Industry players control authority: Tongamp

JIWAKA Governor Dr William Tongamp says the Mineral Resource Authority (MRA) is manipulated and controlled by industry players and not independent.
He made the comments when debating on the issues of the toxic slurry spillage in the Basamuk Bay in the Madang recently.
He said MRA needed to start working with specialist agencies like the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (Cepa) to deal with environment issues emanating from mines.
Tongamp claimed MRA was not an independent body of the state anymore as it was controlled by the industry.
He said the reports they (MRA) published in the media was information provided by the industry players (developers) and not independent reports to be relied on so it was time MRA did its own work in tandem with Cepa to deal with environmental issues.
Tongamp said with the number of mines being operated in the country, it was crucial for the relevant state agencies to moderate, regulate and monitor their activities to ensure they practiced the highest standards of safety and environmental protection so the people and their land was safeguarded.
“While we are speaking today, Ok Tedi and Porgera are still pumping into the river systems and Lihir is sending it into the sea, Sinivit mine too and Ramu nickel mine as well. All these companies obtained concessions and signed agreements to extract our resources but sometimes we must be cautious as well,” Tongamp said.
“Even a little spillage must be taken seriously and not taken lightly as they continue to do not by colluding with organisations such as Mineral Resource Authority (MRA), who continues to publish on the media statistics and reports given by the companies. This kind of practise should not be encourage in this country. These companies should conform to our laws.”