In challenging times, true leadership shines

Prime Minister, James Marape is leading with heart, showing real care for the everyday struggles of Papua New Guineans.

His government’s latest move to remove GST from essential household items is not just policy—it’s a lifeline.

Welcoming the initiative, PM Marape has confirmed that the government is ready to remove Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 13 essential household items.

This measure will start on June 1, 2025, to help reduce the cost of living for families across Papua New Guinea.

In a media statement this evening, PM Marape made the announcement after attending the Budget Management Committee meeting in Port Moresby.

Mr Marape praised the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) for its quick and effective work in turning government policy into action.

“I commend Sam Koim and his team at the IRC,” Mr Marape said. “They have shown leadership by acting on the government’s commitment without delay.”

The Prime Minister said this tax relief is part of a bigger plan to help struggling families.

Other support includes free tuition from elementary to secondary school, the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP), and scholarships for top students to study overseas. The government also raised the non-taxable income threshold to K20,000.

Next year, the government plans to remove 10% GST for first-time home buyers, on both land and houses. This builds on the previous removal of stamp duty for first-home purchases.

“These are real changes for real people,” Mr Marape, a son of a retired SDA pastor who served in most rural areas, said. “I come from the same background and I will not forget the struggles.”

He urged citizens to obey the law, work hard, and contribute to the country’s progress. “Grow your crops. Build your home. Take ownership,” he encouraged.

He ended by affirming his government’s vision of development that includes everyone, leaving no one behind

DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT CHANGES TO FOLLOW VIENNA CONVENTION RULES

 

By Doddy Morris

“The Minister of Internal Affairs has confirmed that proposed amendments to Vanuatu’s laws will ensure that the issuing of diplomatic passports aligns with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The announcement follows years of public concern and international scrutiny over the alleged misuse of diplomatic passports in the country. Earlier this year, the Minister, Andrew Napuat, also signed an order to revoke the issuance of diplomatic passports for Trade Commissioners.

Speaking to the media, Minister Napuat said there is a provision in an upcoming amendment to include the schedule in the list of positions aligned with the Vienna Convention.

“We will include a clause in the Act to ensure that if, at any time, we want to make changes to the schedule or to who is eligible for a diplomatic passport, it must comply with the Vienna Convention,” he said.

The Vienna Convention, which Vanuatu has ratified, sets the framework for diplomatic relations between states and defines the privileges and immunities granted to diplomats and their missions. However, it does not explicitly mention diplomatic passports. Instead, it focuses on the legal protections provided through accreditation by host countries. As such, while a diplomatic passport may indicate official status, it does not in itself grant immunity under the Convention.

The Minister’s statement comes amid efforts to restore integrity in the passport system after several high-profile cases of abuse.

According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ), in 2008 the Speaker of Parliament at that time, Sam Dan Avock, acquired nine diplomatic passports, which were subsequently issued to foreigners. In another case reported by RNZ in December 2011, 33 diplomatic passports were allegedly issued to a former official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The same report noted that passports were sometimes granted to foreigners claiming to be 'adopted' by ni-Vanuatu families — a loophole that raised concerns about manipulation of traditional practices for personal gain.

In response to mounting criticism, then-Foreign Minister Joe Natuman at that time reportedly took action in 2009, revoking diplomatic passports issued to over 40 foreign nationals. He also declared that only Vanuatu citizens would be eligible for diplomatic and official passports moving forward (RNZ, August 2009).

Further efforts to clean up the system were made in 2013. According to another RNZ report, then Foreign Minister Edward Natapei revoked several diplomatic passports and dismissed about ten overseas representatives. The report also noted that more than two-thirds of Vanuatu's overseas appointments were potentially at risk due to questions surrounding their legitimacy.

International consequences followed. In December 2024, Reuters reported that the European Union (EU) revoked Vanuatu’s visa-free travel agreement due to concerns over its "golden passport" scheme — a program that allowed foreigners to acquire Vanuatu citizenship through investment. The EU cited security risks and the lack of stringent background checks as the basis for its decision.

In early 2025, diplomatic passports again came under public scrutiny when opposition leader Ishmael Kalsakau called for an investigation into fresh allegations of improper issuance. While the government denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the claims as politically motivated, it agreed to conduct a review of the processes involved.

In March 2025, the Vanuatu Citizenship Office publicly clarified that it does not issue any type of passport, including diplomatic ones. According to Best-Citizenships.com, the office stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for issuing diplomatic and official passports, while the Department of Immigration and Passport Services — under the Ministry of Internal Affairs — handles ordinary passports.

