Two days after being elected as Prime Minister again in Papua New Guinea, James Marape took his first official trip as the country’s leader while hitting the ground running in groundbreaking clean green energy projects he has been championing over the past two years.

He met with leaders of Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) in Singapore yesterday to progress the talks further.

After numerous questions on the trip to Singapore taken by Marape on Friday afternoon a statement was released about midnight through other social media platforms.

In the morning, the PM’s Department released the statement at 7.30 am after the country became aware of Marape’s trip to Singapore.

The Prime Minister flew to Singapore to continue important trade and investment conversations, including those on Papua LNG, Pasca LNG, Pn’yang LNG and also to get Porgera and Wafi-Golpu sanctioned.

He said from Singapore that FFI had voiced its intention to partner with Papua New Guinea in a big way to harvest clean green energy from both hydro and geothermal sources and to move into solar and wind energy production.

Currently, FFI has identified and set up project sites in Gulf Province for hydro and West New Britain Province for geothermal work and has been working in these areas since the signing of two important agreements since 2021.

Clean green energy way of future
Marape said from Singapore: “With global consciousness of fossil fuel-induced global warming, clean green energy is the way to move into the future and this meeting follows on the head agreement PNG has signed with FFI to progress investment in this energy sector.”

The Prime Minister also visited the PNG High Commission in Singapore with a view to strengthening it further as a trade and investment office while getting the PNG government to increase trade and investment with the ASEAN and APEC countries.

He said: “The Singapore office will be given more support in that context in partnership with Investment Promotion Authority, the Kumul companies, National Fisheries and Forestry authorities, and our Agriculture and Livestock departments so that it coordinates export and trade into the lucrative Asian market of over 2 billion people who need food and energy, and products PNG can mass produce into the future as we are planning under my government.”

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Gulf Province is only six hours away from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’s capital city, and is one of the most least developed provinces in the country.

Its main town, Kerema, is in a sad state. The market has closed, forcing locals to sell their fresh fish and garden food in an open sports field. The BSP Bank closed after a robbery, forcing locals to withdraw cash from Chinese shops in town.

I haven’t been to the hospital or the police station yet, but the town is littered with outsiders who have come to town to buy betelnut.

I think its time the town authority sat down and really looked into mapping out the town area and rehabilitating existing infrastructures. There must be laws also governing the influx of betelnut buyers to protect the locals’ interest.

The provincial government should also help find and establish markets for fish with buyers outside of the province, because Gulf definitely has a lot to offer in the fisheries sector. A market for cocoa should also be set up.

Despite having various projects like logging in the province for years, Gulf has little to show in terms of development.

People still walk for kilometres out in the villages to access basic services. There is no sea ambulance, many times pregnant mothers give birth at home – some die, and for them it is an everyday experiance.

No local jail
In terms of law and order, Gulf, despite been a province of its own, doesn’t have a jail. Detainees and remands are transported back to Port Moresby’s Bomana Jail. An expensive exercise.

People take advantage of this, knowing that only the serious cases will be prosecuted.

There are a lot of educated Gulf men and women in the country, yet, we are tolerant. We see, we complain but we do nothing.

Most choose to turn a blind eye to the state of their province and live in luxury in Port Moresby.

I say this, with a lot of shame, because I am honest enough to admit that I have never been home, never written about my province, and today I have come.

And I want to write.

It’s time to tell Gulf stories.

Rebecca Kuku is from Uaripi Village in Papua New Guinea’s Gulf Province. She is an occasional contributor to Asia Pacific Report, a content contributor to The Guardian (Australia) and to the PNG Post-Courier. This article was first published on Scott Waide’s My Land, My Country blog and is republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific

Papua New Guinea’s new Prime Minister James Marape has overseen a shake-up of cabinet which he says will drive reform the country needs.

The new National Executive Council, announced by Marape this afternoon in Port Moresby, includes two leading members of the opposition in recent years.

The Madang MP Bryan Kramer, an outspoken government critic with a massive following on Facebook, has been appointed Police Minister.

READ MORE: Marape apppoints 3 opposition MPs to new PNG ministry

Sinasina-Yongamugl MP Kerenga Kua, another trenchant critic of the former Peter O’Neill-led government, has been appointed Minister for Petroleum and Energy.

In both cases, an MP who has pushed for reform in a key sector now has the opportunity to implement changes in that area.

