LAND TITLES ARE NOT FREE: GOVERNOR PARKOP CLARIFIES RESETTLEMENT POSITION FOR 2 MILE FAMILIES

National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop has clarified that land titles issued to families affected by the 2 Mile relocation are not free and will not be given away at no cost, as part of the government’s commitment to lawful and dignified urban development.

Governor Parkop stressed that while settlers and those at 2 Mile are being supported to resettle properly, ownership of land within the city must follow due process and payment, that has always been the case for state land in Papua New Guinea.

“No one has ever received free land titles inside state land or within the city,” Governor Parkop said.

“Even Public servants who serve this country do not get land for free, so nobody should expect free titles.”

He confirmed that 80 families being relocated from 2 Mile have been allocated properly surveyed land with legal titles at 6 Mile, and that these titles have either been paid for already or will be paid for over time.

“This is about giving our people dignity, security, and a lawful pathway to ownership.”

Governor Parkop explained that many people living in settlements do so not by choice, but because access to affordable land and housing in Port Moresby has been difficult for decades.

High rental costs and slow land administration processes have pushed families into informal settlements.

“Our people want to live in proper homes,” he said. “They want to raise their children in safety and dignity. But when access to land is denied or delayed, we condemn our people to settlements.”

He reiterated that the relocation from 2 Mile is necessary due to the construction of Sir Hubert Murray road, which has taken up land previously occupied by homes.

“We do not have a choice but to relocate,” Governor Parkop said. “Where the road goes, water and power follows. This is how we must plan our city.”

Governor Parkop highlighted examples across the city, including 9 Mile, 8 Mile, Vadavada and Taurama Valley, where residents have accessed land legally, paid for their titles, and gone on to build permanent homes and businesses.

“At 9 Mile, people have built good homes and even guesthouses because they were given security of title,” he said. “That is what happens when we trust our people.”

Governor Parkop said his administration is committed to transforming settlements into properly planned suburbs, but emphasized that this cannot be done through free handouts.

“We must stop the mindset that land should be given for free,” he said. “We must work, save, and pay for it — that is how we build pride, responsibility, and long-term security.”

He confirmed that funding has been allocated in the NCD budget to support resettlement and upgrading of settlements, including surveying, subdivision, road access, and basic services, to ensure relocated families can rebuild their lives properly.

50 years now as a nation, Governor Parkop called for a shift in thinking starting from the government down to the people.

“Our children are our legacy,” he said. “We must plan properly today so that they can live in a better tomorrow.

Secure land titles — earned, not given — are part of that future.” Governor Parkop concluded.

Face of former PM sir Julia’s Chain on 100 note

Face of former PM sir Julia’s Chain on 100 note 

Prime Minister Marape Meets Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at World Economic Forum, Welcomes Support on AI and Governance Reform

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has welcomed the willingness of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Rt Hon Tony Blair to support Papua New Guinea in strengthening policy development, government capacity and the use of digital technology — particularly artificial intelligence — to improve public-sector efficiency and service delivery.

The meeting took place at the margins of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, following an approach by Mr Blair requesting discussions with the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Marape said the high-level engagement provided valuable global insight at a time when nations are navigating major geopolitical and economic shifts.

“It was a privilege to meet a senior global statesman of Mr Blair’s standing,” the Prime Minister said.

“He reached out to us for a meeting, and we held detailed discussions with our respective officials present. He expressed a strong willingness to assist Papua New Guinea, particularly in the areas of policy advisory support and institutional capacity upgrading.”

Focus on ICT, Artificial Intelligence and Government Efficiency

Prime Minister Marape said Mr Blair emphasised the strategic use of appropriate information and communications technology (ICT) systems and artificial intelligence tools to modernise government operations.

“His key advice centred on how technology — especially artificial intelligence — can be deployed to improve government efficiency, remove bureaucratic impediments, sharpen national priorities and ensure governments deliver tangible outcomes for their people,” the Prime Minister said.

“This aligns strongly with our own reform agenda as we modernise the public service and ensure better value for money in government.”

