Papua New Guinea Highlands Turning To Islam

Sonja Barry Ramoi
04/03/2013 12:27

By Fr. Franco Zocca SVD – Melanesian Institute (Goroka)

My interest in Islam stems from the 14 years I worked in Indonesia, where the great majority of the population is Muslim. When I came to PNG 20 years ago I set aside my interest in Islam since I thought there were no Papua New Guinean Muslims.

I discovered that Islam had arrived in PNG about 15 years ago when I read a newspaper report that a mosque had opened near Kimbe in West New Britain. I visited it, and to my surprise, found that the new Muslim converts were Simbu people—originally Catholic—who worked on an oil palm plantation. I was even more surprised to learn that that they belonged to an Islamic reformist movement founded in India in the late 19th century called Ahmadiyya, after the name of its founder.

Muslim Congregation Hohola, Port Moresby

Later, I discovered that those Simbus were not the first Papua New Guineans to turn to Islam. The registration of the Islamic Society in PNG in December 1983 confirmed Islam as a permitted religion and from that time on, expatriate Muslims began recruiting (da’wah) locally. By 1986 four Papua New Guineans had pronounced the Sahadah (Act of Faith) and become followers of Islam. The first was a young man from Bougainville, who was given the Arabic name Bilal, which means “dark”. Four years later, according to the 1990 census,

Silver Jubilee for Mapai Transport a Papua New Guinea leading trucking company

By Ezekiel PETER

ENGA LUTHERAN COMMUNITY (Facebook) 23/04/2015

After 25 years in his humble beginnings Jacob Luke from Monokam village, Ambum, Enga Province, started the Mapai Transport. On the 10th of July 2015 Mapai will celebrate 25 years in business and surpassed 100 prime movers and another 200 assorted vehicles in her operations throughout the country. With the recent acquisition of East-West Transport it now arrives on the forefront of the trucking business and sees they have over met the demands on the market in PNG.

Son of a Lutheran pastor Jacob maintains a close and knitted relationship with the two Lutheran churches in PNG. His support to other individuals and groups in PNG is enormous. The ongoing giving of K7.5 million to the Monokam Community Development Project speaks aloud of a successful business started by Jacob out of nothing, having terminated from grade 8 at High School. His story and how he started Mapai with the help of American Lutheran missionaries in Enga will be unveiled in July this year at the time of the 25 anniversary launching in Lae.

PNG former Opposition Leader was elected as the Governor for Sundaun Province

Hon Belden Nemah, MP,  a Vanimo Green Open Electorate and a former vibrant Opposition leader, a senior Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea has been elected as the Governor of West Sepik Province. Many people through out PNG including Facebook users are congratulating him for his election as a governor.

Photo from PNG NEWS page on Facebook

LEADERSHIP CODE -VS- CRIMINAL CODE (Papua New Guinea)

By Bryan KRAMER

Peoples Power Movement

Facebook (17:04:2015)

After reading the many comments in relation to our Members of Parliament being referred by Ombudsman Commission to Public Prosecutor on allegations of misconduct in office versus those being charged by Police for criminal offences it seems most are still confused about these two very distinct judicial processes. Therefore I thought it only proper to provide a brief insight to better 

clarify their distinctive differences.

Those who have been following my articles over the past year would already be familiar with the subject matter. However I understand social media in PNG in recent times has exploded with a direct readership of 200,000 and word of mouth reach exceeding 1 million. So it's appropriate to revisit some of the points already covered in the past.

What is the Leadership Code?

Leadership code are laws established by the Constitution (Division 2) governing ethics (moral values) and code of conduct of those who hold leadership positions in the public service or Government.

Kenyan Lawyer Sue Isreal For Killing Jesus

A Kenyan lawyer filed a petition with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, suggesting that the trial and crucifixion of 

Jesus Christ was unlawful, and the State of Israel among others should be held responsible, Kenyan news outlet the Nairobian reported some time ago.

 Dola Indidis, a lawyer and former spokesman of the Kenyan Judiciary is reportedly attempting to sue Tiberius (emperor of Rome, 42 BCE-37 CE), Pontius Pilate, a selection of Jewish elders, King Herod, the Republic of Italy and the State of Israel.

“Evidence today is on record in the Bible, and you cannot discredit the Bible,” Indidis told the Kenyan Citizen News.

Although those he suggests should have been convicted during the original trial have not been alive for more than 2,000 years, Indidis insists that the government for whom they acted can and should still be held responsible.

“I filed the case because it’s my duty to uphold the dignity of Jesus and I have gone to the ICJ to seek justice for the man from Nazareth,” Indidis told the Nairobian.

“His selective and malicious prosecution violated his human rights through judicial misconduct, abuse of office bias and prejudice.”

Indidis apparently named the states of Italy and Israel in the lawsuit because upon the attainment of independence, the two states incorporated the laws of the Roman Empire, those in force at the time of the crucifixion.

He is challenging the mode of questioning used during Jesus’s trial, prosecution, hearing and sentencing; the form of punishment meted out to him while undergoing judicial proceedings and the substance of the information used to convict him.

jewsnews

Who is Peter Ipatas?

An in-depth analysis of the Ipatas-led government needs to be presented to the people of Enga and aspiring supporters throughout the country. Serious considerations have to be made on the characteristics of the Ipatas government for the last 17 years, his achievements and the future of Enga on the current sails.

As implicated in the PAC findings in 2004, it is sad to reflect that the founding fathers of our nation and those that followed immediately thereafter with the likes of Mr Peter Ipatas, began the journey to self-governance with the same corrupt and bribery attitude as is widespread today. People like Pais Wingti and Ipatas were the 'refiners' of the corrupt system. As for Wingti, he never got a chance to finish his university degree but became a politician while doing his 3 rd year at UPNG. Ipatas followed, due to unsatisfactory performance and disciplinary matters and went back to his home village in Irelya in Enga Province .

