MP’S LIVING IN LUXURY AT THE GRAND PAPUA HOTEL IN DOWNTOWN PORT MORESBY

Commentary By Sonja Barry Ramoi

The Grand Papua Hotel, which opened in December 2011 on the site of the old burned down Papua Hotel located in the heart of downtown Port Moresby, offers clients Conference Facilities, Dining & Entertainment, Grand Brasserie, Grand Bar, Executive Lounge, Spa & Wellness, Swimming Pool, Grand Beauty Salon, a Gym and a total of 161 luxury rooms and suites. Premier Rooms and Suites are located on Levels 1-7 (Premier Floors), Executive Rooms and Suites are located on Levels 8-14 (Executive Floors) whilst the Grand Junior Suite and Grand Suite are located on the 16th Floor (Grand Floor).

According to the Grand Papua Hotel “Each suite contains a reception hall, spacious master bedroom, fully equipped kitchen, dining area and living room. The chandelier-lit dining table offers seating for six. With its black marble and Italian tiles, the bathroom provides the ideal setting to soak in the island bath while enjoying views out over the ocean. Features King Bed, Large work area, 46'' LCD television, Bose® CD wave radio with Ipod docking station, Kitchenette, Walk-in wardrobe, Separate shower stall and island bath tub.”

As many people are aware, one reason why State Enterprise Minister Ben Micah was referred on March 10th by the Ombudsman Commission to the Public Prosecutor was for allegedly ‘using his office for personal benefit’.

“Despite advice from the board, Micah continued to occupy a unit at the Grand Papua Hotel at the cost of K3080 per day at the expense of the IPBC.” Citation source: The Post Courier.

However, in an article entitled “Minister Micah cites potentially deadly medical condition” by Joy Kisselpar published yesterday (Mar 18, 2015) on PNG Loop, Minister Micah reportedly claimed that ‘he had several asthma attacks and got medical advice to avoid working in cold conditions until another office was allocated to him’.

“Because a lot of meetings, especially with foreign investors relating to a lot of the projects that are coming on stream especially the Port Moresby sewerage system, Lae port and couple of other projects that we are working on stage 2 of Ramu and relocation of the Port Moresby port, people were coming from all over the world to meet. Grand Papua was the central place so I requested to IPBC that they get me a temporary office in the hotel in which they did that was approved by the board,” Minister Micah was quoted as saying.

The Minister for Religion, Youth and Community Development, Sohe Open MP Delilah Gore who was referred on 28 January 2015 by the Ombudsman Commission to the Public Prosecutor for alleged misconduct in office was accused last year, on October 29, 2014, of allegedly misusing more than K17,000 (K17,343.48) of ‘Community Development Department funds’ which evidence shows was paid to the Grand Papua Hotel.

It was alleged via website PNG Exposed that “the K17,000 bill at the Grand Papua hotel was in relation to a planning meeting held by Gore with fellow Oro MP David Arore, Malaysian logging company executive Victor Yu, and several Oro Local Level Government Presidents who were accommodated at the Grand Papua while they were in Port Moresby.” Governor Juffa took swift action and referred the matter to the police fraud squad and the Ombudsman Commission for investigation. The Sohe MP, who allegedly caused another controversial incident last year, allegedly in breach of the Civil Aviation Act last year, aboard an Air Nuigini flight from which she was reportedly offloaded, denied the allegation.

Current Leader of the Opposition & Kandep MP Don Polye is another member of parliament who is believed to have spent huge amounts of public funds on expensive luxurious accommodation at the Grand Papua Hotel. A political insider said “Yes he is also operating out of Grand Papua. Since the opening of Grand Papua.” Another source said: “Yes…his relatives have been sighted in different rooms as well.”

Doesn’t that also constitute: ‘using his office for personal benefit’ as Ben Micah was alleged to have done despite the fact that in Ben Micah’s case he reportedly receiving board approval presumably based on medical advice? Who approved Don Polye’s bills at the Grand Papua Hotel?

Don Polye’s press officer, who does Don Polye’s “write-ups” which Don Polye “signs off on” and who uses the profile name Wanpis Ako on Facebook, was today asked to answer the following queries:

1) Why is Polye operating out of the Grand Papua Hotel? 

2) Who is paying for the expenses? 

3) Is it paid for by the poor Kandep people? 

4) Where is the money coming from to pay for Don Polye's stay at the Grand Papua? 

5) Surely not from his Electoral Development funds? 

6) Is he also paying K3,080 per night allegedly like Ben Micah whose stay at the Grand Papua is one reason for his recent referral? 

7) So Wanpis is your Boss operating out of the Grand Papua because the taxpayers are footing his bill?

8) So Wanpis you are not denying then that your Boss Don Polye has been operating out of the Grand Papua, paying K3,050 per night the same as Ben Micah, since the opening of the hotel?

Wanpis Ako responded: “Sonja, Hon. Don has his own house and office to operate from. I am not denying it. He goes there to convene important meetings at times as it is free from political ownership.”

The allegation that Don Polye has been paying for an expensive suite at the Grand Papua Hotel on a permanent basis using public funds since the opening of the Hotel in 2011 (despite having a house and office in Port Moresby) and not just only “at times” - as his Press Officer may prefer people to believe - of course remains an allegation until proven otherwise as a fact and may indeed constitute ‘using his office for personal benefit’ and may therefore also be referable under the Leadership Code.

What other MP's are fond of living in luxury at taxpayers expense?