Global Perspective on Geopolitics and Emerging Economies

Prime Minister Marape said the discussion also covered broader global developments, including geopolitical tensions, conflicts in strategic regions, the role of major powers, and the position of emerging markets such as Papua New Guinea within the evolving global order.

“At his level, you gain a clear view of how the world is emerging under present circumstances — with several wars taking place in strategic regions and the increasing interaction between superpowers, advanced economies and emerging nations,” he said.

“His global perspective was insightful and deeply appreciated.”

The Prime Minister noted that Mr Blair currently serves in several international advisory capacities and was recently appointed to a global peace-related role focused on the Gaza situation, reflecting his ongoing contribution to international diplomacy and humanitarian dialogue.

“We commended him for his continued engagement on global forums in the interest of peace, stability and the goodwill of humanity,” Prime Minister Marape said.

Commendation for PNG’s Democratic Stability

Prime Minister Marape said Mr Blair spoke positively about Papua New Guinea’s political record and democratic maturity.

“He commended Papua New Guinea for its consistency in democratic governance, the maintenance of a free-market economy, and our commitment to constitutional stability,” the Prime Minister said.

“He conveyed nothing but his best wishes for our country and encouraged us to remain steadfast on a path of peace, stability and inclusive growth for all our citizens.”

Potential Visit to Papua New Guinea

Prime Minister Marape revealed that Mr Blair indicated his willingness to visit Papua New Guinea in the future, particularly during his travels through Singapore, the Philippines and the wider Southeast Asian region.

“He expressed interest in returning our way to continue discussions and to support efforts aimed at strengthening governance systems and long-term development planning,” the Prime Minister said.

Emphasis on Youth and Education Through AI

A central theme of the meeting was the future of young people and the role of technology in education.

“Mr Blair strongly emphasised the importance of deploying artificial intelligence to improve access to quality education for our youth,” Prime Minister Marape said.

“He highlighted the need to empower young people with the skills required to participate meaningfully in the economy of the future — an area that resonates deeply with our government’s vision.”

Prime Minister Marape said the discussions reinforced Papua New Guinea’s commitment to embracing innovation while safeguarding national priorities.

“As we mark our nation’s 50th year of independence, these global engagements reaffirm that Papua New Guinea is respected internationally and remains well positioned to learn from global experience while charting its own development path,” he said.

The treatment of the Goilala people in Port Moresby is not a misunderstanding

The treatment of the Goilala people in Port Moresby is not a misunderstanding, not an accident, and not an isolated social problem—it is a direct consequence of a political and governance system that has failed to deliver development, justice, and inclusion. It exposes an uncomfortable truth about Papua New Guinea: we have become a state that is quicker to blame its vulnerable citizens than to confront its own failures.

Goilala people did not migrate to Port Moresby because they wanted conflict or crime. They came because their district was neglected—roads were not built, services were not sustained, economic opportunities were not created, and hope was not delivered. Like many Papua New Guineans, they moved to the capital in search of survival and dignity. Yet, instead of recognising this as a failure of policy and leadership, the state has chosen to criminalise their presence in the city.

The Goilala people are not merely residents of Port Moresby today—they are contributors to nation-building. Their forefathers played a vital role in the very creation and growth of Port Moresby, helping to build the city’s infrastructure, communities, and economy. Today, their descendants continue to contribute through work in markets, construction, small businesses, security, transport, churches, and community initiatives, supporting families in rural districts and sustaining urban life. To label them as criminals or outsiders is not only false—it is a betrayal of their legacy and their ongoing contribution to the nation.

Yet, in Port Moresby, Goilala communities are too often treated as suspects rather than citizens. Settlements are targeted, homes are destroyed, families are displaced, youths are profiled, and women in markets are harassed—not because they are criminals, but because they belong to a group that has been politically labelled as a problem. This is not law and order; it is collective punishment. It is not justice; it is discrimination. And it is not leadership; it is the avoidance of responsibility.

