PM: Amendments to laws vital

The National Main Stories

By HELEN TARAWA
PRIME Minister James Marape says there will be amendments to certain laws “to secure additional revenue” for the Government.
Responding to Alotau MP Charles Abel’s questions on the progress of resolving the Porgera gold mine issue, Marape said Parliament had the power to make laws to secure revenue for the country.
“I appeal to the members of this House to be in Parliament tomorrow (today) and next week (as) there are some amendments we are (preparing),” he said.
“Parliament has powers to make laws that will secure additional revenue for our country as well as tidying up loose ends in which revenues are misused and misapplied like the Independent Commission against Corruption Bill.”
He said the Mining Act and Petroleum Act would be reviewed.
Marape said the amendments would “put into perspective the future of resources in our country”.

15 comments

  • For the benefit of this country and for future generations, better to amend the laws now or never.

  • “put into perspective the future of resources in our country” …PMJM well said, this is a “Way forward” for this great nation…

    Just imagine after 45 long years of being a spectator. Our past so call leaders were tooooooo generous…

  • That’s it, enough is enough, being pushed around bullied by developers and being spectators on our own country, well this is time for change.
    Pack up and leave if you don’t want

  • Good call PMJM to amend laws on Mining, Gas and Petroleum Acts for the good of the country into the future. Foreign developers have siphoned our natural resources for the last donkey years and it is about time the laws are amended for the good course.

  • Well done PMJM. We have given away so much to the so called investors during the last 45 years. In return they left us only bones and scars on our environment for the future generation. Now is the time to close the loop holes and secure our nation for the good of all.

  • Amend the Mining Act and Oil & Gas Act to cater for equity of the Landowners, Prov. Govt and the National government. And so include the internal and external funding sources where the Landowners and PNG government agents can secure funds to sponsor their respective equity in each of the Mining and Petroleum projects in PNG. Change the current legal status quo by considering most equity percentage to the State, and fair % to the affected Pro. Govts and the landowners…

  • Few countries which I admire their wisdom are .Israel, Fiji. Singapore :
    1.They are small in land mass as compare to PNG
    2.They dont have huge gold.oil,gas deposits like PNG
    3.They use what little they have to generate income
    4.They are hard working and are able to manage their country and economy well
    Israel is a desert country yet their economy is mostly based on agriculture ,Fiji is a small Pacific country just like PNG ,yet they have invested a lot in the tourism,hoteling industry and are doing just great ,Singapore has noting at all from the start ,yet they identify one thing which they have was being placed in a central spot and a right place and they utilize that one thing by building huge transit airports and imagine how economically powerful they are.

    PNG is in the right place we have all of the above ,Now what is wrong with PNG ? we have every thing,but yet we are greedy and wanted to get rich quickly by extracting gold,oil and gas and we are over-sighting the little things and little things that build up big things, why cant we build up renewable resources and industry .Leave the extractive industry alone and use it like our countries reserve to lure hungry countries towards us but dont use it.hungry nations will still come begging for gold ,oil and gas we can use it for manipulation for our convenience .

  • In the past LAW was introduced to this Land first before anything else therefore, it is important that the government pass or amend laws before anything else. Amend resources laws to suit our interest and needs. PNG is blessed with all the resources but over the years, we failed to manage them because the laws are designed in a way to serve other people’s/foreigners interest. There are many loop holes in our resources laws. It is a way forward to amend our Resource laws to take back PNG.

  • Just forget about amending laws. No weight for PNG laws. Anyone breaches the law never go to jail. Instead of police arrest them, they charge them to bail out at the hide place. I could say that Justice Department is the worse corruption department because justice postpone cases for unknown reasons all the time. I would appreciate if any prime ministers in the country change the judicial system of PNG. Justice have to heard court today and make decision today or next day rather than adjourning for another month to another.

  • Salute you PMJM for the new amendments.
    Review of the Mining and Petroleum Act is the most important of all. You really feeling the cry of all resources owners and making right decisions for your people and country.

  • Thank you PMJM for Taking back PNG. Development and everything will come into play when we have the right system and mechanisms in place. Right now, all will be wasted bcos the same system that use to cripple us for the past 46 years is still there. God bless and give you the wisdom to rule PNG.

  • It is high-time amendments of such be made. Since annexation of this country, the citizens have been robbed to date of their rightful resources under the so-called “borrowed” or “cut – paste” Land Act, Mining Act, and other Acts. It has been my deep concern having been involved with resource landowners since 2000 to current and seeing how Developers (Foreign Investors) curtail interests by particularly Mining Act with so much cushioning and shielding for comfort on tax free during prime period, unnecessary delays of MOA reviews, budgeted and limited spin-off businesses for landowners, denying of Landowner equity participation besides the States….the list goes on. Realistically, +70 % of profit is siphoned out of the Country per project. Note: it is these Mining and Petroleum Resource Projects that meets about 80 % of the National Budget … a budget that has been always DEFICIT. The amendments I welcome Prime Minister James Marape MP. Because of your bold and brave stand, PNG will in years to come have SURPLUS BUDGET.

  • Skaz Rumurap on June 5th your wrote to The national saying: ‘PMJM well said, this is a “Way Forward” for this great nation.’

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