Yama prepares to be vocal in next mining review

Business

By DOROTHY MARK
MADANG Governor Peter Yama will have more to say in the coming Ramu nickel mining review scheduled for next year.
Yama was the Usino-Bundi MP in 2005 when he refused to be part of the team which went to China to sign the mining development contract agreement.
Those who went were then Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, Madang governor James Yali and Madang MP Alois King.
Yama said the team refused to accommodate a K500 million development proposal which he wanted the Ramu Nickel management to accept before signing the agreement. So they went without him.
“So in this review, we will look at what’s included and not included so we do the right thing,” he said.
“If they had agreed with me Kurumbukari to Sogeram, Madang town and Raicoast would already have major infrastructures like the four-lane roads,” Yama said.
Chinese Ambassador Bing Xue who met Yama on Friday after his trip to Basamuk invited him to visit China to see what China had to offer and discuss some developments for Madang. Xue told Yama that China’s biggest investment outside China was in Madang.
Meanwhile, Yama had tabled a budget proposal for Madang town’s four-lane roads for government’s approval.