The role of the police in this context raises serious questions about professionalism and legitimacy. A police force that resorts to intimidation, ethnic profiling, and collective punishment is not demonstrating strength—it is revealing weakness. Such conduct is unbecoming of a national law enforcement institution and unworthy of a democratic state. The duty of the police is to protect citizens, not to terrorise them; to enforce the law, not to undermine it.

The danger of this approach is not only moral but political. When a state normalises ethnic scapegoating, it plants the seeds of division and instability. When people lose trust in the law, they stop believing in the state. When communities feel hunted rather than protected, they become alienated, resentful, and vulnerable to violence and manipulation. No nation can endure when its own citizens feel like enemies of the state.

The truth is uncomfortable but unavoidable: the Goilala people are not the problem. The problem is a governance model that neglects rural districts, mismanages urban growth, criminalises poverty, and uses force to mask policy failure. Crime must be confronted, but crime cannot be defeated by targeting communities instead of causes. Law and order cannot be built on fear; it must be built on justice, opportunity, and equality.

Papua New Guinea now faces a defining choice. We can continue to blame marginalised communities and deepen division, or we can confront the structural failures that created this crisis and rebuild a system that delivers development in the districts, inclusion in the cities, and fairness in the enforcement of law. History will not judge us by how harshly we treated the vulnerable, but by whether we had the courage to admit that the Goilala experience is not a threat to the nation—it is a warning that the nation must reform, or it will fracture under the weight of its own injustice.

Papua New Guinea: ENDING LAND VIOLENCE VITAL

 NATIONAL NEWS

BY JESHER TILTO JANUARY 27, 2026

THE Special Parliamentary Committee on Land and Land Reform in Papua New Guinea has highlighted poor governance as a barrier that has affected the country's socio-economic development over the years.

Committee Chairman and Hiri-Koiari MP Keith Iduhu said the people, particularly customary landowners, have been faced with illegal land-grabbing, fraudulent transactions, forced evictions, urban drift and informal settlements, among many other issues. Iduhu made these remarks at a high-level seminar on land issues in the country that was held in Port Moresby on Friday.

"The way-forward is clear, we must end land -related violence and corruption, safe-guard the rights of indigenous landowners to determine their own development priorities, ensure their free, prior and informed consent in all matters that affect their land," the MP said.

"We must also recognise restitution as the primary remedy for historic loss and alienation of traditional lands. Through extensive nation-wide consultation, we have heard clearly from customary landowners, community leaders, women, youth, and civil society about the challenges they face, including land-grabbing, fraudulent transactions, forced evictions, urban drift and informal settlements, internal displacement, and the growing impact of climate change."

Iduhu said committee would prepare a draft bill for parliament aimed at protecting people's land rights, while also allowing for sustainable development and better land reforms.

"The bill aims at reforming the legal framework for the recognition, registration, governance, and the use of customary land on Papua New Guinea," he said.

"It intends to harmonise customary practices with constitutional principles as well as to establish mechanisms for land-group incorporation, dispute resolution, and oversights."

Hon. Iduhu acknowledged the support of the United Nations (UN) hosting the seminar, including its work in the country over the years.

UN Development Programme resident representative Nicholas Booth said people needed such platforms to engage with their leaders to provide solutions of issues affecting the country.

"Parliamentary committees are a vital way of being able to reach out to the public and we are happy to support that," he said.

"Everything, including laws and policies around land, need consent so I commend the committee for taking on this important issue with transparency."

Namah: Tourism, agriculture, fisheries and forestry should earn any government’s ultimate respect

By David Lepi | January 20, 2026 

The recent call by Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Belden Namah, for an intervention budget for tourism, agriculture, fisheries and forestry should be staging point of the much talked about ‘National Reset' or 'Hard Reset.’ 

Perhaps the no nonsense Minister Namah may be blunt but what he is saying is actually true. These sectors, once upon a time when the country was at its infancy were called the Primary Industry and of course was the cradle of the young economy. 

Today they are potentially the sustainable backbone of the economy, yet they remain trapped in a cycle of rhetoric and lip service. Successive governments acknowledge their importance in principle, but in practice continue to prioritize extractive industries while the renewable and people-centered sectors are left underfunded and under planned.

