Irrational consultants
I REFER to a paragraph in Column1 (Dec 11).
The large number of white people who have travelled on our ships will be surprised by your item.
If the consultants were really doing their job, they would have gone to the office to determine if there was in fact such a policy.
If they were a group of consultants doing a survey on coastal shipping, why didn’t they make themselves available to us because if they are doing a survey on our industry, we would like the know about it and answer any of their questions. It is after all, our industry.
Too many consultants sneak in and out and give a biased report on what they have seen or learned.
These seem to be of that breed.
If not, come in and see us in Rabaul.
Our services are unabashedly for the people of PNG.
In this time of peak travel, we reserve space for Papua New Guineans returning home for the Christmas break.
Any consultant stupid enough to be trying to compete with the people of this country for valuable space at this time of the year are too stupid to be accepted as rational people. - PR Sharp, Rabaul Shipping Ltd

B Mobile charges too steep
I HAVE decided to stick with B Mobile even though Digicel is in the picture. However, Telikom does not seem to appreciate its loyal B Mobile customers. Instead of lowering its charges to stay in competition, it is doing the opposite. This leads to a simple question – why are Telikom’s prepaid charges so high during peak hours? I was charged K18 for staying on the line for eight minutes! I did a simple calculation and found that I was charged K2.25 per minute. I find this thoroughly ridiculous. B Mobile’s credit plan says the charges are K1.40 per minute during peak hours but my calculation showed this was not the case. We are instead being cheated. If you don’t believe me, time your calls and do the calculations yourself. I call on B Mobile to come out with a more competitive credit plan because Digicel and GreenCom will put pressure on your existence in Papua New Guinea. – Jay Kay, Oro province

Tribal wars benefiting no one
DESPITE the best efforts of the police force, peace committees, church and community leaders, tribal fights in the Highlands do not look like they are going to end anytime soon. I come from Western Highlands and I am embarrassed with the mindless attitude of some people who deliberately encourage and fuel tribal fights. Tribal fights serve no purpose and they hinder development and progress. I call on my fellow Highlanders to come to their senses and consign tribal fights to the history books. I grew up knowing nothing else but fighting among ourselves. As a result, I don’t see any progress, development and basic services in my area. Many innocent mothers and children ended up displaced because of tribal fights. We have no one but ourselves to blame for causing extensive damage, loss of lives and properties. Thus, I call on everyone to end tribal wars and embrace peace and to start rebuilding our lives again. – Charles Boma, Port Moresby

Who needs money most?
I REFER to the letter by Steven Kikala (Dec 10). It seems to me that the writer does not appreciate the initiative taken by the Enga Students Association to address HIV/AIDS and tribal fights in the province. The writer implied that since past Enga students failed to account for the funds, he is assuming that the current ones will also do the same. The students association is not employed by the Government to carry out such activities. However, it is doing it on its own initiative. Regardless of whether the Lagaip-Porgera MP donated K1,000 or K5,000, the question is “who needs the money most?” Donald Kaiwi or the students trying to contribute meaningfully to the province? – Rodney Duval, via email

PM’s remarks discriminatory
I FIND Sir Michael Somare’s comments on Transparency International (TI) PNG discriminatory. I believe the non-governmental organisation has done a lot for PNG with regard to the process of nation building. TIPNG has enabled the public to recognise their personal status such as who they are and where they are with respect to their basic rights. It also organises public awareness so as to bring the message – better rights, better policies and better laws. Thus, I am embarrassed over the negative statements made by the Prime Minister and I find them discriminatory. I urge TIPNG to continue striving for transparency in all aspects. – Kurumambu stronghold, Port Moresby

Passirem remarks shocking
I AM disappointed and shocked over the comments of AIDS Council’s care and counselling manager David Passirem in the article “Nightclubs do not promote evil” (Dec 12). By saying that, he is contradicting his role as care and counselling manager. Nightclubs are not only the contributing factor to the spread of HIV/AIDS but one of the causes of the breakdown of the family units, rape, underage prostitution, murder and the list goes on. I support Dr Allan Marat’s call to close down all nightclubs in the country. – Ipa Kakua, China

Karimuis can do the job
THE people of Karimui are sick and tired of those who sit in the District Office and do nothing to bring progress and development. We need people with vision to take us out of the rut we are in. We want the people of Karimui to run the show. We don’t need outsiders to do that for us. I believe we have suitable and qualified Karimuis to do just that. – Concerned citizen, Port Moresby