Page 6 - IB Nov 2017

Whispers Politics 86 in Tonga’s big race: P10
Media Call to investigate death P13

WE SAY SPORTS Islands Business

Report cards in the land? An investigation into the burning
SO, two regional NGOs recently failed Not to mention that the two also ap- of the Splendid Star Supermarket has
the test of an independent assessor ap- pear on the boards of several NGOs and started and police have told local media
pointed by international donors. religious organisations, claiming they they want to ensure the case is water-
One NGO claims to be the umbrella must protect institutional history. tight before proceeding to court.
of all Pacific civil society organisations After overlooking the acting CEO of the But given the recent antics of Chinese
and claims as much to the international organisation, the two decided to hire a businesspeople in PNG, there is some
community in order to secure maximum “more mature” person to head the NGO. scepticism among members of the public
funding. Immediately staff members began to that there will be any forward movement
The organisation has not been shy to leave and one director resigned. on this matter.
muscle in on other civil society organisa- Forever finding fault with staff mem- Police claim to have uncovered new
tions to claim funding or actually hijack bers, the two directors finally found evidence on the case but are withhold-
concepts which are marketed to overseas their choice of CEO to be wanting and ing details due to what they describe as
donors as their own intellectual property. orchestrated her removal. sensitivity.
The second has been busy in the area It appears the move was to convenient- But locals say it may merely be a
of trade and commerce. ly shoe horn one of the aforementioned case of protecting the masterminds and
Both organisations were recently directors into a position of oversight of wheelers and dealers.
marked down by a regional assessor the NGO.
who was commissioned by a European It appears a few more resignations t
funder whose outgoing Pacific head was might just be on the cards.
close to the leaders of the NGOs. Asian market
Incensed that her favourites had not t INTERESTING to note that everything
fared well in the reporting process, the on the airport renovation sites in PNG
Hitler-like donor trashed the reports. Slippery slope has been imported from China.
So much for good governance. AND what of the faith-based organi- There are no local workers on the air-
sations in Papua New Guinea which port terminal site at Goroka in the Papua
t recently outwitted their former colonial New Guinea Highlands and that’s not
masters? about the lack of local labourers.
Man of principle It appears there were more than a In fact there’s not much satisfaction in
A HUNT is on for money given to the few unhappy Germans around Goroka the highlands because of the failure to
head of a regional academic institution when local church leaders decided they hire local workers for the project.
for travel to several European countries had had enough of being treated like The Chinese contractors have brought
last year. children. all their materials – including tonnes
While overseas the seasoned veteran The gathering of church organisations of cement, steel, glass and even their
of international travel emailed the home discussed – in front of their German wheelbarrows – from China and contrib-
office asking for an additional $3000 donor partners – the need to take their ute little if anything to the local economy.
for hotel and living expenses as he was future into their own hands, even if it Little difference to roading projects
required to spend additional time abroad meant cutting ties with the holders of and the fence that was built around the
for research purposes. the purse strings. State House in Fiji.
Always happy to please, the finance Stubborn to the end the Germans held So how much do the Chinese actually
staff wired the money post haste and side talks, closed door talks and even contribute to the local economies in the
later – as usual – did not bother to ask threatened senior clerics to no avail. Pacific?
for receipts. A resolution signed after the talks in- That’s the question on many minds
It was not until many moons and sev- dicated that the way forward is a definite in the region.
eral red wines later that the institutional severing of links with the past and any
head let slip to not so tipsy staff that he vestiges of colonialism. t
had not stayed for the additional nights It was a tough pill to swallow for the
claimed and for which the funds were Germans who have been able to con- Drunk police
sought. trol FBOs and key CSOs in Papua New LOCALS were shocked last month
In addition, there was no research Guinea for decades. when a minibus slewed through the
report on his European adventures. entrance to Goroka Airport in Papua New
Incensed, the staff have finally blown t Guinea on a Saturday afternoon.
the whistle on the aged traveller. In the bus a group of drunk men
Deadly fire passed bottles of home brew around
t SO 10 Chinese nationals died in a fire and sang raucously as they celebrated
on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea in the departure of a kinsman.
Elderly oversight September? As passengers at the airport watched
WHILE with the elderly, what next for Their remains have been sent overseas in stunned silence and disbelief, the
the social service NGO which has at its for DNA testing in an effort to identify man of the moment stepped out of the
head two of the longest-serving directors the dead people. minibus, turned back and saluted his

6 Islands Business, , November 2017