Namah goes further to say these sectors are inclusive sectors and stresses this point in saying you cannot teach a lad in Tambanum village along the Sepik River the art of carving. He is born with the chisel in hand and on the day he could walk he knows what shape, size and kind of wood to carve a mask, suspension hook or a clan totem of crocodiles and birds. The same could be said of a Sipaka in Tambul, where the country’s food basket is on vegetable farming or teach a _papu_ on Lou Island, beautiful Manus, about fish net.  

 

In this sense inclusivity mean everyone, olgeda _man na meri_ regardless of education or training, who is willing to participate is able to engage in tourism, agriculture, fisheries and forestry. Essentially our people have the traditional knowledge and skills passed on from generations on farming, carving, fishing etc where they can easily take part meaningfully in any of the above sectors. 

Notwithstanding, Papua New Guinea has never lacked grand visions or eloquent speeches about its economic future. What it has lacked, repeatedly, is the political courage to translate those visions into sustained, well-funded action. 

This contradiction is not new. PNG Vision 2050, the country’s flagship long-term development strategy, clearly states that Papua New Guinea must shift its economic base away from an overreliance on mining and hydrocarbons towards renewable sectors — agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism. The Vision, initiated by the country’s founding father Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, recognizes that although mining dominates exports and revenue today, it does not provide inclusive or sustainable prosperity. By 2050, PNG aims to be among the top 50 countries on the UN Human Development Index, supported by effective service delivery, human capital development, wealth creation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

In other words, the policy intent already exists. What Minister Namah is calling for is the missing link: a properly costed intervention approach that answers the hard question governments often avoid — how much will it really cost to make this work, and what is the cost of doing nothing?

Minister Namah’s proposed intervention budget is not a slogan. It is a detailed financial plan that should capture all direct, indirect and opportunity costs of implementation, from programme design and staffing to infrastructure, monitoring and the economic losses borne by communities when opportunities are missed. It shifts policy debate from vague aspirations to measurable commitments. It envisions government to compare scenarios: investing now versus paying a much higher social and economic price later.

Prime Minister Hon James Marape has himself echoed this logic. When opening the Special Economic Zone Summit in May 2023, he stated plainly that “a sustainable economy is a diversified economy.” He was right. Diversification is not an abstract ideal; it is the effective anchor of long-term stability, resilience and national participation. Special Economic Zones will only succeed if they are connected to productive domestic sectors — farmers, fishers, foresters, tourism operators and SMEs — rather than operating as isolated enclaves. 

Tourism, in particular, remains one of PNG’s most underutilised economic enablers. Globally, tourism drives GDP growth, creates employment at scale (especially for women and youth), earns foreign exchange, stimulates SMEs and accelerates infrastructure development. It also delivers broader national benefits: cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, soft diplomacy and international visibility. 

Tourism offers something extractive industries cannot — inclusive growth that spreads income directly into communities.

The United Nations Tourism framework and the Sustainable Development Goals reinforce this point. Tourism is recognised as a tool for economic diversification, value-added services, green growth and resilience. Countries like Thailand has linked tourism with agriculture to keep the tourist dollar circulating locally, strengthening rural economies and reducing import dependence.

For Papua New Guinea, the choice should be obvious. Tourism, agriculture, fisheries and forestry are not fringe sectors to be acknowledged in speeches and abandoned in budgets. They are the pillars of a diversified, inclusive and resilient economy — exactly what Vision 2050 envisages and what the Prime Minister himself has publicly championed.

Minister Namah’s call is not just a sectoral plea, but is a challenge to the entire political establishment. Any government must respect these sectors that should show in budget allocations, programme design and long-term planning. 

If government is serious about economic diversification, human development and shared prosperity, then the time for chronic rhetoric is over. The intervention approach must begin now, with tourism and renewable sectors placed where they belong: at the very center of Papua New Guinea’s development agenda.

