The Story of how 25% of Porgera was Merged with a Unknown Company

 WE HAD 25% OF PORGERA IN THE 90s. WE MERGED IT WITH A K2 COMPANY WHICH CREATED PNG FOCUSED AUSTRALIAN OIL AND GAS COMPANY, OIL SEARCH LTD– AND NOW WE WANT PORGERA BACK AT COST – A TALE SHROUDED IN HIGH LEVEL CORRUPTION AND CONTROVERSY MASTERMINDED BY GREEDY POLITICIANS AND THEIR COHORTS.

Sam Jay Kaupa
Admin – PNG Mining & Development Forum
20th June 2021

When our forefathers gained independence in 1975 they established the Mineral Resources Development Company Limited (MRDC) which was 100% owned by the Government of Papua New Guinea.

MRDC was incorporated on 27th May 1975 under the Companies Ordinance 1966. It was not until 1981 that it became fully functional as a company entrusted with the duty to manage mining and petroleum resource equity interests on behalf of the State and Landowners.

It was the ultimate State Nominee to acquire the State and Landowner equity interests in mining and petroleum projects and to manage the equity funds for landowner companies from the major resource development areas of PNG.

In 1996 during Sir Julius Chan’s term as PM, MRDC was subjected to a partial privatization of its major interests resulting in the creation of Orogen Minerals Limited (OML), of which MRDC held 51 percent controlling shares while other major corporate bodies and individuals collectively held the remaining 49 per cent in OML.

OML at the time was a holding company which controlled stakes in Papua New Guinea resource companies. The Company had a portfolio of high valued assets developed by subsidiaries of major international resources companies. OML had interests in oil development, producing oilfields, gold mines and gold deposits including Kutubu, Gobe, Porgera, Lihir and Moran.

The Porgera Gold Story - Enga's heartbeat

Sam Yockopua

16th July 2020

Stars align in a thousand years. Lightning does not strike the same place twice. And miracles do happen. You will drive through the red light 9 out of 10 times, but that 10th time, you will get it, you will regret why you took risks all the time when others waited for their turns to go.

Just like how criminals & terrorists forcefully blindfold, disable, torture and ridicule their victims in their own safe premises, Porgerans have become the living testament to the loot of their blessed land for 30 years. You don't need to go further than a few meters walk out of the gold mine gate to Yokolama, Kulapi, Pandadaka, Anawe, Yarik, or Apalaka and you for yourself how these SML landowners have lived and continue to squatter in slums and ghettos.

LATE MALIPU BALAKAU'S VISION ON THE PORGERA GOLD MINE DEVELOPMENT / SCANDALOUS MINING CONTRACT FIASCO

Elwyn Pupang Pilyo

May 23 at 1:20 PM

The Porgera Mining Contract of ‘89’ was significantly altered, devoid of the aspirations of then Enga Regional MP, late Hon. Malipu Balakau. The final paper excluded clauses that had been vigorously pushed for by Hon. M Balakau during the forums with the State and Joint Venture Partners months earlier. Had this visionary leader’s radical and nationalistic agenda been captured in the final draft, the course of history, including the socio-economic landscapes, of both Enga Province and PNG, been without doubt positively different.

After his election victory in ‘87’ late Hon. M Balakau set out to do exactly what he had promised his voters during his campaign. He was determined to underpin his dream for Enga’s radical advancement at the back of EPG’s greater participation in developing the gold discovered at Porgera, and therefrom, launch his pitch to be the first PM from Enga Province.

His famed speech ‘to reverse the wind that is blowing’ fanned the hopes of a predominately illiterate but prideful and headstrong people. Though new comers to the outside world the Engan men’s ideals and beliefs of greatness were deeply entrenched in the dynamic and complex cultural setting that had been passed on untainted from a far but traceable past.

Death of an MP, and the shattered dreams of a remote people

Daniel Kumbon

19 June 2015

An entry in the Crocodile Prize PNG Government Award for Short Stories

IT’S a heart- wrenching tale of the brief ascent to power, downfall and death of Takai Kapi, the former Member of Parliament for Wabag.

And it was all predicted in a dream – not by a fortune teller a village magician but by a respected chartered accountant, Larsen Levi.

Levi is a graduate of the PNG University of Technology. He had a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting.  He encouraged the late Kapi to stand for election in 1997 because he saw him win in a vivid dream which turned out to be true.

Kapi had graduated from the University of PNG with a BA in Political Science in 1996. At age 25, he was too young and lacked experience. He hadn’t yet grown the tough hide required to withstand challenges and complexities of modern day politics.

From shocking tribal violence to strawberries for Singapore

By DANIEL KUMBON

How Grand Chief, Sir Peter Ipatas rebuilt the old PHQ Office complex

Yesterday Chinese businessman Joe’s three-story building was burned down at Keas.

Today this story has appeared in PNG ATTITUDE which is published out of Australia. It highlights how the old PHQ office complex which burned down in March 1993 could not be saved because there was no fire service.

The story also highlights how Grand Chief Sir Peter Ipatas replaced that gutted PHQ with a modern one.

And how Governor Sir Ipatas has built other million kina projects in fighting zones, maintain stability and to export strawberries over 26 years later.

Please read on….

Nobody believed the people of Enga Province would one day export premium strawberries. To outsiders, it seemed their main achievement was to involve themselves in tribal warfare.

That perception will hopefully be erased now that a market has been established in Singapore for Enga strawberries and possibly other agricultural products.

This is the result of hard work put in by Governor Sir Peter Ipatas who encouraged Israeli company Innovative Agro Industries to partner with the Enga Provincial Government to establish a K23 million vegetable project at Taluma in the Sirunki area of Laiagam.

Education Does Not Stop At Graduation

EDUCATION DOES NOT STOP AT GRADUATION*

• The Master of Ceremony
• The Governing Board
• The Headmaster
• The Teaching Faculty
• Your auxiliary staff
• Community Leaders
• Leaders of the province
• Provincial Leaders
• National MP.
• Parents and guardians
• Students and more so the Graduands

It gives me great pleasure and honour to be upstanding before you to be part of your graduation today.
We have two groups of graduating students today, one to further their studies with opportunities on offer in pursuit of a better life in education in some of our higher institutions whilst one group will not, so, how do we assist the unfavoUred group so, their learning and education does not see an end here today at this graduation 2017. 
I come from a life where I was denied my rights to a formal education leaving school doing 8th grade at St Pauls Lutheran High School.1978.

A brief history of Enga politics

There is a political power struggle in Enga which is reverberating through PNG. We all know the big name key players, Abal, Ipatas, Polye and Duma.

Political power struggles are nothing new. But the fact that this one involves popular Engans brings us back in time, to another place and another chapter.

Wabag based correspondent DANIEL KUMBON guides us down the path to one dark corner of the brief history of Enga politics and focuses on the downfall off one aspirant and the elevation of another.