PNG PM Marape Responds to Government Office Rental Issues

Prime Minister James Marape has called out to landlords leasing their buildings to Government offices to be aware that his Government is moving into arrangements to own those buildings.

James Marape says they will be moving into the build-operate lease transfer arrangements to own those buildings in the next 10 to 15 years' time. 

He said after paying out the outstanding leases they will be working towards owning those buildings.

The Prime Minister made this bold statement in response to Journalists' questions about government officials being locked out at Vulupindi and Revenue Haus respectively by landlord Nambawan Super Limited (NSL).

This happened over non-payment of rental arrears by the Government.

Marape was responding to the Journalists upon his arrival at the airport from his oversea trips.

''Much of those arrears are arrears we have been carrying over from many many years back but our government has been cleaning up these.

''The Landlords are business, they are not charity organisations for us, they are operating in a business manner and we understand this,  we will pay outstanding and what is owed to them. But our government is seriously moving into owning buildings again. We have been paying you about K300 million every year to landlords in our country. Some of those Landlords, because they are businesses sometimes there is no bond of sympathy so those of you who are owning buildings out there, for example, Vulupindi Haus, rundown building over 20 years now we will ask you for an Operate- Lease - Transfer arrangements and if you don't want to go into this, government through bold programs we will start to build offices and we will work towards owning them,'' said Marape.

NBC News / PNG Today

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