NGO wants law to cater for interests of landowners

 By FIDELIS SUKINA

A NON-governmental organisation (NGO) is pushing for the introduction of a customary land law to cater for the interests of traditional landowners in PNG.

Communal Land Development (CLD) says the proposed law will also help address the failure of investors to involve customary landowners in resource development.

“Papua New Guinea is a pot of gold floating in a sea of oil powered by liquefied natural gas. This is what outsiders thought of Papua New Guinea,” CLD director general Dr Onne Rageau said yesterday. 

Rageau said in almost all the 97% of customary land developments, investors failed to involve landowners in certain land projects, which he claimed was the main reason that most land developments were not progressing.

“Customary land contains the greatest wealth of the nation and time must not be wasted depriving ourselves of that development,” he said. 

Raegau said CLD was inspired by the proposed law and was determined to resolve the issue of proper land registration. 

He said as part of its campaign, CLD would hold a forum to help the public understand the proposed customary land law and related issues.

The forum would be held on July 26-27 at the Institute of Public Administration in Waigani, NCD.