Briefs

‘Don’t pay lip service’
THE PNG Labour Party, a governing coalition partner, has urged the Government to refrain from paying lip service to hardworking public servants. Parliamentary leader Dr Bob Danaya said the Government must ensure hard working public servants are given due recognition through award systems. Dr Danaya said this after praising the Government for recognising former Australian prime minister and Labour leader Bob Hawke during the Logohu awards and bestowing him the title of Grand Chief. However, he said it was sad to see that many hard working teachers and health workers were left out in the Logohu and Queen’s Honours lists. Dr Danaya, who is Western Governor, suggested that at least 50 teachers and health workers be recognised annually.

Remember true heroes
PAPUA New Guinea war-time soldiers, carriers and other military personnel of the defence forces, should be recognised for their roles in World War II. Motu Koitabu council chairman Miria Ikupu raised the concern during a felicitation ceremony for retired sergeant Ben Moide earlier this month at the Ben Moide Soldiers Club in Port Moresby. Mr Ikupu said it was time that the appropriate Government bodies did something to recognise PNG soldiers and the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels for their efforts along the Kokoda Track. “So many people are being knighted and invested with top medals, so what about the soldiers and carriers who risked their lives for us?” Mr Ikupu asked. 

Man charged with conspiracy
A WEST New Britain man has been charged with three counts of conspiracy, as he faced the Waigani Committal courts. The defendant, Wesley Kapinias, appeared before the courts after being arrested in Rabaul and escorted to Port Moresby. While being the project manager for the Southern Highlands province rural electrification programme in 2008, Kapinias and co-accused Hariki Hengene allegedly conspired and submitted a false tax invoice under Yutai Limited dated June 31, 2008, and received K29,700 from PNG Power. The matter was adjourned for a week, to give time for his lawyer to deliberate on the police brief.

WHP warring tribes reconcile
WARRING tribes in the Lumusa district of the Mul Baiyer electorate, Western Highlands province, reconciled last Monday after a year-long tribal fight which claimed the lives of 45 people. The Yuwei and Mulipisa tribes pledged that they would not fight anymore and do away with their guns because many lives had been lost and property destroyed. The fight began last year over the results of the local level government council president elections in the district. Provincial police commander Supt Kaiglo Ambane commended the tribes for taking the bold step forward. Supt Ambane said the tribes who fled from their homelands would resettle soon.

PNG Power to host meet
PNG Power will be hosting the 19th annual regional conference on power utility for four weeks next July in Port Moresby. This was announced last Tuesday at a press conference by PNG Power and the Pacific Power Association (PPA), who are the organisers. There will be 150 guests from utility and businesses that deal with power in the region from countries such as Tahiti, French Polynesia, Micronesia, Palau and other small developing island nation in the north and south. The key aim of the annual conference is to form a network to have a big market and at the same time improve performance in power generation.The PPA was established in 1991 and hosted the first conference and PPA is growing bigger with more membership with many success stories.

Pastors conference in Mendi
THE Southern Highlands provincial council of churches executive committee is hosting its first inter-denominational pastors conference at Mendi town’s Mome Oval this week. This conference will be hosted in order to prepare churches to take on the new challenges that could be associated with the development that is taking place in the province. The conference will run for five days starting today and will end on Saturday. More than 1,000 pastors are expected to attend. Among them would be Rev Dr William Longgar, director of the Melanesian Institute; Evangelist Charles Lapa, founder of Christian Life Outreach Centre PNG; and Rev Roger Joseph, former principal of Rarongo Theological
College.