Briefs

Call to serve with dignity
EAST New Britain police commander Joseph Tabali wants his officers to treat people with respect. Tabali said the main duties of policemen were to maintain law and order, therefore it was important they served the people with dignity. He said policemen who performed out-of-line would be dealt with accordingly.

MPs urged to unite
FORMER premier Emmanuel Maeka Ume has called on Central Governor Robert Agarobe and the district members to unite and serve; Ume, who was premier from 1980 to 1991, said the governor and his MPs must serve the people’s interest first, not their personal or party interests.

Parliament pays respects
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) on May 7 observed a minute’s silence to pay respects to their fallen colleagues, the late John Kuble and Matthew Siune. Kuble, the former Gumine MP, died on Feb 11. He was first elected to the first house of assembly from 1964 to 1968. Siune was the former Kundiawa MP who died on March 23. He was first elected to the seventh national parliament from 2002-7.

Police manpower enough
POLICE Commissioner Gari Baki says the NCD and Central command have the manpower to provide security during parliament sittings in Port Moresby. Baki said police in Port Moresby was fully equipped and they would not need assistance from officers outside the metropolitan.

UoG committed to quality
THE University of Goroka is committed to providing quality tertiary education for its graduates, Vice-Chancellor Prof Musawe Sinebare says. “We are determined to scrutinise our priority to ensure quality education is delivered to students,” he said. Sinebare, said fraudulent practices of admission and recruitment were removed by installing mechanisms that eliminated corruption.

Compensation hot topic
LANDOWNERS from the four regions want compensation for their alienated land, environmental damages and projects carried out on their land, a magisterial services officer says. Clivson Philip told the recent 2019 National Land Summit that the issue of land compensation was a topic in all the regional land meetings this year. Philip said landowners raised concerns about the State compensating them for the land taken away from them during the colonial administration. He said they also wanted compensation to include payments for any environmental damage.

SABL should continue
THE participants of the Highlands regional land summit workshop have called for the Moratorium on the Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) to be lifted. They expressed this at the recent workshop, saying that SABL was good and it worked for them. Participant Karl Rucklonger from AMEC Trading Construction told The National that SABL had been considered as good for them because they have seen benefits for them as well as the landowners. “The SABLs which are functional should be left to continue to operate. After the lease expires, then the SABL goes back to the landowners,” Rucklonger said.

Women in commerce
WOMEN in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, met on May 12 to look at ways to launch the women chamber of commerce and industry. The meeting was attended by PNG Women Chamber of Commerce Industry president Avai Koisen and her executives. Koisen said when the chamber was established, it will help the struggling mothers.

SME policy applauded
AN advocator for Tourism and Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has applauded the Government’s commitment to help set up local businesses with conducive policies. Nawaeb SME and Good Governance director Francis Steven said the government’s policies were favourable to SMEs. He said Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, as chairman of the SME Council, had clear visions for Papua New Guinea-owned businesses when setting up the SME policy and master plan (2016-30).