By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE home of PNG LNG Project Komo-Magarima electorate in Hela is undergoing transformation with millions of kina worth of project investment after missing out since the first exploration days in the 1930s.
The massive road, housing and electricity infrastructure projects that commenced two years ago will also spill over into Nipa-Kutubu and Mendi-Munihu in the Southern Highlands, Tambul in Western Highlands and Kandep in Enga. Education projects also have been implemented and the electorate is expected to be split if this Parliament approves the National Boundaries Review Commission report in its last session before the 2022 national election.
Komo-Magarima MP Manasseh Makiba during the official announcement of these projects at Magarima station last Friday, said that they broke away from the Peoples National Congress-led government in May 2019 because they had been missing out of these life-changing projects despite hosting the LNG project.
Hela Governor Philip Undialu in expressing similar sentiments, said that a total of K360 million from the tax credit scheme from the LNG Project that was supposed to transform Hela was spent in Port Moresby on the Apec Haus, National Football Stadium and the renovation of Sir Manasupe Haus during the hosting of the Apec in 2018.
Road sealing projects
Some road projects in the province are: The sealing of the Hiri-Lai road (that links Mendi-Muniu, Tambul and Kandep); Ambua-Nipa road sealing; Magarima-Kandep road sealing that will be called Hela Highway, Magarima Town road sealing, construction of Komo station-Mt Bosavi road that will link up to Nomad in Middle Fly District to Kiunga Town in Western Province; and Haliputu and Komo road sealing.
Electricity projects
Electricity projects include 34km of power line construction to provide electricity to 22 villages, a mini hydro power project and sourcing electricity from the LNG project.
Education projects
Komo, Malanda and Yuni Primary Schools in Komo District and Awapia, Homaria and Sogura High Schools and Hulia Agiru Memorial in Magarima District have been elevated to high school level this year and will take in students to continue to Grade 10. Currently all these schools offer classes from elementary to Grade 8.
Housing projects
Two iron roofing factories have been built in Komo and Magarima Districts. Villagers will obtain roofing iron from these factories to replace their bush material homes with permanent houses and have electricity connected to these houses.
MP Manasseh Makiba during the announcement said that these were ongoing projects but this occasion was held for the Prime Minister James Marape to come and see for himself.
“These are big investments projects with over K300million invested,” Mr Makiba said.
“The Ambua-Nipa road sealing starts from Ambua Lodge and will end in Nipa station in Southern Highlands Province (SHP). It is an intra-provincial road and at the end of that road in Nipa station sealing will also continue to Kiburu junction.
“That is the last stretch of the Highlands Highway and with these parts of the road, in the overall picture, it will be the sealing of the Highlands Highway from Mt Hagen in Western Highlands Province to Tari in Hela.”
Makipa said that “in Hela, it is emphasis on roads and electricity. There will be roads linking up all the communities. The communities which have no roads now, we will build their roads and existing roads we will widen and seal.
“Two years I was with PNC after the 2017 national election and I did nothing. And so for this reason we changed the Government and now with Marape we are having these massive projects. Just imagine if we stay for another five years. This place (Komo-Magarima and Hela) will change.”
Makiba said that for him to equally distribute projects, Komo-Magarima electorate has to be split.
“This electorate is too large with an area of 5,000 square kms and a population of 150,000. I can’t develop this electorate in five years. So, for the good of the people this electorate has to be split.
“One MP can’t look after this electorate in five years. I came in 2017 and faced problems in two years and I couldn’t do anything because I was under control. I then approached the Electoral Boundaries Commission, and put the agenda with Governor Undialu to spit the electorate. We put it to former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and he didn’t listen. Now we put it to Prime Minister James Marape and he listened.
“The Electoral Boundaries Commission did recommend for five electorates to be split in 2022. And one of these electorates is us. It’s now up to 111 MPs to vote.”
Makiba said that Komo station would be linked by road to Mt Bosavi at the border of Western Province.
“It is a big challenge. I have written to National Planning Minister Reinbo Paita and Prime Minister James Marape has given K5million to start building this road.
