Landowners support Govt

Principal landowner Nixon Mangape (left) with Barrick Gold senior vice-president Woo Lee after the signing of the Porgera mine commencement agreement in Port Moresby last Friday. – Nationalpics by PETER ESILA

THE newly-elected Porgera landowner representatives are supporting the Government in restarting the new Porgera mine in Enga.
“We unequivocally lend our support to Prime Minister James Marape to recommence the mining operation in Porgera,” chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association negotiation committee Maso Mangape said.

Porgera Landowners Association negotiation committee chairman Maso Mangape (left), deputy chairman Dickson Pundi (third from left) and Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby last Friday. – Picture supplied

Mangape and deputy chairman Dickson Pundi met with Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby last week before the signing of the commencement agreement to hand over their unsolicited landowner position paper.
Marape said the new Porgera development forum would be held in December.

Treasury secretary Dairi Vele (left), Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae, Barrick Gold senior vice-president Woo Lee and Kumul Mineral Holdings Limited chairperson Nellie James at the signing at Government House in Port Moresby on Friday.

The paper outlines the landowners’ aspirations for the better management of landowner benefits, and the appropriate treatment and distribution of landowner benefits.
Mangape said the paper was to assist the Government put in place a robust governance structure to ensure the treatment and distribution or disbursement of landowner benefits.
“The position paper intends to distinguish and segregate landowner benefits from other sub- national participant benefits in the development forum process, especially those benefits accruing to other organs of Government such as the Enga provincial government, relevant local level governments and the Kumul Minerals companies with Mineral Resources Enga, which is a Mineral Resources Development Company subsidiary.”
Pundi said the landowners, provincial and local level governments were the only benefit recipients participating at the sub-national level recognised by law in the development forum process.
Pundi said the landowners had allowed the operator Barrick Niugini Ltd continued access to the mine-site to conduct care and maintenance.

**Prime Minister James Marape and landowner Nixon Mangape after the signing of the Porgera mine commencement agreement in Port Moresby.**

“As access is already guaranteed, a fully-fledged compensation agreement is now necessary to establish environmental and societal safe guards, without the need for any interim arrangement.”
Pundi said he trusted Marape to ensure that the consultations would be meaningful with exchange of views, and that the engagement process at the sub-national level would be transparent.