Marape’s announcement of Kramer’s appointment was met with cheers at Government House.

“He’s the first to admit that police operate in the rule of evidence and the rule of law,” Marape said.

Police heirarchy
“So we will be asking of him, in the first instance, to restore credibility in the entire police hierarchy. It’s not only about the commissioner or a few sections of the police. The entire police structure is dysfunctional at the moment.”

Marape, who has underlined that his government will review laws governing resource sectors, said he looked forward to working with Kua in the vital petroleum sector to ensure the country has an adequate share of the benefits.

“Of course, he comes from the other side of the house. And he did not cast a vote for me [as prime minister],” Marape explained.

“But this is not about me, this is about the right thing for the country, taking the best men we have around.”

Marape and Kua have both opposed the O’Neill government’s move in April to sign an agreement with French petroleum company Total for the US$13 billion Papua LNG gas project in Gulf province.

They cited concerns that landowner interests were being undermined in the deal, and that the O’Neill government had rushed the deal through without meeting mandatory requirements.

Triggered defections
Meanwhile, the Esa’ala MP Davis Steven has been appointed PNG’s Deputy Prime Minister. He and Marape were the first senior ministers to resign from the O’Neill government in April, triggering a series of defections which ultimately forced the former prime minister to resign.

Other notable cabinet appointments were Bulolo MP Sam Basil as the Treasurer, and O’Neill’s former deputy Charles Abel, the Alotau MP, as the Finance Minister.

Abau MP Sir Puka Temu has been given the portfolio of Bougainville Affairs, which is of critical importance given the Bougainville independence referendum is to be held in October.

Kikori Open MP Soroi Eoe is the new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, replacing Rimbink Pato who had been in the role since 2012.

Marape paid tribute to Pato’s work during his long stint in the role, but explained that there was no room for the Wapenamanda MP given the need to balance regional interests in the cabinet.

“I can’t afford to have more Engans in cabinet with me,” Marape said.

Cabinet split
The prime minister has also made a major change to the shape of cabinet by dividing it in two, which is an attempt at bringing reform with more inter-ministry cohesion than has been seen in the past.

One division will be in charge of the social sector, Marape explained. This will be led by the deputy prime minister and will cover sectors such as Health, Education, Police and Justice

The other area, which the prime minister himself will lead, is concerned with the economic sector, and will include Treasury, Finance and National Planning.

Notably, the National Alliance, which has led PNG’s opposition in the past two years, has not been given any portfolios, despite voting for Marape as prime minister. This seems to confirm that they will be the core of the opposition in the foreseeable future.

While there has been an injection of fresh talent into the National Executive Council, around half of the ministers who were also part of O’Neill’s cabinet, leaving a question mark over the prospects of true reform.

Marape’s cabinet:
1. James Marape – Prime Minister
2. Davis Steven – Deputy Prime Minister and Justice and Attorney-General
3. Joseph Yopyyopy – Education
4. Lekwa Gure – Civil Aviation
5. Wera Mori – Commerce and Industry
6. Renbo Paita – Communication and Energy
7. Wake Goi – Community Development, Youth and Religion
8. Chris Nangoi – Correctional Services
9. Saki Soloma – Defence
10. Soroi Eoe – Foreign Affairs and Trade
11. Jeffery Kama – Environment, Conservation and Climate Change
12. Dr Lino Tom – Fisheries and Marine Resources
13. Sir Puka Temu – Bougainville Affairs
14. Elias Kapavore – Health and HIV/AIDS
15. Nick Kuman – Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology
16. Justin Tkatchenko – Housing and Urban Development
17. Petrus Thomas – Immigration and Border Security
18. Pila Niningi – Inter-Government Relations
19. Alfred Manase – Labour and Industrial Relations
20. John Simon – Agriculture and Livestock
21. John Rosso – Lands and Physical Planning
22. Kerenga Kua – Petroleum
23. Bryan Kramer – Police
24. Sasindran Muthuvel – State Enterprises
25. Westly Nukundj – Public Service
26. Emil Tammur – Tourism, Arts and Culture
27. William Samb – Transport and Infrastructure
28. Michael Nali – Works and Implementation
29. Solan Mirisim – Forest
30. Sam Basil – Treasury
31. Richard Maru – National Planning and Monitoring
32. Charles Abel – Finance and Rural Development
33. Johnson Tuke – Mining

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz