MINISTER MARU REVEALS PLAN TO RESCUE “TERMINALLY ILL” PNG POWER

BY LETHISA KOLOKOL

MINISTER responsible for PNG Power Limited, Richard Maru has revealed 3 carefully thought-out plans to save, what was described in Parliament as “terminally ill” Papua New Guinea Power Limited.

The Minister revealed these plans in Parliament this week, after he was questioned by Abau MP, Sir Puka Temu on what he is doing to rescue PNG Power.

The Abau MP opened question time with a heated argument, claiming it has been seven years and the Marape Rosso government has failed to resolve the issues surrounding the state utility, PNG power.

“The Prime Minster has described Papua New Guinea Power Limited as a stage four cancer, in medical terms that means it is in the dying stage. So, what is the good minister doing to save this dying state?”

In his response, minister Richard Maru admitted the company is in massive depts and the money it makes is only enough to keep its operations running.

Minster Maru said the issue has long existed, even before the Marape Rosso government however, as the minister responsible, he is currently working on putting a submission to cabinet to rescue PNG power.

“I am now taking a submission to parliament to do a number of things to rescue PNG power,” Minster Maru said.
In his submission, Minister Richard Maru announced that smaller “B” and “C” centres have accumulated 8 million Kina in debt and he proposed to have them be sold off.

He appealed to provincial governments and private partners to step in and buy these bleeding regional centers.

He also announced plans to partially privatized PNG power on the open market.

Apart from these, the minster further added that he is hoping the national parliament will pay off some of its debt owed to PNG power, in the supplementary budget.

“I am hopeful that this will be implemented before we go into the elections” Richard Maru concluded.