Vision for change

I SUPPORT Prime Minister James Marape for the vision and agenda for change he proposed in his first speech in the Parliament.
Please re-visit all terms and agreements of all resource industries that are in the hands of the foreigners in PNG.
Strike better deals with them than the lousy ones that are keeping the resource owners as poor as they ever were since the operations of these industries in PNG.
The land owners want a percentage of their beneficial share to be between 3-5 per cent and no less than that.
Give 50 per cent logging operations rights to the land owners and arrange downstream processing on this industry.
When locals participate they will decide who they would employ to work for them and who to partner with on 50-50 working partnership arrangement.
The citizens of this country served as mere servants and slaves in this industry and this government must take drastic measures to correct this.
The caution not to drive investors away from our shores by our tax policies and tough government decisions have betrayed us into the hands of the multi-national companies and resource developers.
We have to make tough decisions on resources that belong to us in order to receive maximum benefits from them.
If resource developers do not want our terms and conditions then let it be.
They can choose to go to other places.
But in a world of depleting resources, mineral or otherwise and at a time of concern for strategic control and security in Asia-Pacific region PNG would still stands a chance to gain advantage.
Let us make some tough decisions now without fear or favour.
Over to you PM and new members of your government.

Papua LNG Benefactor