Basil, executive told to stay out of talks

YANTA Development Association (YDA) chairman Genesis Siliwana has urged Bulolo MP Sam Basil and chief executive officer Tae Gwambelek to stay out of any negotiations with the Wafi-Golpu project.
Siliwana said the Mining Act did not recognise the involvement of district administrators or local MPs during the negotiation process and the signing of agreements.
“With due respect to our administrator Tae Gwambelek and MP Sam Basil, by law, they are not a stakeholder in the Wafi-Golpu project, therefore, they must stay out and shouldn’t direct landowners to do this and that,” he said.
“The stakeholders recognised by the Mining Act are the landowners, two local level governments, including Mumeng and Wampar, Morobe government, the State and the developer Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture.”
Siliwana said Gwambelek and Basil would get their contribution from the provincial government and LLGs.
“In our position paper, we will state what our needs are,” he said.
“It is not Gwambelek and Basil who will come and dictate us on what to write to in our position paper.”
Siliwana refuted Gwambelek’s claim last Saturday at Venembeli village that the position paper YDA presented to last year was poorly written.
Gwambelek said he engaged 20 officers to assist YDA to draft their position paper last year.
He said the YDA declined and the Bulolo development authority drafted the position paper on behalf of Yanta and Hengambu landowners.