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Sports |
Tiensten has submitted to defeat
AFTER his failed meeting with his
Australian counterpart recently, Foreign Minister Paul Tiensten
said: “On the other side it does not give any hope for us to
progress any bilateral meeting with Australia, so using the Moti
issue as a condition to progress the bilateral relations with
Australia is a disappointment.”
The failed meeting with Alexander Downer boils down to one issue –
the Moti saga.
It seems Tiensten has resigned himself to defeat, helplessness and
powerless.
And in my view, it is all the fault of Sir Michael Somare who, as
Defence Minister, will now determine what to do with the report
handed to him by the PNG Defence Force’s inquiry into the affair.
Our two countries have long-standing and deep-rooted ties.
Australia has supported PNG in good and bad times since
colonisation.
It set up the infrastructure that we now enjoy.
Sir Michael can do PNG a favour by stepping down as his continued
presence will hinder the country’s development. Wikauma Kul,
Townsville, Australia
Parents burdened with school fees
IF anyone feels threatened by the
initiative Sir Pita Lus took to approach the Prime Minister for
school fee assistance on behalf of the struggling parents in
Maprik, then ask yourself how much you have contributed towards
the fees.
And if Sir Pita’s move is a wake-up call for our stubborn elected
leaders, be reminded that paying school fees is an investment too,
similar to any economical infrastructure that the district
administration is developing.
Although the timing of his approach might not go down well with
the Prime Minister, intending candidates and their supporters, let
us not pretend that all is well in Maprik.
Someone needs to speak out on behalf of the silent majority of
parents who have had to struggle to pay school fees over the last
couple of years.
Once again thank you Sir Pita for breaking the silence in this
area where the so-called leaders have failed miserably. -Kumbahinemb,
Madang
I Withhold competition
AN ICT (information, communications
and technology) policy is an important cornerstone for any
national or regional progress. From my layman’s understanding, it
covers telecommunication, broadcasting and internet. I agree with
Public Enterprise Minister Arthur Somare that it is vital to have
an ICT policy in place before we can allow the entry of
competition into the telecommunications industry. However, I am
distressed that as the minister responsible, he has allowed
dissension amongst stakeholders dictated by “outside interest”
whether Digicel and Dawamiba should commence operations. This
clearly shows a case of conflicting interest. I hope transparency
and accountability prevails at the end. I anticipate ICCC to
understand that without an ICT policy, competition must be put on
hold. – V. Badira, Tokyo, Japan
Replace old leaders
WHEN leaders get old and do not
measure up to the country’s demanding political and economic
challenges and expectations, they should be replaced. Age matters.
In the case of the Prime Minister’s post, the person holding it
should be between 55 and 75 years of age. We have seen in other
countries where young leaders have marched their countries off the
cliff. In PNG, the post should be contested between Sir Michael
Somare, Bart Philemon, Sir Mekere Morauta, Sir Rabbie Namaliu and
Dame Carol Kidu. I predict that no highlander will be the next
Prime Minister – we are too desperate and arrogant. In 2012,
perhaps. I believe Sir Michael will be returned but will not stay
for long. – Highlander, Port Moresby
Promotion of smoke unfitting
I OBJECT to the photograph on April
11 which shows two girls smoking marijuana. Your newspaper is
normally filled with stories about the negative effects of drugs
on people’s behaviour (rapes, etc) yet here you are promoting the
use of drugs by publishing this photograph. Even if it is not
marijuana, the promotion of any kind of smoking in your newspaper
is inappropriate. Also there are too many photographs appearing in
the Time Out pages showing people drinking alcohol. Newspapers are
read by children and young people and there is great potential for
negative influence by showing people indulging in drinking,
especially when the people in the pictures appear to be drunk.
– Aaron Hayes, Director, PNG Counselling and Care
Too many mistakes
I AGREE with Bart Philemon that
Arthur Somare has not been productive as an MP and has in fact,
thwarted PNG’s growth, especially in information technology. There
is so much useful information available on the internet but my
colleagues have limited access and remain very much in the dark.
The performance of state-owned enterprises has been dismal. Air
Niugini, for example, continues to cancel or delay flights,
causing great inconveniences to the travelling public. The
Government, led by the National Alliance, has made too many
mistakes. – Josephine Nakijoba, Sydney, Australia
Check plantation titles
I WRITE in support of Richard Maru’s
outburst against the sale of Waghi Mek Plantation’s assets. I
believe Dick Hagon has been trying to sell individual plantations
to landowners for the last three years and is a stumbling block to
the Government’s efforts to rehabilitate the plantation by
instituting certain court actions. The Rural Development Bank
should check all the titles to the properties at the Lands
Department to confirm the status. – J. Aipe, Banz
SHP kept in suspense
IT is a real shame and also laughable
that we have three individuals who think they are the only ones
capable of administrating Southern Highlands . The province is not
for Hami Yawari, Andrew Hayabe or William Powi alone that they can
keep their populace in suspense and hold back the delivery of
basic services and goods. – Tapul Heap, Tabubil
 
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