PM ill-advised about OTDF’s role in Western

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday 10th April, 2013

 I REFER to the prime minister’s outburst over the Ok Tedi Deve­lopment Foundation’s (OTDF) Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) in Western (The National,April 2).

I am neither from Western nor have I any vested interest in the province.

But I am a keen follower of the CMCA since it was first signed and executed.

The CMCA is a unique agreement that has been widely ap­plauded and appreciated by many – locally and globally – as a result of the out-of-court set­tlement for environmental da­ma­ge caused by BHP Billiton.

The national government is involved through the department of national planning and monitoring (DNPM).

The government continues to have representatives from the Mineral Resources Authority, DNPM and the North Fly pro­vincial government in OTDF’s regional trust board.

Although the government is represented in all aspects of the OTDF project delivery mechanisms, it fails to deliver one thing and that is political will.

OTDF and its management have always welcomed the go­vernment as a genuine partner in the region’s development, in which the current governor is very supportive of.

I urge our prime minister to first consult with the province’s political head to know what OTDF is doing in Western be­fore jumping to conclusions.

 

Komberwa Constantine

Port Moresby