PM: Land still yours – The National

By GYNNIE KERO
PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has assured the traditional owners of a piece of land in Central at the centre of a controversial K46.6 million sale that they can keep it.
He told Parliament – following representations by Central Governor Kila Haoda and Kairiku-Hiri MP Peter Isoaimo – that he yesterday received a detailed report on the land transaction which involved the State-owned Kumul Consolidated Holdings.
Following Cabinet approval to allocate K50 million for the purchase of the land, KCL paid K46.6m to the company which owned the piece of land at Manumanu outside Port Moresby.
The plan was to relocate the army barracks at Taurama and Murray in Port Moresby and the naval base there.
O’Neill said yesterday it was the first time he had received a detailed report “on the issues surrounding that land”.
“I will go through the issue and I will be making a public statement in due course,” he said.
He had received a petition from Haoda on behalf of the traditional landowners of Manumanu “several months ago which I have instructed the officials to look through and how we can help traditional landowners who are living on the land”.
He assured Haoda and Isoaimo that he would allow the landowners at Manumanu to live on the land.
“I will, as I have done in the case of Woodlark (Milne Bay), allow the people of Manumanu to continue to live on that land and look at the possibility of returning portions of the land which they already settled back to the landowners,” he said.
The issue was brought up in Parliament by Kavieng MP Ben Micah, who said the land sale was fraudulent.
He questioned how a naval base could be located 10km inland of Manumanu.
Defence Minister Dr Fabian Pok told Parliament that the decision to relocate the barracks and naval base was made by the Government.
“There are two portions of land at Manumanu,” he said.
“One (800ha) is into the sea and the second 800ha is what we are talking about.
“The Defence Force and KCH after seeing this land went into an agreement to move the wharf (naval base) there.”