There is a new twist in Papua New Guinea’s four-year drama surrounding the Maseratis bought for the 2018 APEC Summit.

It has emerged that the Department of Foreign Affairs, which wants to send the luxury vehicles to foreign missions abroad, cannot do so, because the vehicles — which have been collecting dust in a Port Moresby warehouse — will now be classified as “used vehicles”.

And some countries in which PNG’s foreign missions are based cannot accept them under that category.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Elias Wohengu said that Papua New Guinea was also a non-vehicle producing country which did not have a licence or permit to export vehicles, let alone used ones.

Many developed countries could accept anything classified as “used vehicles” from PNG.

Other countries, such as Solomon Islands and Indonesia, also have other obstacles to overcome, if the cars were going to be sent eventually — Solomon Islands does not have good paved roads for such low-lying luxury vehicles, and Indonesian roads are just too crowded. Fast cars such as the Maseratis will be of no use there.

Early last year a notice was sent for PNG Foreign Affairs Department and its missions abroad to be given the priority to purchase Maseratis and Bentleys for their operations.

Challenges facing missions
There were challenges facing the missions and their heads on the latter.

Yesterday Wohengu spelled out the challenges preventing the cars from being sent across to the PNG Missions.

“As soon as the vehicles leave the sales spot, it is portrayed as a used car already,” he said.

“Some of these host countries do not accept used cars so we have the used car issue.

“Second issue that we have is the cost of shipment . . . But the biggest challenge is that many countries do not accept used cars, especially for diplomatic use and not from PNG,” he said.

“We would have got vehicles for all the missions, but you see, I can’t send a Bentley or a Maserati to Solomon Islands. Similarly I cannot send these vehicles to Jayapura or Fiji.

“But most of all, the used cars are not accepted in many host countries. Also we don’t have a permit for exporting used cars out of PNG. We can buy new vehicles from elsewhere but we can’t export them from PNG.

“Australia will not accept these cars from here, Singapore totally no. These are some examples.”

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Suspension of the news manager of Papua New Guinea’s major television channel, EMTV, has sparked a flurry of protest from senior news personalities and independent who condemn the apparent political pressure on the broadcaster.

Long standing and experienced news manager Sincha Dimara has reportedly been suspended over news judgement in a move that a former EMTV senior news executive  said “reeks of external influence” on the company’s top management.

“A CEO is a buffer between staff and any external pressure. You need a heart of steel and buckets of bravery to fend off political pressure,” said independent television journalist and blogger Scott Waide.

Waide was himself subjected to unfair suspension over airing a controversial story about then Peter O’Neill government’s purchase of luxury Maseratis for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference hosted in Port Moresby in 2018. He was later reinstated after an international outcry.

The Maserati saga continues to be a controversy in PNG.

“There is another way to correct coverage that does not ‘fit the aspirations’ of a news organisation — it’s called leadership,” said Waide in response to the Dimara suspension.

“If the CEO is too timid and cannot protect our Papua New Guinean staff, then please resign and go home! This is not the place for you.”

In responses shared on social media, former publisher of the PNG Post-Courier and a regional media consultant Bob Howarth, asked: “What does the Media Council have to say about political meddling in PNG’s struggling ‘free press’ …?”

Another former news executive, Joseph Ealedona, who headed the state broadcaster NBC and was himself involved in controversies, said NBC had built its reputation and integrity for years and “has the people’s protection”.

“It did happen to me but the people’s protest and insistence and the will of senior statesmen and political leaders to right the wrong saw me return for EMTV,” he said.

“in my view, it is just someone trying to protect oneself and fearful of losing privileges and has no guts to say no … and listening to just one or two people.

“I would believe that the PM [James Marape] is not happy with this this, it is at the detriment of the government if allowed to continue, especially when the NGE is around the corner [national general election is in June].

“The freedom of the media is very important to a free democracy but we in the [media] fraternity must carry [on] with utmost respect and do nothing but expose the truth as a responsible profession.”

Ealedona said journalists “must continue to fight against and with the might of the pen”.

He also asked what was the stance of the Suva-based Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) in response.

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Finance Minister Sir John Pundari has warned Papua New Guineans who are still holding onto the 102 APEC “on loan” vehicles to return them as soon as possible — or face the law.

A disappointed Sir John, flanked by Finance Secretary Dr Ken Ngangan and Police Commissioner David Manning, said on Friday the ultimatum notice that had been published in newspapers recalling a total of 102 APEC vehicles in the hands of unauthorised people had now lapsed.

Those involved would face the full force of the law.

“The seven-day ultimatum period lapsed on Thursday, September 16, and to date no person has surrendered the APEC vehicles,” he said.

“The Finance Department has requested engagement of police, RTA and MVIL to establish a collective task force to recoup all outstanding APEC vehicles.”

The designated officers from Finance Department, Motor Police – Boroko, NCD Traffic Police, RTA – Road Traffic Enforcement Teams and MVIL are all ready to execute the recovery of the missing APEC vehicles.

The recovery task force team would start executing the recovery soon after the Friday’s meeting.

Taking stock of assets
“Consistent with the requirements of the PFMA and the NPA, all APEC assets including liabilities were assumed by Department of Finance.

The Department of Finance had already taken stock of the assets and was progressively preparing to dispose all of them through public tender.

The disposal of state assets was a financial management process under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and the National Procurement Act (NPA).

It is by law that the Department of Finance was now the legitimate custodian of all APEC assets including the vehicles.

He said there are two phases in this disposal exercise – disposal of all 166 donated APEC vehicles, which was completed in June.

“Our donor partners agreed that donated fleets be allocated to schools, hospitals, churches/NGOs, government departments and other important charitable institutions.

“As far as our record is concerned, we have disposed 166 donated vehicles.

Fire trucks, ambulances and buses
“Donated vehicles were collectively fire trucks, ambulances and buses,” he said.

The disposal of 326 state-purchased APEC vehicles and a total of 119 low-end state-purchased APEC vehicles have already been allocated and distributed to various government departments (Public and Statutory Bodies, District and Provincial Governments, and SOEs) used for their administrative purposes.

“Finance Department is in the process of disposing the remaining.

“Some of these fleets are now with agencies and individuals and they have been advised to bring back for disposal.

“For instance, more than 15 vehicles are now utilised on covid-19 operations by Health, Police, and Defence on temporary basis, and about 98 vehicles are in the hands of unauthorised individuals,” he said.

The NEC, in Decision #5112021, has directed the Finance Department to immediately dispose all remaining stocks of APEC vehicles and put to rest the APEC issues.

APEC vehicles recovered and other remaining stocks of APEC vehicles will be prepared for BoS review and evaluation by the Department of Works. The NPC Board will then assess and approve on the BoS evaluation from Works Department.

Public tender
The NPC Board will further approve on the public tender for all remaining stocks of State purchased APEC vehicles.

All remaining stocks of APEC vehicles will be disposed by way of public tender though National Procurement Commission.

As a team and government stakeholders, we look forward to serving the government and its people while following the established government procurement processes.

“The government is committed to ensure that it employs a fair and transparent distribution of wealth for our citizens to benefit in this APEC vehicles disposal processes,” Sir John said.

Papua New Guinea is one of the poorest countries in Apec, with 40 percent of the population living on less than $1 a day, according to the United Nations.

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier journalist.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz