PORT MORESBY: “Tomorrow its business as usual for us in Port Moresby as normalcy has been restored in the city” assured National Capital District Governor, Powes Parkop.

He made this assurance after meeting the Members of the Security Force together with National Parliament Speaker Hon Job Pomat, Minister for Finance Hon James Marape, Minister for Police Hon. Jelta Wong, Minister for Agriculture Hon Benny Allan, Minister for Housing Hon John Kaupa and Minister for Immigration Hon Petrus Thomas this afternoon at Sir John Guise Stadium.

Government has agreed to settle the allowances as soon as possible and we all agreed to return to duties to restore calm and normalcy to the city with immediate effect!

Mr Parkop said the issue of allowances of security officers providing security during the APEC meeting, is being resolved by the National Government and all the relevant agencies.

He added that the public should go about their businesses as usual.

According to him, K10 million was released today and is being processed to be disbursed as soon as possible. This is a matter that is purely administrative.

Schools should return to normal, shops should open and offices and business should operate as normal instantly. There is no cause for concern or worry.

I call on everyone not to rely on rumours and fake news to cause an alarm and incite fear unnecessarily.

The event today is regrettable but it’s under control and there is no reason to be fearful any more.

The Pacific’s politicians, sports people and business travellers will be able to come and go from Australia with ease, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledges to treat the country’s ­regional neighbours as “family”.

A new multi-entry, multi-year visa card will be introduced for frequent travellers from Pacific ­nations from July next year.

The Prime Minister revealed the new arrangements to ­Pacific leaders at APEC late Sunday, before a barbecue for ­Pacific ­Island Forum nations at the Australian high commissioner’s Port Moresby residence.

It is understood that work on the policy had begun before Friday’s announcement by China and Papua New Guinea that their politicians and diplomats would receive reciprocal visa-free travel between the two nations.

“This is an important part of how we are managing these ­relationships,” Morrison said.

“This is what we do, we are friends, we are family. This is our family of nations we work with here in the Pacific, and we are there very much as an equal family member.”

The Department of Foreign ­Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is working on the rollout of the card with the ­Department of Home Affairs.

Australia has been pulling out all stops to improve relations with ­Pacific island nations, flying a large group of regional leaders to Papua New Guinea for this year’s APEC conference in an RAAF A-330, escorted by two F/A 18 Super Hornets.

Morrison served Pacific leaders kangaroo sausages at last night’s “family barbecue” aimed at emphasising, in low-key Aus­tralian style, the high regard that Australia has for its neighbours.

The event was in stark contrast to the lavish celebrations surrounding China during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to PNG in recent days.

Australia’s tough visa rules have long been a sore point in relationships with neighbouring countries, particularly PNG, which argue they are poorly treated while Australia and New Zealand have an open-door policy for each other’s citizens.

SOURCE: THE AUSTRALIAN/PACNEWS

FijiFirst leader Voreqe Bainimarama will be sworn in as the Fijian Prime Minister, serving his second term for another four years.

Bainimarama stays after he and his party won the 2018 General Election with about 50 percent of total votes, as announced by the Fijian Elections Office on Sunday.

This earned FijiFirst 27 of 51 seats in Parliament.

In his victory speech following the announcement on Sunday, Bainimarama said he proud to become Fiji’s Prime Minister once again, “a Prime Minister of all who call Fiji home”.

“I’m proud to once again be the Prime Minister of a Fiji that has to offer so much more to its people and the world,” he said.

“Today I ask all who voted for us and also those that didn’t, to run with us as we all work together to make Fiji a better place for all our citizens and our future progeny under a united banner blue.”.

“We will not discriminate against anyone, we will help and grow all, we will unite Fiji despite the poisoning of minds and we will build a country where we all become truly proud and progressive citizens that do not judge each other because of our differences but instead become a nation where we celebrate and unite in our similarities.”

Bainimarama said despite the joint forces of opposition that started their campaign based on lies, hate and fear against FijiFirst four years ago, the party has triumphed because of the people of Fiji.

Meanwhile, the Multinational Observer Group (MOG) is continuing its work to compile the final report on the 2018 General Election.

MOG co-chair Jane Prentice said although these important processes were now complete, the MOG’s work was ongoing.

“While the vote, count and results are now finalised, we will be continuing to work on the MOG’s final report,” said Prentice.

“The report will consider the whole electoral process, and will be comprehensive and objective in its assessments.”

The MOG had attended the announcement of the final results of the 2018 Fijian General Election and the returning of the election writ on Sunday.

“We will deliver the report once all electoral processes under the Electoral Act have been completed, including the legally-mandated disputes period,” Prentice said.

“We continue to welcome engagement with stakeholders, as the views of all Fijians are important to us,” she said.

SOURCE: FIJI TIMES/PACNEWS

ASIA Pacific region has some of the most dynamic and promising economies.That’s according to President of the Peoples Republic of China, Xi Jinping during his address at the APEC CEO summit.

He said the APEC region is currently recognised the key vehical for global economic growth. President Xi said that economies in the Asia-Pacific region have a promising future if guided by right polices.

“The way forward in this era is to promote multilateral trading systems which will create great opportunities for all countries,” he said.

“With links in the global chain of cooperation, developed nations must help developing countries eliminate poverty,” he said.

President Xi said in-order for countries to achieve global economic development, developed nations must support developing nations through continued assistance in their development models.

“We should not expect one development model to fit all countries or copy the development model of other countries,” he said.

He explained that developing economies must have their own say on how they want to develop, or which development model suits their country’s need.

“Developing countries must have more say on their development path of choice” he said.

He concluded by expressing his concern for economies around the world to uphold the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDG) through embedding it in their national development strategies. Press Statement

Malaysia PM Mahathir Bin Mohamad

A common challenge affecting the steady growth of economies in this era is the transition from old to new technology, which is causing disruptions to steady economic growth in any sector of an economy.

Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Bin Mohamad, stressed this during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEOs’ summit.

He said countries in the region need to adjust their strategies and practices so that they are able to deal with radical technological changes in their work and business environments.

He described technological disruptions as, the digitalization of the working environment, increase in robotics and artificial intelligence, data analytics and the advent of other technologies that affect the way people do business normally.

He also added that his country is a great example, where there is a decrease in the physical interaction of humans in the traditional way of doing business transactions, such as the taxi service and retailing.

“Businesses are losing clients to online retailers who market their products through digital apps, which are downloaded on smart phones,” he said.

“We can expect more disruption ahead when we become more automated, where skilled and unskilled workers will become less important and irrelevant in the work force,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said that if this issue is not addressed quickly with a proper solution, it can lead to high unemployment in the different sectors of an economy.

He concluded by challenging policy makers and the leaders of the different economies to accommodate everyone’s needs and ensure that no one is left behind during this age of technological disruption.

The United States has announced that it is forging new and renewed security partnerships and will partner with Australia in a joint initiative to development a new naval base to be built in Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island.

US Vice President Mike Pence said they will work with PNG and other Pacific Island Nations to protect the sovereignty and maritime rights.

“The United States of America will continue to uphold the freedom of the seas and the skies which are so essential to our prosperity,” Pence said. 

He said at the APEC CEO’s meeting in Port Moresby that they will work in partnership with Australia to expand the Lombrum Naval Base in Manus.

“We will continue to fly and sail wherever international law allows and our national interest demands.” Legend FM/PNG Today

Russian Leaders plane in Port Moresby

Leaders of the 21 APEC member economies opened their annual meeting to take sustained collective action to strengthen Asia-Pacific trade for greater growth and prosperity for all.

Leaders are seeking to formulate a shared vision for advancing APEC’s role as a driver of economic integration and growth, at a time of heightened risks.

Leaders are focusing on strengthening the digital economy, including how APEC can enable a more open,accessible and secure online environment, so communities and businesses of all sizes can participate.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told Leaders that travelling to Port Moresby had given local people hope that they can participate more economically in the vast Asia-Pacific region.

“I know today that many of you will leave our shores, but let me say that we are grateful for your visit.It has certainly given more people in Papua New Guinea a lot of hope,” said Prime Minister O’Neill in his opening remarks. “Hoping in the sense that they are part of a global community, and particularly the Asia-Pacific region.”
He said Leaders can continue to face challenges impacting the region by working together to promote greater openness and integration in the Asia Pacific, whose economies account for half of global trade and 60 per cent of world GDP.

“It (the meeting) is going to continue to enhance the development of our own respective economies and the challenges that we have ahead of us, we can face them together by working together,” said Prime Minister O’Neill who is chair of the meeting this year.

“That is why it is my great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to Papua New Guinea, and in particular to Port Moresby and APEC Haus.”

At the start of their meeting, Leaders were briefed on the status of the global economy by International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde. During their discussions,Leaders seek to agree to promote balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth and advance APEC’s work on structural reform in the region.

Papua New Guinea has invited Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States to work together to support its enhanced connectivity and the goal of connecting 70% of its population to electricity by 2030. Currently only about 13% of Papua New Guinea’s population have reliable access to electricity.

Access to electricity is key to Papua New Guinea’s economic growth. Electricity lifts the living standards of communities in cities, towns and remote villages. It allows schools and hospitals to deliver essential services. It is also an essential precursor for the growth of the private sector and industry, including small and medium enterprises.

Progress towards Papua New Guinea’s ambitious objectives will require large scale investment by both the public and private sectors. This includes investment in new generation capacity as well as transmission and distribution lines to connect households, service providers and businesses to the grid. Continued efforts to improve institutional and regulatory frameworks are also required in order to unlock private investment.

‍Papua New Guinea, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States intend to join together in a Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership in support of Papua New Guinea’s objectives for electrification.This high level partnership forms part of the enduring economic and security partnership between [our countries]. This initiative will also be open to other partners that support principles and values which help maintain and promote a free, open, prosperous and rules based region.

 The Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership is intended to focus on the importance of principles-based, sustainable infrastructure development that is transparent, non-discriminatory,environmentally responsible, promotes fair and open competition, upholds robust standards, meets the genuine needs of the people of Papua New Guinea and avoid unsustainable debt burdens. It is intended to adopt a strong focus on investments that provide employment and training opportunities for local contractors and communities. It is also intended to focus not only on delivering high impact investments but ensuring improved coordination and governance within the energy sector.

Importantly, this initiative represents a true partnership between Papua New Guinea and its key partners to drive growth and development for communities throughout Papua New Guinea. The partnership is intended to be delivered in alignment with Papua New Guinea’s own plans and priorities and implemented in close conjunction with PNG Power Limited.

The Prime Ministers of Papua New Guinea (O’Neill),Australia (Morrison), Japan (Abe), New Zealand (Ardern), and the Vice President of the United States Mike Pence hereby sign this Joint Statement to mark the announcement of this new multi-country initiative at APEC House on 18 November 2018.  The announcement signals a strong commitment from these countries to supporting growth enabling investment in key economic infrastructure in Papua New Guinea.

‍

Commentary by David Lepi

There has been so much talk amongst ourselves on PNG hosting APEC 2018. We all had differing views on both the capability of us hosting the international event and the likely outcome.

It is always good to have differing views because in a democracy like our it help shapes public opinion and strikes the balance.

After a tumultuous 2 days PNG is at the threshold of a new beginning. If I were the PM giving a speech I would commend Bryan Kramer and his Facebook warriors for seemingly putting our people socio-economic challenges right at their heart like no other time before.

APEC 2018 has now opened new dimensions and frontiers in better assisting the sick, the inaccessible and improving the socio-economic indicators. On the margins of the APEC Leaders Summit our country has signed several key agreements with various APEC economies.

Notably in the areas of technical assistance, infrastructure development and capacity enhancement. This include the field of science and technology, research and development, agriculture, health, education, communication and information, transport, SME and life skill.

These bi lateral agreements are set to catapult our development agenda 3 to 4 times more than we would have achieved without APEC 2018.

Time for talking and half measure is over. Now judge the results.

Critics were quick to tie their justification around our sick and the dying to make a solemn case sounding so genuine. Our sick and the needy need special care and the government like the successive governments gave that special care.

The leper, the sick, the dying and the blind were here before the whitemen came and are still here. Before independence they were here and are still here. They will be still be here after we all are gone because we live in a mortal world and that's what God intended. From the budget allocations they continued to receive their share over the years including this year's.

APEC 2018 came on our agenda since 2013 and was funded from its budget and of course with assistance from China, Australia, NZ and friends in the region. The socio-economic indicators didn't collapse all over sudden just because we hosted APEC.

Furthermore, there is more positive outcome in the APEC 2018 Leaders Summit. Free trade or trade liberalism as opposed to protectionism, Good strong and accountable leadership, information sharing and security and many good things are coming up.

APEC 2018 brings more to than what we thought.

A publication will be made for all the milestone and key achievements signed under bi-lateral arrangements economy by economy.

No government would have created this kind of stimulus to propel profound and sustainable growth. This goes well in line with the recent MTDP 3 launching and all these strands of opportunities will now be dovetailed to the Alotau Accord 2 and the V2050 and its cascading strategic focus.

Together we have made it.

By Genalyn Kabiling

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte arrives at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on November 16 to participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week. (Richard Madelo/ Presidential Photo)

PORT MORESBY – The Philippines is ready to build schools and deploy teachers to Papua New Guinea in a bid to enhance the development of its neighbor.

On the first day of his visit here, President Duterte has announced the government’s education aid to Papua New Guinea in appreciation to its generosity and kindness to Filipino workers.

The Philippine leader intends to relay the offer when he meets with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill during the regional summit this weekend. Duterte is in Ports Moresby for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit but will cut short his three-day trip by a day to return home Sunday morning.

“We need to develop and develop well Papua New Guinea. We are willing to help establish schools. We will send vocational skills training, TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), ” Duterte said during the meeting with the Filipino community Friday night.

“I heard that most of our countrymen are treated well and respect. In return, I’ll see him (O’Neill) tomorrow (Saturday) but we are ready to build schools, ask teachers to come here and help in the education of your people,” he added.

Duterte said the government was also prepared to help Papua New Guinea with its livelihood projects to improve the welfare of its people.

He took pride that the Filipino workers are “industrious” and “bright,” adding that Papua New Guinea could take advantage of their expertise.

“We can come here, we can establish schools, if you want universities and we are good at that. We will try to help you,” he said.

Duterte said he was grateful to Papua New Guinea for its fair treatment of Filipinos. “Papua New Guinea has been very kind to us,” he added.

He reminded Filipino workers to “love” Papua New Guinea and be grateful for its kindness.

The President, meantime, cautioned Papua New Guinea against allowing multinational companies from “encroaching” its farmlands.

He said they should guard against such activity, citing that the Philippines no longer have farmlands for food crops.

“It’s overtaken by multinationals. Be careful about that. You may but do not allow encroachment of multinationals because at the end of the day what you would get is the salary of the people but the bulk of the money goes to the company,” he said.

“Do not allow big money to enter. You take time to develop,” he added.

...Manila Bulletin