There, it is understood that he started a band of notorious highway cowboys who frequently held roadblocks on the Highlands Highway leading to Porgera. During his time, many felt victims of our now good governor. He used the proceeds of the thieving venture and invested them in a trade-store which is still in existence at Irelya today. People became frustrated by Mr Ipatas' continuous harassment of innocent travelling public that during one of the council elections, the Talyul tribe unanimously decided to appoint him as their councillor as a test to see if he could feel responsible and lead a normal life. And it work but with a different twist.

Infrastracture development in Tsak Valley, Wapenamanda District Enga Province

By Joe WASIA

The Tsak constituency in Wapenamanda district of Enga Province has been lacking many basic services for decades. The successive MPs have done tittle or nothing for this most populated part of the province. However, light has finally shown at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks Mr Mathew Taso, a leader and the founder of Warenge Komba Foundation Inc, a non government organisation for the initiative you take to obtain these funds to construct Tsak's Waikam bridge and Lower Lai's Timin Bridge... Its not always a MP to fund such impact projects but donors can also do.. Some elites open their eyes and see beyond horizons while most fight for the MPs seat throwing bullets here and there.. Salute you MT..

And we also thank the Hon MP and Minister for Foreign Affairs Rimbink Pato for having such a good relationship with the national government for the O'Niel-Deon Government to fund Mukurumanda-Tsak Road project. The project worth K26m as announced by Works Minister Fransis Awesa at Wapenamanda head quarters in 2013.

The road project is undertaken by Kay Star construction Company while the bridge projects are managed by Warenge Komba Foundation Inc.

Photo courtesy of Hoea Henry and Israiel Kuilenge on Facebook

Time to Review our Oil & Gas and MIning Act

By CHARLES KERUA
PNGBLOGS: Saturday, February 14, 2015

Background

I am prompted to write this after reading an article on the Australia’s Financial Review on a court battle between Oil Search Ltd & Inter Oil Ltd over the development rights (or pre-emptive rights) of the Elk-Antelope oil fields in the Gulf Province; a ruling which is expected to be handed down this March 2015 in London, UK. Many intelligent people will agree that our State & its people have “thrown away” so much of our natural resources so cheaply in the name of foreign investment and foreign capital injection. (Let us keep our discussion within the mineral & petroleum sector, and leave for a while other equally important sectors like forestry and fisheries). 

Proponents of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in our extractive industry have meticulously “seasoned” the spin offs, or so called “economic benefits”, of FDIs such as job creation, substantial foreign reserve base/cover, and tax revenue as a rosy cover to lure the State & its people into committing so much of our natural resources. However, looking at the other side of the coin, the picture is different. The State, on behalf of the people of PNG, may have unwittingly given up so much in exchange for an exceedingly lesser returns on our natural resources. We have become losers in most of these resource development deals since the 1980s
beginning with the Bougainville Copper mine (BCM). Have we been exploited by foreign investors? We wonder. And the answer is “Yes” - we have been exploited to the core and our natural resources been “raped” with much consequences to our society and the environment. (As it is not the focus of

PNG's government adamant on Death Penalty implementation

Source: Radio NZ, 6th Feb 2015

The secretary of Papua New Guinea's justice department says the 13 people on death row in the country will be executed this year.

The execution facilities will be built at Bomana prison.

This comes after cabinet endorsed guidelines for the implementation of the death penalty.

Lawrence Kalinoe says the government is adamant on starting executions this year, and the 13 people had exhausted all their appeal and constitutional review processes.

The newspaper, The National, says cabinet has approved guidelines for three modes of execution - hanging, lethal injection and firing squad - which will carried out at a facility to be built at Port Moresby's Bomana Prison.

PNG's government reactivated the death penalty in 2013 in reaction to a spate of violent crimes, drawing the ire of international human rights groups.

But Mr Kalinoe says critics are hiding behind human rights to criticise the government, and says the death penalty is implemented in sophisticated countries, such as the the United States.\

Original post from PNG NEWS 

A call on the O’Neil-Deon government to reopen abattoir at 12 Mile

By Johnson T. WETEPIA
Sales & Marketing Manager, Radho Piggery 

Its five weeks now after only state-owned abattoir in the Southern region was closed down due to financial constrains. This has severely affected the only three cattle and piggery farmers in the region that use the abattoir. 

 The 3 affected livestock companies are the only companies in the Southern Region that supply fresh meat to the shop outlets in the National Capital District and Central Provinces.

Radho Piggery Managing Director, Robert Rasaka said his company sells about 100 to 200 pigs in a week to different supermarkets in the city and Central Province alone. He said, however, the closure of the abattoir has resulted in the loss of business as hundreds of thousands of kina are spent on feeds, labor, electricity, and other running costs of the business.

Similar sentiments were made by Koitaki Limited, a company specializes in cattle farming and Boroma Piggery Limited located along Sogeri Road, Central Province.

They collectively call on the national government under responsible authorities to reopen the abattoir so they could not have further damages to their businesses. 

They also called on the government for a public private partnership deal over the state-owned abattoir located at 12 Mile, Sogeri Road, to avoid similar funding issues/constrains in the near future. They said if the government is critical about promoting Small to Medium Enterprises in the country, then such issues should not be overlooked as it severely affects the local businesses.

Negligence and failure to act promptly by the responsible government authorities may result in the loss of business in these SMEs.

If PNG has to move forward reducing high unemployment and poverty rates, funding and supporting SMEs by the national government is the paramount importance. This will in turn help improve the economy of the country in many years to come.