Still on Manam issue

Letters

I LAUGHED all the way across Maclay Bay after reading the article about “Yama slams claims over funds” – The National, May 24, 2019.
Yama’s rebuttal over allegations of his involvement in the missing K6 million that was allocated by the National Government specifically for Manam Resettlement Project are complete lies.
The lame and pathetic excuses that he attempts to portray through the media for public consumption only sinks him further down the murky bores of Madang’s current financial mismanagement chaos and ruin.
Yes, on Manam, I shall correct and shed some light over his distorted lies.

  1. The Manam Resettlement Authority Bill was enacted during the last term of Parliament (2012-2017) and not during this term of Yama’s tenure;
  2. Appointments of members of this board were effected last year which resulted in the appointment this year of Ken Fairweather as chairman. Ken was not Yama’s preferred choice.
  3. Since the MRA Act was already in force, why did Yama rush the transfer of this K6 million from Madang Treasury to his newly created Ramu Development Foundation (RDF) Board after suspending the former legally constituted Board members. The newly created RDF Board members were all Yama’s appointees;
  4. There are no provisions under the charters of the RDF to expand any Manam funds as the MRA supersedes it as the only authority that is empowered by an act of Parliament to do so. So why did Yama direct its transfer and expenditures?
  5. The national court has since ruled that the Yama appointed Board of RDF is illegal and further ordered that the former board members be reinstated; and,
  6. The MRA board is now penny less after being fraudulently siphoned off their rightful operating budget of K6 million by a fake board – the biggest losers are the beneficiaries, the forgotten people of Manam Island.

The Ombudsman and relevant stakeholders should ascertain whether criminal intent through conspiracy and fraud was at play over this missing K6million that vanished from the RDF coffers within six months between August 2018 and January 2019.
A forensic audit from Kevin Isifu is a must.

De’Biem O. Dibus
Maclay Bay View, Madang