Abel wants vetting process followed

Proper clan-vetting processes have to be followed to identify landowners for payment of royalties to people within project areas, Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel says.
Responding to Sinasina-Yongomugl MP Kerenga Kua in Parliament on Tuesday, Abel said the funds were secure with the Central Bank (Bank of PNG).
Landowners have to be properly identified for the royalties and development levy payments.
Abel said with the 2 per cent landowner royalties were secure and had been accumulating in the Central Bank.
“Government has been going through difficult process in releasing those funds because of the landowners’ identification process,” he said. “At this particular time, since last year, the economy is more acute and the funding is acute but it does not mean that we bypass the processes.
“It has come through an exhausting process.
“The process of releasing these funds has been more acute.”
Abel said some funds were recently released to the provincial governments in Central and pipeline landowners.
“However, the process is ongoing for Hela, Southern Highlands and all the project provinces,” he said.
“We need to find other mechanisms to satisfy the requirements.
“With the disaster it is important that the correct landowners are identified. Those funds are secure and at the appropriate time, when the landowner identification process is completed, then that money will be released to the appropriate landowners.
“It’s a sensitive issue and we have be careful on how we address solutions around this important subject.”
Abel said royalty levies and project development levies related to production and if there was no production then there was no levy.