Recommended Site
If you are interested in Papua New Guinea Orchids or Orchids in general then I recommend a visit to http://www.bandisch.com
Flights Grounded
A strike by Air traffic Controllers has just ended. The strike, over their transportation to and from work, saw both of Air Niugini's Airbuses stranded in Cairns whilst the Qantas flight had to go back to Brisbane. It is claimed that Air Niugini will have lost K1.2 million over the two days the strike was on.
Those Carvings
Mrs Setae, National Council of Women president, has criticised the carvings at Erima. On another note she said the literacy rate among PNG women was "shamefully low", life expectancy at 47 years was "a national disgrace" and the fact that high risk HIV/AIDS are women between the ages of 20-35 was "a national disaster".
Badili - Hubert Murray Highway
For those of you who are familiar with the Hubert Murray Highway and Scratchley Road intersections you will be glad to know that they are attempting to place a roundabout there to help the flow of traffic. The first attempt didn't look too promising though so I hope the second attempt goes off a bit better.
Budget Passed
The 1999 PNG Budget was passed 58 votes to 33 yesterday. The passage capped a day during which trade unions marched on Parliament House under heavy police presence to demand a budget review and the Opposition finance spokesman Bart Philemon lashed out at what he called a "reckless and deceitful budget"
Sir Mekere said the budget demonstrably reduces the recurrent budget, shifts emphasis on development from urban areas to the rural areas, and shifts expenditure from paying salaries and other recurrent expenditure to the rural areas where more than 80 per cent of the people live.
Budget Worries
Mike Manning, the executive director of the Institute of National Affairs, said this week that the K91 million to be distributed by the Office of Rural Development sounded "very much like the old slush funds dressed up under another name".
More Budget Worries
Bernard Narokobi said the budget greatly increased the funds allocated to MPs, with each member of Parliament appearing to have access to K1.5 million to K2 million.
"The reason is quite obvious. The Government is unstable ... and this budget is calculated deliberately to win the support of members of Parliament to allow (Prime Minister) Bill Skate to continue in power," Mr Narokobi said.
Unions Warn of a Showdown
It is said that there is a showdown looming between PNG's major trade unions and the government over the abolition of certain industrial and employment relations functions of government departments in the 1999 Budget handed down this week.
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