PNG “VICTIM OF ABUSE FROM WAIGANI,” SAYS ALLAN BIRD

YumiBloPles | January 25, 2026

East Sepik Governor Hon. Allan Bird has accused the Marape Government of running what he described as an “abusive relationship” with the people of Papua New Guinea, saying provinces that speak up about inequality and injustice are “punished” through withheld funding and budget cuts.  

In a strongly-worded statement, Bird said the National Government maintains control through fear, selective funding, and political intimidation, while publicly presenting an image of stability.  

“The Marape Government and its supporters are in an abusive relationship with the people of PNG,” Bird said.  

He compared the situation to domestic abuse, claiming the “abuser will smile in public” while privately harming the victim.  

“In an abusive relationship, the abuser will always want control of the victim. The abuser will smile in public and act like everything is going well but will secretly abuse the victim,” he said.  

Bird said the reality of service delivery collapse is not isolated to one province, sharing an example from his recent visit to Lae, Morobe Province.  

“I was in Lae on Friday and I noticed the generator at Lae International Hotel was on for 24 hours,” he said. “So I asked the staff and they said, ‘we run the generators all the time. Black outs are normal here for the past 7 years’.”  

He said the experience challenged assumptions that key issues were limited to certain regions.  

“I thought Lae was fine. I thought we were having blackouts only in Sepik,” Bird said. “I thought we were only having law and order problems in Sepik and other places were fine.”  

Bird also raised concerns about shortages of essential services such as water supply and medicines, saying these problems were widespread across the country.  

“I thought we were the only ones with water problems too. I thought only Sepik had run out of medicines,” he said.  

However, Bird claimed provinces that raise these issues are targeted by the National Government, and he cited East Sepik Province as an example.  

“Here’s the thing, when I speak up, Sepiks get victimised by the National Government,” he said. “ESP budget has been cut by K104 million in the past two years. Funds properly budgeted have been withheld by the National Government.”  

Bird argued that speaking out against injustice leads to retaliation.  

“That’s what happens when you speak up about inequality, injustice, unfairness, power issues, water issues, law and order, national highways, etc,” he said. “You get punished for speaking up.”  

He further alleged that provinces and departments aligned with the government are rewarded financially.  

“Some provinces and departments receive obscene amounts of money simply because they are in favor of the government,” Bird said.  

Bird warned that inequality and abuse have become normalised in the country, comparing it to society ignoring domestic violence.  

“Injustice, inequality and abuse is so normal in PNG that we have come to accept it,” he said. “Just like we turn a blind eye to bullies who beat up their partners.”  

He claimed such behaviour has become “institutionalised” within government systems.  

“The abusive behaviour of a bully beating down on the victims is institutionalised within government systems,” Bird said. “Everyone is expected to bow down to the man in charge and accept inequality, injustice and unfairness.”  

Bird said those who refuse to comply are publicly attacked using state institutions.  

“For those who don’t bow down, they will bully you in public using all the apparatus of the state,” he said.  

He also warned that such a system cannot last.  

“Abusive relationships do not last,” Bird said. “Human beings are born with an innate desire to be free of all forms of oppression.”  

Calling for political and structural reform, Bird said Papua New Guinea needs a “new deal” between citizens and government—one that prioritises public welfare over political survival.  

“PNG needs a new deal. A new relationship between government and citizens,” he said. “We need a government that cares for its citizens, not a government that funds its own activities to remain in power to continue to abuse its people.”  

Bird proposed a Block Grant system to empower provinces and reduce dependency on the National Government in Waigani.  

“This new deal has to come via a Block Grant that allows all provinces to be free of the bully in Waigani,” he said. “50 years of being slaves to Waigani must end soon.”  

He said the country’s future depends on breaking away from centralised control.  

“The country can’t survive by subservience to a master in Waigani. We need to be free,” Bird said.  

Reflecting on PNG’s independence history, Bird said political freedom has not translated into true liberation from control and inequality.  

“Fifty years ago, we got rid of a white master and called ourselves independent,” he said. “All we did was to swap a white master for a rich black Christian master. We are still slaves to Waigani and this will not do.”