Landowner beneficiaries from the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) regions in Western Province have elected the first two of eight directors to the board of their equity trust company, Mineral Resources CMCA Holdings Limited (MRCMCAH), a subsidiary under the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC). MRCMCA holds 12% equity in the Ok Tedi Mine.
Mr Wapri Gainu was declared Director-elect for the Suki Fly Gogo Region in Daru, and Mr John Dii was declared Director-elect for the Nupmo Region in Kiunga, on Friday 2 October. Both contests were decided by a single vote.
The non-parliamentary elections are being conducted by the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC) under its existing Memorandum of Understanding with MRDC. PNGEC returning officers are overseeing the awareness, nomination, polling, counting and declaration processes at both venues.
MRDC Managing Director Augustine Mano congratulated the two directors-elect and commended the delegates on the conduct of the first elections.
“The CMCA trust structure was established to safeguard and grow the benefits accruing to landowners from their equity interest in the Ok Tedi Mine. These elections are an important part of ensuring that beneficiaries have a voice in the governance of their company through directors they have elected themselves.
“The first two regions have now chosen their directors through a process that was fair, transparent and accountable. We encourage the representatives of the remaining six regions to participate responsibly and elect leaders who will act in the best interests of present and future generations of CMCA beneficiaries,” Mr Mano said.
“The design of the engagement and leadership representation corresponds to the existing CMCA representation principles,” he added.
The elections are running in parallel at two stations. Week 2 covers the Dudi Region in Daru and the Tutuwe Region in Kiunga. Delegates from both regions have arrived, and registration began on Monday 5 October.
Over the coming days, delegates will take part in election awareness and company update sessions, followed by nominations and secret ballot voting. Directors-elect for both regions are expected to be declared by Thursday 8 October.
The program concludes on 23 October, by which time all eight regions, representing 156 villages, are expected to have elected their directors to the MRCMCAH board.
MRDC continues to facilitate the movement of village delegates to and from the polling venues throughout the election period, ensuring all representatives can participate in the process.
The election is being delivered through a collaborative partnership involving the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission, MRDC, Mineral Resources CMCA Holdings Limited, Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML), Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF), the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA), independent lawyers, security personnel and community leadership representatives. These
stakeholders are ensuring the process is conducted in a fair, transparent, and accountable manner, providing confidence to beneficiaries that the outcome reflects the will of their respective regions.