BASIL CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO EXPOSE ELECTIONS FUNDING

Media Statement
Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Bulolo MP Hon Sam Basil today called for all political parties especially Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s Peoples National Congress Party to publicly reveal their total election funding and their funding sources.

“Mr O’Neill as parliamentary leader of PNC must lead the way in telling the nation how much...

– and from what sources – his political party solicited funds to go to the 2012 National Elections,” the Bulolo MP said.

Mr Basil who is also Deputy Parliamentary Leader of Papua New Guinea Party (PNG Party), said that PNG Party has “right from day one indicated that K30 million was spent for the 2012 National Elections” with most of these coming from parliamentary leader and Vanimo-Green MP Belden Namah’s business interests.

Referring to Post-Courier’s page 3 report today (August 8), Mr Basil said:
“If K500 million was indeed spent by political parties, candidates and their international backers, and PNG Party has spent K30 million, then how much did Prime Minister O’Neill and his ruling political party – Peoples National Congress – spent in the 2012 National Elections out of the K470 million?
“And why is there growing concern that the Government may have overspent by over K500 million coincidentally?

“Mr. O’Neill and his Government coalition partners need to come clean also on the sources from which they received and spent funds for their candidates. Did these funds come from Government coffers? If so how were they legitimized to avoid misappropriation?
Mr Basil said that the Registrar of Political Parties, Dr Alphonse Gelu must make public, reports of political parties’ funding as soon as these are furnished to his office.

“Dr Gelu must also insist on independent audit of political parties’ accounts to determine which funds are legitimate and which have come from questionable sources with strings attached,” he added.
The Bulolo MP said that national elections pave the way for leadership affecting all strata of the public sector and sets the standard of governance.

“For the people to have faith and confidence in their leaders and their decision-making process, the integrity of national elections through choice of candidates; funding sources and usage; integrity of polling; security of ballot boxes; integrity of counting; and transparency through independent scrutiny is vital,” Mr Basil said.

“The starting point to credible elections begins with transparency in funding as much as in the personal integrity of the candidate. Good candidates and clean funding translates into good elections and respected Members of Parliament (MPs).

“If we are going to confer and refer to MPs as honourable, they must have personal integrity, campaign with integrity, and the funds they use must not be ill-gotten or a misappropriation of Government monies.”

Mr Basil, a second-term MP, said that the 2012 National Elections was held using the slogan ‘free, fair and safe elections’.
“Voluntary revelation of funding amounts, funding sources and funding usages by political parties is an important indicator as to whether the recent elections were indeed free, fair and safe,” he said.

“Prime Minister O’Neill and his PNC party must lead the way if his reference to fighting corruption in Parliament on August 3 is to be believed.”

Approved for Release

HON. SAM BASIL, MP
Bulolo MP &
Deputy Parliamentary Leader – Papua New Guinea Party

ANU academics for hire in danger of ignoring indigenous rights.

The hiring of a team of academics from the Australian National University by two mining companies operating in Papua New Guinea has raised concerns among indigenous groups fighting environmental damage from the mining operations.

The local people say the scientists don’t seem to understand some basic issues surrounding the the mining companies’ operations and are not welcome in local communities as they appear to be trampling all over the people’s rights.

The ANU academics have been hired by Newcrest Mining and Harmony Gold who jointly own the Hidden Valley mine and the proposed Wafi-Golupu prospect.

The Hidden Valley mine has caused large quantities of acid-forming sediments to pollute the huge Watut river system in Morobe Province and some local landholders have initiated legal proceedings seeking compensation for what they claim was negligence on the part of the mining companies.

The ANU team has been contracted by the miners to conduct socio-economic studies but the local people, headed by the Union of Watut River Communities, say the scientists don’t seem to understand that:

Many of the communities affected by the pollution of the Watut river are not in the mining lease area and have no contractual relationship with the mining companies

The mining companies are not authorized to speak on behalf of the Watut communities and cannot make decisions on their behalf

The mining companies cannot give the ANU scientists a legal right to enter the Watut communities

The Watut communities are not bound by any agreement between the mining companies and ANU

The mining company (and ANU) have no rights to set the rules or the agenda for the Watut communities

It is the people of the Watut communities who have the right to set the rules

The Watut communities have not granted any licence to the mining companies or ANU to enter their land and do social mapping or development studies

The Watut communities have not consented or given their permission for the ANU studies and have not been consulted and therefore feel their rights are being trampled all over.