Stop misleading people, says Potape

National, Normal

PEOPLE who are not signatories to the Kokopo umbrella benefit sharing agreement must stop making misleading statements in the media, Komo LLG president Thomas Potape said yesterday.
“We, the legitimate landowners, support the LNG project and are eagerly waiting for the launch of the project.
“We do not want comments from the people on the street and across the country who have not participated in the benefits sharing agreement forums,” he said.
Mr Potape said Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma had done a good job despite the pressure from landowners.
He was responding to remarks in the media yesterday of a purported landowner in Lae who called on Mr Duma to release the K300 million of MoA funds promised to landowners in Kokopo.
Mr Potape said there was no such promised K300 million MoA funds made in the Kokopo forum.
“The minister never made such commitments to landowners in Kokopo. Legitimate landowners who attended the forum know that,” Mr Potape said.
He said such media reports were misleading, raising unnecessary expectations of landowners who are in Port Moresby following-up on their outstanding MoA payments.
“Such misleading statements give false hope to landowners who are now gathering in numbers outside Vulupindi House demanding the payments,” he said.