Call to report revenues made

IT is now common knowledge that Papua New Guinea has been branded by Transparency International, as one of the most corrupt countries in the world today.
And as recently reported in the media, and to possibly improve on this tag, the government had now signed the extractive industries transparency initiatives international standards (EITIs).
The (EITIs) is the International Standards that require signatory governments to publicly report revenues from oil and gas, mining projects so as to decrease the opportunity for corruption and mismanagement by the State officials (politicians and civil servants alike).
If by not signing and remaining a non-signatory to these international standards, this could clearly mean that government officials would want to be keeping themselves outside of any requirements to be transparent about how to spend the revenues received from the extractive sector.
Our natural resources in the oil and gas sector, mining industry, agriculture, forestry and fishing to name a few, had been for many, many years beset with corruption by government officials, so much so, that the country is now strolling along in deep economic crisis as mentioned in the (The National, June 26) by opposition leader Patrick Pruaitch.
Prime Minister James Marape has recently called on the various heads of the State-owned Enterprises ( SOEs) to own up to the people of this country and report on their financial and economic activities or standings to date and also what their future plans are to spur economic growth and development activities.
Why have they not done so in recent years of their existence is something curious to ponder!!
Look at the report tabled by Treasurer Sam Basil on the dividends payments from the SOEs being very low and their general performances very poor indeed!
Concerns here are specifically in relation to the much talked about royalty components of the revenues and other benefits being received from the PNG LNG project developers since the first shipment of gas in April 2014.
If both the government and the country’s EITI had now formally signed the international standards, why hasn’t the government publicly publish these revenue reports for ordinary citizens and in particular the royalty beneficiaries (for the highlands) to know firsthand how much royalty components had been received thus far to date!
The PNG LNG project developers have been duly paying their share of equity dividends and revenues to the State since 2014, so why hasn’t there been any simple and easy to understand public reports by the government covering these revenues for the four (4) years or so?
Citizens of this country also would also require similar reports by EITI keeping tag if what the government is doing is in line with its international standards or not!
This is to show and confirm to the ordinary citizens of this country, to better understand that that so much of the royalties out of the revenues and other benefits derived from the extractive sector had been paid and received by the State, is such and such.
There are concerns about the current revenues and other benefits thus far being paid to the State being made directly to Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd and not directly to the State’s Consolidated Revenue.
Can the government explained and clarify why that is so?
How are we to know that the royalty component of the revenues are being kept securely and not being misused for other purposes?
Both the Bank of Papua New Guinea and MRDC have steadfastly made public statements that the landowner’s royalties are safely held in their respective trust accounts.
PNG EITI must therefore as part of its mandated international standards to curtail rampant corruption by government officials must assist the citizens of this country to ensure that the government publicly report revenues derived from our extractive resources are being transparently managed properly by the State.

Lorenitz Gaius
Ketskets village