Time for govt to pay out business grants

I HAVE read through many editorials and advertorials in the print media, where landowners have been constantly calling on the government to release the funds due to them.
I fail to understand why the delay in releasing business development grants as agreed between the landowners and government during the UBSA in Kokopo and the LBBSA at the respective sites.
The legal basis of these payments had been established and landowners are entitled to the funds.
All applications for the business development grants have been submitted to the Department of Petroleum and Energy, and recently to the Department of Commerce and Industry.
By this time, all screening of the applications should have been completed and business development grants should have been rolled out to the landowner companies. 
The government’s delay in paying the business development grants have greatly sabotaged genuine landowner companies from financing business operations on the spin-off business.
Businesses need capital to finance their operation.
Adding to the dilemma, ExxonMobil is not giving out contracts to landowner companies, making it harder to seek debt financing.
The developer has signed contracts to sell the LNG, ensuring profits for itself and its shareholders.
But what are the landowners getting in return?
They are being tossed like a ball between government departments and told to wait till the never ending next week.
The government is undermining the capability of the landowners to forcefully demand what rightfully belongs to them.
The government, including ministers and departmental secretaries, must be sensible and realistic when committing funds to landowners.

Kapiai Igiri
Port Moresby