Happy Holidays

Hope your holidays are going well for you! Here is one usual piece to cheer you up.

Wish all Kange Nga Kona readers a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year (2010)!

Happy Holidays

Hope your holidays are going well for you! Here is one usual piece to cheer you up.

Wish all Kange Nga Kona readers a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year (2010)!

Happy Holidays

Hope your holidays are going well for you! Here is one usual piece to cheer you up.

Wish all Kange Nga Kona readers a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year (2010)!

The People & Companies of Lae Deserve Better Roads

By Jaive Smare

Half of the K50 million budgeted for upgrading roads in Lae, Morobe province for 2009 is missing and authorities seem confused where it is.

According to Works Secretary Joel Luma, the K25 million ($7m) has simply vanished. Other Government sources say the missing money is in a trust fund somewhere in Waigani.

Mr Luma explained that part of the problem is that under the Public Finance act, Part VII, State Tenders and Contracts (s.39.sub.1.b) the supply and the tenders board on the advice of the Head if the Finance Department and the Minister has the jurisdiction to control and regulate the supply of works and services for and on behalf of the State.

Therefore since the funds belonged to the National Government even though it allocated the money to fixing up the Lae roads, the National Supplier and Tenders Board under the act oversees the scope of work. In an ideal situation this should have worked out for Lae residents, however now K25 million is missing.

To add to the confusion, Mr Luma said unknown contractors have worked on sections of Lae roads without proper procedures being followed. This is now being investigated.

Morobe Governor Luther Wenge (above, left) is upset at the whole at the whole matter and wants to know why the funds were not allocated directly to the Morobe Provincial Government. This would mean the Morobe Provincial Supply and Tenders Board would manage the scope of works.

Lae Mayor James Kay believes that awarding Lae a commission status (like NCD) will mean Lae has more autonomy at funding and fixing up its roads with the National Government and Morobe Government concentrating on the province as a whole.

Member for Lae, Bart Philemon said more than K16 million is needed to keep Lae up to scratch every year instead of the K3 million annually budgeted.

Lae is the PNG’s second largest city with a very busy port and industrial hub, however its roads are atrocious. Obviously if you read this story, you will agree with me that the people responsible for the development and maintenance of Lae roads, are quite a confused bunch and this confusion may cost K25 million.

We hope there is a proper investigation - the people and businesses of Lae deserve better. Share your thoughts at the forum. Just click here

*** How many times are we going to see millions of kina disappear in dubious acts by people who are only known to the politicians and their cronies? The case in Lae is not the first and not the last either all over Papua New Guinea.

What is happening under the sun is a direct result of poor and corrupt leadership - a style of leadership that needs to be altered at all levels in Papua New Guinea when such scenario is obvious.

Those who are responsible for stealing these massive amounts of money must face the full force of the law. There is a lot of leniency in this kinds of acts or nothing is done with these kinds of daylight robberies. I think we need to add more teeth into our existing laws to put these kinds of people out of business for good.

The People & Companies of Lae Deserve Better Roads

By Jaive Smare

Half of the K50 million budgeted for upgrading roads in Lae, Morobe province for 2009 is missing and authorities seem confused where it is.

According to Works Secretary Joel Luma, the K25 million ($7m) has simply vanished. Other Government sources say the missing money is in a trust fund somewhere in Waigani.

Mr Luma explained that part of the problem is that under the Public Finance act, Part VII, State Tenders and Contracts (s.39.sub.1.b) the supply and the tenders board on the advice of the Head if the Finance Department and the Minister has the jurisdiction to control and regulate the supply of works and services for and on behalf of the State.

Therefore since the funds belonged to the National Government even though it allocated the money to fixing up the Lae roads, the National Supplier and Tenders Board under the act oversees the scope of work. In an ideal situation this should have worked out for Lae residents, however now K25 million is missing.

To add to the confusion, Mr Luma said unknown contractors have worked on sections of Lae roads without proper procedures being followed. This is now being investigated.

