Agreement is key: MP

 Reports by MALUM NALU

Tari-Pori MP and Finance Minister James Marape says it is vital that outstanding issues in the 2009 Umbrella Benefits Sharing Agreement (UBSA) are honoured.

He said that yesterday when addressing the State and landowner issues meeting in Port Moresby to discuss issues relating to the PNG LNG Project.

“Honouring the UBSA agreement is paramount for us,” Marape said.

“What is really incumbent upon us now is Department of Petroleum and Energy, assisted by Finance, Planning and Treasury, commercial industry and other stakeholders like MRDC (Mineral Resources Development Company) to sit down and see what we have honoured in the UBSA agreement and what is outstanding.” 

Marape told Petroleum and Energy Minister Ben Micah “that we really need to take stock of what has happened after 2009 signing in Kokopo until this point in time, what Government has honoured and what Government has not honoured yet.

“I will push for us to name what we’ve honoured, beneficiaries and benefits,” he said.

“Speaking as Finance Minister, I want to know what has happened on the ground as far as those projects are concerned.

“I want to know, per se.

“It is really important as Government, at this table here, that we sit down and have frank discussions.

“Speaking today, as I say, we have not honoured some yet, so we need to take stock of what we have not honoured yet.

“We need to establish a way forward.”

Marape said it was fortunate to have leaders from Gulf, Hela, Southern Highlands and Central at the meeting as the PNG LNG Project was an “integrated project”.

“The Prime Minister (Peter O’Neill) is not very far in this discussion (as Ialibu-Pangia MP), but sometimes we compound the problem ourselves,” he said.

Marape gave as an example, infrastructure development grants of 2014 and 2015 being held up by the National Court.