Wafi-Golpu shutdown action condemned - Sam Basil

Member for Bulolo Honorable Samuel Basil MP has condemned the move to shut down the K5 billion Wafi-Golpu Project site by outsiders calling themselves landowner executives last Friday.

“The threats and subsequent shutdown forced by the so-called Wafi-Golpu Landowners Association Chairman Mr Holmes Kissing and self styled Hengabu chairman Mr John Nema are illegal,” said Mr Basil.

“Mr Kissing and Mr Nema are not signatories to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). And if they had any legitimate issues, they should be talking to the signatories of the MOA as part of the permitting process – instead of this illegal shutdown action.”

The signatories of the MOA includes the State, the Morobe Provincial Government, Bulolo District’s Mumeng Local Level Government (LLG) and the duly elected Yanta and Hengabu Landowners Executives, and the Huon Gulf District’s Wampar LLG and the duly elected Babuaf landowners executives.

Mr Basil, who is Minister for Communications, Information Technology and Energy and Trustee Delegate of Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited, said that the legitimate landowners executives of Yanta, Hengabu and Babuaf know what is required of them in the permitting process and the various authorities they need to interact with.

“They are aware that within the SML are the ore body landowners and the processing plant site landowners in Bulolo and Huon Gulf.

“And the landowners of Yanta and Hengabu – as well as Babuafs - are very much aware that the ore body is valueless unless it is extracted, processed, shipped and sold.
“The need to accommodate the pipeline landowners extending to those on the shores descending into the submarine discharge of tailings needs to be worked out through the MOA permitting process,” he added.

“Legitimate concerns need to be brought and addressed in the established legal processes,” Mr Basil said.

“The proper way to address contents in the MOU signed between the State and the Developer is to inform and populate the MOA (before it is signed) so the State as well as the Developer are made aware before signing the Mining Development Contract and the Mining Compensation Agreement.”

Mr Basil officially opened the Bulolo Stalkholders Forum on Wafi Golpu Mining Project in Lae yesterday aimed at consolidating Bulolo Position Paper as the official position paper accommodating all stakeholders from landowners and their Mumeng LLG to Bulolo DDA and other other LLGs including the private sector.

It will be inserted into the Morobe Position Paper and inform the MOA, the MDC and the Mining Compensation Agreement.

“All landowners are important. The challenge we have is to ensure that we honestly and fairly grade the benefits to each of these landowner groups accordingly,” Mr Basil said.
“It is also important to recognise those who have helped with resources on or in their land in the past, to reward current landowners appropriately, and to prepare for the future when resources may be discovered and developed in other landowners,” he said.

Hon Samuel H Basil
Member for Bulolo
Minister for Communications, Information technology and Energy.

Morobean coast plans to lure cruise liners for tourism

By MALUM NALU

When I was a child growing up in Lae in the 1970s, part of the fun was travelling to visit family members in Bukawa, what is now known as Labuta LLG of Nawaeb.
Swimming in any one of the many rivers, in the ocean, and lots of food, especially taro, bananas, pork, fish, or game from the forests, are among my fond memories.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rivers starting roaring faster down the mountains, eventually washing away all the bridges and parts of the Lae-Bukawa Road.
Bukawa was cut off from the outside world.

The Lae-Bukawa Road became a forgotten goat track where only foolhardy drivers, with a sense of adventure and a good 4WD vehicle, dared to cross.
People reverted to walking or travelling from Lae to Bukawa by sea.
In 2014, the Japanese government, through Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), started work on the long forgotten Lae-Bukawa Road, with Department of Works.
People are now able to drive from Lae to the main Bukawa village by road, albeit, with caution and with a good 4WD.

The Government’s ambition is to join Lae and Finschhafen by road, via Bukawa.
Just last month, Finance Minister James Marape was at Situm, where the Lae-Bukawa
Road begins, and reassured the people of the much-mooted Lae-Finschhafen Road.
The day after that, I travelled to Buingim village in Bukawa with Colin Taimbari of the Tourism Promotion Authority, and Defol Jabbar of Morobe Tourism Bureau.

It’s only a short one-hour trip by 75-horsepower dinghy along breathtakingly coastline.
Along the way, we stopped at the popular roadside market at Gayucpu, for some kulau (fresh coconut), fruit and taro and bananas to take back to Port Moresby.
It’s a popular market along the busy Lae-Finschhafen sea highway.

We then continued on to the idyllic seaside village of Buingim, where the villagers were about to have the first sea trial of their kasali (traditional sailing canoe).
It was a momentous occasion and we were feted like royalty.
Yes, we had lots of taro, bananas and fresh fish and other seafood straight out from the ocean.
Buingim is one of the friendliest villages you’ll find anywhere in Morobe, or Papua New Guinea for that matter, and we felt truly at home.
Jabbar, of Morobe Tourism Bureau, is working towards Buingim becoming a stopping point for cruise liners.
The villagers dance all afternoon along the beach to celebrate their new kasali and to welcome us visitors.

The sun sets his golden rays
As the children laugh and play and swim
And the mother’s carry their babies
As the fishing canoes come home
Silhouettes in the sunset

Another day is done in Buingim.
I watch the children of Buingim sitting on their pristine unspoiled beaches.
Their forefathers long before them depended on the sea for their livelihood.
They are continuing this tradition.
That week, thousands of miles away in Sydney, the Wafi-Golpu mine was discussed.
The mine will dispose of millions of tonnes of tailings into the Huon Gulf.
What will their future be like?
After that, we have a refreshing shower, have dinner and tea, and have a devotion service and long meeting with the villagers.
Taimbari and Jabbar talk to them about tourism and what they must do in order to attract tourists.

The villagers listen spellbound.

They are one village that is very keen on tourism.
Early next morning, as Sol casts his golden rays, we are off to Lae, with a short stop at Gayucpu, to pick up our taro and bananas.
Towards Lae, we pass Wagang (Sipaia) village, which is where tailings from Wafi-Golpu mine will be piped out from.

I think back to the children of Buingim, and many others along the Morobe coast, in light of this new invader.
For better or worse?

Source: The National newspaper.