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.

AN IPILI STORY

Fraser Liu

April 26 at 2:53 PM

I am one of 24 brothers and sisters. We own a large piece of land, which has an abundant natural occurrence of a mineral. One day someone came and told us that the minerals under our land are valuable and that we can be rich beyond our wildest dreams. His name was Mr Developer. He sold us tales and promises of wonder, we could not resist.

He came with a familiar looking neighbor who knew my language, and another bloke who told me that he was Mr. Government and that we had a duty to listen to him because despite us owning our own land; anything below six feet belonged to him. This was all very confusing to my family and I, but they looked much wiser and smarter than us, so we listened.

They introduced us to Mr Lawyer, who wrote up a paper called a Special Mining Lease. Mr Lawyer said that this paper was the agreement between ourselves, Mr Developer, and Mr Government. We asked him what the details of the agreement were.

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.