MEDIA ROLLER COASTER ON 50% SALE OF PNG POWER-LR GROUP? With our media roller coaster ride since Sept 11th over the 50% sale of PPL our Trade Union Congress President John Paskas voice remains to be heard. With outstanding employee entitlements over K30million due why hasnt Paska made a media release? Back in August John Paska was so publicly vocal to oppose and attack the Ombudsman Commission on the referral of Prime Minister to Public Prosecutor for alleged misconduct in office, claiming the timing was inappropriate. Koiari Landowners are still waiting to be compensated for the use of their land at Sirinumu Dam and the Rouna Power Stations. In October last year Prime Minister Peter O’Neill made a decision with the NEC to compensate the Koiari LOs K50million so why the delayed payment? Further how & when will LR GROUP be involved in the sale? We all know last year NEC approved the special-purpose company Port Moresby Power Limited, to be 100 percent owned within PNG Power to hold the city’s power generation assets. Negotiations at the time with LR Group was to form a 50:50 joint venture management company with PMPL Limited to manage the generation assets & that the company would become the second independent power supplier to the city. (per emtv news link below). Below summary on media releases since 11/09/14 : 11/09 - National news articles stated 50% of PPL sold. 11/09 - Deputy Opposition Leader Sam Basil on EMTV news: - Called on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to sack Minister for State Enterprise and Public Investment, Ben Micah, over proposed sale of PPL. -Mr Basil said 50% sale of PPL uncalled for, stating what the Minister should have done was look for ways to rescue important assets. -Further Mr. Basil also called for sacking of Trade Union Congress President John Paska, who had been apparently silent on national issues. 12/09 - Post Courier news article: - Disgruntled staff at the main PNG Power site at Boroko joined their colleagues in other centres and stopped work for the day as they waited for an official explanation. - PPL CEO John Tangit stated along the lines that no shares of PPL had been sold and no secret that Govt planning to sell equity in PPL. - PNG Energy Workers Association general secretary Santee Margis said if the Government had plans to sell shares of stated owned enterprises such as PNG Power and Air Niugini, it should first consider the welfare of the workers. 13/09 - Niugini Nius via Pngfacts news article: - PPL CEO Tangit reported to state: if the state as the custodian of the entity wish to do so, there are processes to go through with concern authorities like Independent Public Business Corporation and the Board and management of PNG Power. -Tangis reiterated that, Minister for State owned entities Ben Micah only made the intention known during the Investment and Infrastructure Summit last week. -Further Tangis brushed aside reports that PPL employees staged a protest. 15/09 - Post Courier Article (below): -Public Enterprise Minister Ben Micah states proposed sale of 50 per cent of PNG Power Ltd was a decision by Cabinet and not his. -Also PPL employees concerned over K30million in outstanding entitlements owed. ______________________________________________ Micah States Cabinet decided to sell PNG Power Source: Post Courier Date: September 15,2014, 02:26 am PUBLIC Enterprise Minister Ben Micah maintains that the proposed sale of 50 per cent of PNG Power Ltd was a decision by Cabinet and not his. Mr Micah said that the Government was moving to reorganise and improve reliability and expand services to more than five million people who still do not have access to electricity. It was a Cabinet decision, not a Micah decision, Mr Micah said. NEC has reviewed reports of all of these State owned assets, together with IPBC and together with Treasury and our department are working closely on the process, he added. He said the structure of the sale will be announced when it is finalised. But the message still has not gone down well with the disgruntled PPL workers who are still demanding to be paid about K30 million in outstanding entitlement claims by Friday. The claims include the outstanding entitlements from the predecessor PNG Elcom, structure adjustment program and their 17.7 per cent increment. Energy Workers Association general secretary Santee Margis held a meeting with the workers and they have threatened to walk off their jobs, leaving Port Moresby in darkness. They wanted CEO John Tangit and Mr Micah to address their quiries. But Mr Tangit said that the staff should pay attention to advisories, speculative external claims. pngblogs/2014/05/lr-groups-plans-to-take-over-png-power.html emtv.pg/news-app/item/png-power-partnership-with-lr-group-limited
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 21:17:23 +0000
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