The latest amendment announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs is intended to close existing loopholes by legally requiring that any changes to the list of positions eligible for diplomatic passports comply with the Vienna Convention.

This legislative step is being viewed as an attempt to rebuild both domestic trust and international credibility following years of reputational damage.”

#LivingInVanuatu

Source: Vanuatu Daily Post

Sri Lankan Coconut Giant Eyes Madang for Joint Venture Processing Plant

 PRESS RELEASE

Port Moresby, May 14, 2025- The management team of a Sri Lankan large-scale coconut-based food and beverages manufacturer/exporter, yesterday, met with the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, to express their keen interest to set up a coconut processing plant in Madang Province under a Joint Venture arrangement with the local investors.

Jaindi Export Pvt Limited has two processing plants in Sri Lanka and, under the brand name ‘econutrena’, they offer expanding and diversified product portfolio, ranging from coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut butter, coconut whipping cream, coconut ice cream, coconut vinegar, coconut virgin oil, coconut water, coconut flour, coconut chips and coconut milk drinks (to name a few) to their worldwide clients including supermarket chains and high-end supermarkets, food companies, hotels, and the cosmetic industry in Europe, North America, Japan, Australian, Germany, Netherland and other developed countries. Their products are 100 percent organic and are certified under different local and international certifications including USDA Organic, Fairtrade, ISO 22000, Control Union Certifications, Business Social Compliance Initiative, and others.

The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, said: “Our Government together with the Madang Provincial Government are very keen to work in partnership with the Jaindi Export and Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK) to develop the proposed processing plant in Madang that would have the capacity to process up to 100,000 coconuts per day to produce high-end coconut products. This is a long overdue initiative and I am so delighted that they are keen to start this project. We have been waiting for partners to help us to go into downstream processing of our coconuts to produce high-end products for the global market.”

“Coconut industry is one of the industries in our country that has been around for a long time, but we have been semi-processing and that is one thing that our country and our Government does not want anymore. We do not need to export coconut oil anymore. We want to process our coconuts into final products to maximize our value, create more jobs, and encourage the industry to grow if our people can see a better value.”

“Jaindi Export’s already have big clients in Australia including Woolworths and it is cheaper to supply Australia from PNG rather than from Sri Lanka.”

Minister Maru further stated: “The biggest thing is, we must offer a good price to the farmers for the coconuts so they will be attracted to supply the nuts to the processing plant. This is critical. The products manufactured in the proposed plant must also carry the ‘PNG Made’ logo so the world will know that these coconut products are from PNG.”

Minister Maru encouraged the investor to provide him with a full investment proposal outlining the capacity, production, equity, and the financial and operational viability of the project.

“We look forward to receiving Jaindi Export’s full investment proposal next week,” said Minister Maru.

Minister Maru confirmed that equity will not be an issue.

“I will also work very closely with the Madang Provincial Government to secure 10 hectares of land in Madang for this very important investment that will transform the coconut industry in PNG,” said Minister Maru.

“I want to thank the Managing Director of KIK, Mr. Alan Aku for arranging this important investment mission for this company to meet with me and other key stakeholders,” added Minister Maru.

Ends…//

Approved for Release

Hon. Richard Maru, BTech, MBA, OBE, MP

Minister for International Trade & Investment

Seventh Day Adventist Church and Community Win Legal Battle Against Company and Government

The National Court at Waigani has awarded over K4 Million damages in favour of Morata One Seventh-Day Adventist Church and 22 other Block Holders of Morata One against Sixth Estate Limited.

The eviction was carried out at Morata One suburb in the National Capital District (NCD) between 12th and 14th of October 2022. 

The SDA church and the other 22 Block Holders carried out their own investigations and it was established that the eviction conducted was illegal and improper. They then engaged a lawyer, Silas Kaule of Kaule Legal and filed court proceedings against the company and the State. 

They claimed in the proceedings that the company and the Police had conducted an eviction on the settlers on a parcel of land owned by the company known as Portion 2733 Morata, but during the process of the eviction, encroached or trespassed onto a nearby land occupied by the SDA church and the other 22 Block Holders. 

The nearby land occupied by the SDA church and the other 22 Block Holders was totally outside the boundary of Portion 2733. 

It was alleged, amongst other things, that the company’s action was illegal in that it did not have title to the nearby land and furthermore, there was no court order authorizing the eviction to be carried out by the company on that part of the nearby land. 

The National Court presided by Justice John Carey handed down the decision on April 17 2025 in favour of the Church and the other 22 Block Holders and awarded them damages of over K4 million, covering loss of Church buildings, Block Holders’ properties, breach of constitutional rights and costs.     

Picture caption: Church members triumphant as Court favors them.