“So, my District Development Authority bought a portable (walkabout) saw mill and 10 saw mills. And that is for them to clear the trees, mill them into timbers to be used to build permanent houses. At the same time, they will be working on this road which is an important road. This is a missing link and it will link Hela to Western,” the MP said.
LNG royalties safe, Kua says
PETROLEUM Minister Kerenga Kua has urged landowners of the LNG project in Komo to stop all the court cases preventing them from benefiting from their royalties.
Kua told them at Komo station that “too many court orders tied up my hands and we were slow to remove all these court cases and we can’t run the benefits. But we manage to do that and now we have outstanding (royalties) for PDL only. It’s the court order and land owner identification.
“At the moment royalties in Bank PNG are K481million and equity in MRDC is K500 million. And the total is K1billion. We have commitment to roll it out but court cases are stopping us. We want to give it to you and you develop Komo-Magarima, and Hela and PNG as well. But there are impediments.
“Next Month public accounts be in full swing. I want Exxon (ExxonMobil PNG Ltd) and PM to bring my officers here and we iron out all the differences. We must bring them here and you can get it and work. So, there should not be too many disputes over landownership; we have to stop that now. We have to develop this back page,” Mr Kua said.
“We wanted to help you get your rightful benefits but you are putting handcuffs on us.
“Stop these land disputes. Stop these court cases. I ask you to stop all these things.”
SHP and Hela progressing
SOUTHERN Highlands Governor William Powi has congratulated Komo-Magarima MP Manasseh Akipa for implementing major roads and electricity projects
Powi said during the announcement of the projects at Magarima station in Hela last Friday that such massive projects would benefit both Hela and Southern Highlands.
“You (Hela people) have a new province but before the 2012 election we were one province. There are massive live-changing infrastructural projects going on in both provinces like never before. And so, I urge Hela and SHP people to get into business and become good citizens, get good education and have good families and communities,” Governor Powi said
“We can become a good model in the country. But I see a big challenge in our provinces, and that is law and order. You can have all the good infrastructural projects but if we kill ourselves these infrastructural projects will not help us, we will not reach our destination, and we will not reach our full potential.
“We will end up destroying ourselves, our families and communities including our leadership. So, the onus is on our leaders. Law and order is an important priority I see in these two provinces. So, I’m calling on you all to go and live in peace.
“And I call on us leaders that we must bring the court systems into both provinces. We need the judicial services. Police and Defence can do the job. But if there is no court to jail the perpetrators, all these good lives and future will be destroyed.
“We need to bring the National and Supreme Court services into these provinces. We have to build the capacity of these provinces in the judicial system so that justice can be working in these provinces. These are services to the people.
“Rebellious people have to be jailed. If there is no court how will people be jailed? We have been doing community policing for a long time and we need to change it. We need to jail people and deal with the criminals who don’t deserve to stay in our community. All these things will not work in our provinces if we don’t have the court systems.”
Powi said that late Anderson Agiru was the former Southern Highlands Governor when Hela was still part of it and he (Powi) was the provincial administrator.
“Late Agiru had a vision called the Southern Highlands Highway and that is a road from Mendi to Kikori in the Gulf Province. This Highway will soon be open and we will launch it next month.”
Meanwhile Powi said that when Hela spilt from SHP, many assets and business were owned by Southern Highlands Provincial Government like BSP shares, Star West Construction in Western Province, Petroleum Resources Kutubu (PRK) and 4.27 per cent equity in the Krotton shares of the LNG Project.
“This was one of the reasons why we broke out of the Peter O’Neill-led government. We were being promised to split up the assets but that never eventuated. And now with James Marape as the Prime Minister, we have divided the 4.27 per cent, amongst Hela and SHP.
“We also divided PRK which is a billion-kina investment. That was also done with the BSP shares and, Star West investment. So now Hela and SHP will work together.”
Good to see million kina worth projects being announced. The question to raise is; isn’t this a little bit too late? Announcement is one time, tenders is another and implementation is another. It’s only 2 months from issuing of writs and any learned person will know that this will not eventuate until after.