While I called on Mrs Hilary Clinton to remind Australian PM Kevin Rudd to keep his 2007 election promise to legislate against import of illegal timber into Australia, the PNGFIA – represented by Rimbunan Hijau (RH) official Gabriel Samol was out again to promote RH’s  timber legality and traceability verification (TLTV) scheme and preaching corporate responsibility by encouraging PNG’s logging industry to uphold standards.

It is clear international markets are demanding compliance to environment standards in a global effort to reduce climate change and the perpetrators of environmental destruction will have no choice but to comply or pack up.

It seems in PNG the “packing up” is beginning with some large logging companies lossing their causes in courts against landowners and landowners refusing to renew their agreements and opting for seeking alternatives like carbon trading.

Interesting in this new global political responsibity, is the letters to the Australia PM by members of both the US Congress and Senate – encouraging Australia to adopt a similar law as the US Lacey Act to end this illegal timber trade.

Where forest countries do not have political will to get logging companies to comply with environment and forest laws, we must count on market countries to stop the import of timber and wood products from illegal and destructive logging.

My thoughts are in Focus Column in today’s Post Courier.

Dorothy Tekwie

Again we the people of PNG deserve justice and demand some response from the authorities on all these allegations. If an Australian bank was used to transfer these funds, the Australian Government authorities now also qualify to investigate the trail of this illegal business and the ‘business house” in PNG must be named.

The other questions for people of PNG are, were these funds used to sponsor certain political parties or candidates thus under minding the rights of people of PNG to vote freely in 2007?. Has the logging industry infiltrated into our political system as they have into our forests, destroying everything with no consideration for what they are doing to the future of this country or our people?.

Again we the people of PNG demand answers and the onus is on the Prime Minister to tell us, the sooner the better.

THE Papua New Guinea Forest Owners Association (FOA) is calling for immediate establishment of a commission of inquiry into allegations of $US40million having been “parked’’ in a Singapore bank.

They are also calling on the leaders of Kikori and Ihu, Minister Mark Maipakai and Gulf Governor Havila Kavo to explain whether they knew anything of the allegations.

FOA president Dominic Evere yesterday warned that failing these requests all logging operations and other resource development would be halted in Gulf Province until the Government and their leaders responded.
Mr Evere said having spoken to very reliable sources since the reports of the money racket, it had been very disturbing for the people of Gulf, the province which accommodated seven of the country’s major logging operations.

“We are calling on the Prime Minister to establish a commission of inquiry immediately. The Government and its leaders have been silent on this issue. We are also calling strongly on our leaders, Mr Maipakai and Mr Kavo, to come out very clear’’ on this matter, Mr Evere said.

“Kikori has the largest or let’s say the highest and biggest logging operations in the country, then comes Western Province and Vanimo. Our area or Gulf for that matter is filthy rich and yet, for so many years there has been no development.

“Development for Gulf now is zero and people are already fed up. We rightly believe that money parked in Singapore is ours and we want it back but through justice.

“I warn that if the Government doesn’t do anything or our leaders do not come clear on us, we will have no choice but to mobilise all landowners and shut down all logging operations in that area. This will also include stopping other resource development in the area.

“Our people have suffered enough from all the mistreatments from the Government.

“Gulf has contributed so much and is still contributing to the national coffers and yet the State has given back nothing or very little towards the development of the province.”

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Forum joins call to investigate allegations into $40 million scam

The PNG Eco-Forestry Forum has joined the call for a proper investigation into allegations of US$40 million scam involving a senior government Minister.

In what it described as “Just a tip of the Iceberg,” the Forum says if the allegations are true then there is every reason for people in PNG not to trust the government any more in its management of the forestry sector. It is also an international embarrassment as it seriously questions the credibility of the government in so far as good governance is concerned.

The Forum is concerned that this is not the first time allegations of corrupt practices involving forestry has surfaced as similar allegations continue to happen when the government finds it fit to do nothing.

Numerous Government sanctioned reports, including the Barnett Inquiry of 1998, reveal allegations of massive corruption involving bribery, illegal logging, and human rights abuses within the industry. Recommendations made in these various reports have never been formally tabled in Parliament or has any action been taken against those implicated, creating a situation where there seems to be two sets of laws, one for the politicians and the other for the common people.

Compounded to this is the gagging of democratic debates on these issues on the floor of parliament. The government continues to threaten and criticise one of the few print media companies that does not have any affiliations to the logging industry in its attempts to seriously address the issue of corruption in Papua New Guinea.

“The US$40 million scam only goes to indicate that the reasons for the government’s lack of action in dealing with forest corruption is because senior government MPs are indeed linked to this web of deceit and corruption.

The Forum calls on other decent and honest Members of Parliament to intelligently analyse and take appropriate position on this issue rather than keeping quite because we are talking about money that the people of this country need and not for one individual minister.

The Forum is challenging the government to come out openly and explain why there is such an account and for whom.

For more Information, contact the Forum on phone 323 9050 or email: teff@global.net.pg

PNG Eco-Forestry Forum
04th July 2008