activity in Frieda (and also to block any daft proposal to carry out deep-sea mining within our Seas in NGI).

In the long term the cost to the environment will be immense and irreversible (let us not forget the damage caused by OTML to the Fly River system).

Does PNG need any more mines? The answer is “NO”.

AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY:

I am an advocate of the Agriculture Industry. The PNG Government should look at redeveloping our nation’s ‘lost’ primary source of national income – the government should re-establish a more robust and progressing Agriculture Sector in PNG. A strong and efficient agricultural sector would enable a country to feed its growing population, generate employment, earn foreign exchange and provide raw materials for industries. The agricultural sector has a multiplier effect on any nation’s socio-economic and industrial fabric because of the multifunctional nature of agriculture. It puzzles me why the PNG Government and its so called well learned policy advisors are not looking into this as an alternative, if not the main source of income for the nation.

As the world population continues to grow geometrically, great pressure is being placed on arable land, water, and adequate supply of FOOD while maintaining the integrity of our ecosystem. At present there is insufficient food and inadequate distribution of food. A recent study by the UN has stated that in China alone about 80 million people are malnourished and hungry – right there, is the opportunity for Papua New Guinea.

Politicians & their advisors within the corridors of Waigani need to start “thinking big”. Who says it is impossible for PNG to feed 80 million Chinese? What we do need in Waigani is people who are upwardly mobile, intelligent and articulate – people who can say NO to the status quo! And people who are willing to look at other more environmentally safer means of creating wealth for our nation.

PNG does not need mines to be a prosperous nation. There are so many examples of developed/semi developed nations whose economy was and is still driven by a strong agriculture industry.

Rob
York, England.

Thank you for bringing to the awareness of this forum the meeting that your Manambut people have had in relation to the Frieda River Mine. The initiative of the Manambu is examplary. It is of utmost importantance that local people in the area have their say in this mine issue. I hope we can mobilise all educated Sepik River people living in and around our Moresby and other urban centres in PNG to talk about this. I will be in Moresby by next week and look forward to meeting with people like you and other like minded Sepiks and Papua New Guineans to talk about this.

Ngepma nien!

Damien Gamiandu

Thank you for your posting. The foreseeable consequences of this mine is tremendous and could be completely devastating. Anyone like you who has spent time on the Sepik River would appreciate how much the economic livelihood of this people depend on the river system. I shall be in touch with you in due course.

Regards,

Andrew

The veto of power over whether a mine should be given the green light or not rests with people and stakeholders from within the immediate vicinity of the deposit itself. A big question is what rights or how much say do people down-river from the mine have in terms of the decision-making process?

A term which Papua New Guineans need to take time out to understand, the repercussions and consequences of extraction consequences are highly destructive and irreversible.

The so called bigmen are selling out their own country and their people in the name of development. The only ones that really benefit are the corporates, the chiefs and a hand full of corrupt land owners.

Papua New Guinea lacks a true visionary in government. Politicians all seem engrossed with the next 5 minutes. What’s happening in PNG will inevitably go down in history as the fastest annihilation ever of a culture and tradition.

There was a once time when the chiefs had the interests of their people at heart and could be trusted but that time has long gone.

R

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