Time to take hold of our responsibilities, stand up for our rights

IT was with the outmost joy to read The National’s editorial commentary, “Time to Look Beyond Royalties” on Thursday (March 2).
I commend the newspaper and MRDC chief executive Augustine Mano for bringing this issue into the public focus.
For over 40 years multinational corporations and the State have been plundering and pillaging our resources while customary landowners have been relegated into obscurity and made to feel “privileged’ by being coerced to receive peanuts for their resources.
After a nine-year comprehensive research into extractive industries in PNG, I have come to the conclusion that our country should no longer tolerate this exploitation that marginalises true owners of these resources.
The current resource extraction regime infringes on the human rights of indigenous communities as stipulated under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, more particularly under Article 26 which recognises: “The rights of indigenous communities to their lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired”.
More importantly, the PNG Constitution upholds this in addition to Sect. 53, (5)(a), (c) and (d) where the State cannot acquire by compulsory process the property rights of the people of PNG that is subject to customary law.
The only acceptable way forward is for landowners to demand nothing less than full participation in every stage of project development and value chain.
We must exercise our inherent rights by becoming major stakeholders.
This calls for Production Sharing where landowners own majority carried free shareholding by virtue of the economic value of their customary land, oil and gas and minerals as guaranteed under the Constitution and UN Charter.
In addition, landowners can participate in EPC contracts, sustainable businesses, major development programs and other benefits because of majority equity
shareholding including maintenance of control over environmental and social problems that may arise.
Governance issues will become important issues under our control and within PNG cultural context.
Under the Production Sharing Agreement, landowners can demand and monitor inclusive development strategies for application of funds from their resources so that we can hold the State and foreign developers to be accountable.
Lastly landowners can become developers of natural resources. We have already established the financial mechanism through the combined resources of MRDC.
We don’t want foreigners who have no appreciation for our socio cultural heritage, our connection to our ecosystems for our livelihoods and spiritual and value systems.
Come on fellow Papua New Guineans, wake up from your hibernation! Let’s unite, take hold of our destiny and repossess our stolen rights.
As the principal landowner within the proposed Yandera mine, I and my people will be demanding nothing less than production sharing or the developer can pack up and leave.

John Barre
Via email