Morobe Governor Luther Wenge (above, left) is upset at the whole at the whole matter and wants to know why the funds were not allocated directly to the Morobe Provincial Government. This would mean the Morobe Provincial Supply and Tenders Board would manage the scope of works.

Lae Mayor James Kay believes that awarding Lae a commission status (like NCD) will mean Lae has more autonomy at funding and fixing up its roads with the National Government and Morobe Government concentrating on the province as a whole.

Member for Lae, Bart Philemon said more than K16 million is needed to keep Lae up to scratch every year instead of the K3 million annually budgeted.

Lae is the PNG’s second largest city with a very busy port and industrial hub, however its roads are atrocious. Obviously if you read this story, you will agree with me that the people responsible for the development and maintenance of Lae roads, are quite a confused bunch and this confusion may cost K25 million.

We hope there is a proper investigation - the people and businesses of Lae deserve better. Share your thoughts at the forum. Just click here

*** How many times are we going to see millions of kina disappear in dubious acts by people who are only known to the politicians and their cronies? The case in Lae is not the first and not the last either all over Papua New Guinea.

What is happening under the sun is a direct result of poor and corrupt leadership - a style of leadership that needs to be altered at all levels in Papua New Guinea when such scenario is obvious.

Those who are responsible for stealing these massive amounts of money must face the full force of the law. There is a lot of leniency in this kinds of acts or nothing is done with these kinds of daylight robberies. I think we need to add more teeth into our existing laws to put these kinds of people out of business for good.

The People & Companies of Lae Deserve Better Roads

By Jaive Smare

Half of the K50 million budgeted for upgrading roads in Lae, Morobe province for 2009 is missing and authorities seem confused where it is.

According to Works Secretary Joel Luma, the K25 million ($7m) has simply vanished. Other Government sources say the missing money is in a trust fund somewhere in Waigani.

Mr Luma explained that part of the problem is that under the Public Finance act, Part VII, State Tenders and Contracts (s.39.sub.1.b) the supply and the tenders board on the advice of the Head if the Finance Department and the Minister has the jurisdiction to control and regulate the supply of works and services for and on behalf of the State.

Therefore since the funds belonged to the National Government even though it allocated the money to fixing up the Lae roads, the National Supplier and Tenders Board under the act oversees the scope of work. In an ideal situation this should have worked out for Lae residents, however now K25 million is missing.

To add to the confusion, Mr Luma said unknown contractors have worked on sections of Lae roads without proper procedures being followed. This is now being investigated.

Morobe Governor Luther Wenge (above, left) is upset at the whole at the whole matter and wants to know why the funds were not allocated directly to the Morobe Provincial Government. This would mean the Morobe Provincial Supply and Tenders Board would manage the scope of works.

Lae Mayor James Kay believes that awarding Lae a commission status (like NCD) will mean Lae has more autonomy at funding and fixing up its roads with the National Government and Morobe Government concentrating on the province as a whole.

Member for Lae, Bart Philemon said more than K16 million is needed to keep Lae up to scratch every year instead of the K3 million annually budgeted.

Lae is the PNG’s second largest city with a very busy port and industrial hub, however its roads are atrocious. Obviously if you read this story, you will agree with me that the people responsible for the development and maintenance of Lae roads, are quite a confused bunch and this confusion may cost K25 million.

We hope there is a proper investigation - the people and businesses of Lae deserve better. Share your thoughts at the forum. Just click here

*** How many times are we going to see millions of kina disappear in dubious acts by people who are only known to the politicians and their cronies? The case in Lae is not the first and not the last either all over Papua New Guinea.

What is happening under the sun is a direct result of poor and corrupt leadership - a style of leadership that needs to be altered at all levels in Papua New Guinea when such scenario is obvious.

Those who are responsible for stealing these massive amounts of money must face the full force of the law. There is a lot of leniency in this kinds of acts or nothing is done with these kinds of daylight robberies. I think we need to add more teeth into our existing laws to put these kinds of people out of business for good.