14 DAYS ULTIMATUM FOR GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS BENEFIT SHARING ISSUES: KUTUBU PDL 2 LANDOWNERS:

THE landowners representing the Fasu tribe, Foe tribe and Aporo Uri tribe of PDL 2 License area in Southern Highlands province and South East Manda of Hela Province have petitioned the government and the petroleum and Energy Minister Jimmy Maladina to address the issues affecting the rights and benefits of the people.

This stemmed up from 3 Ministerial Determination for Kutubu PDL 2 Landowners made by then Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua in 2022.

In a Press Conference, Alex Narobe, Executive Officer of the Namo, Aporo Landowners Association together with the other landowners, reiterated in their appeal to the Marape- Rosso government, to address three agenda, and gave an ultimatum of 10 days for the government to address.

Their first agenda was for the petroleum Minister to immediately make a ministerial Determination Under Section 169A of the Gas & Oil Act 1998 to supersede the 3 Kerenga Kua Ministerial Determinations affecting benefits sharing Government and the Kutubu Landowners to be reviewed as this been outstanding since 1996.

The landowners argue their point that the 3 Ministerial Determination had to be reviewed by the landowners as per the Kutubu MOA, so landowners can participate to review the benefit sharing structure transparently and fairly by the three major tribes from Kutubu PDL2 License area.

Their third agenda and appeal to the government and the Minister for Petroleum and Energy , Jimmy Maladina is to immediately ask the National executive Council to revise the Kutubu Equity distribution whereby the Southern Highlands Provincial government receives 70% and landowners receive 30%, to be changed so landowners receive 80% and Southern Highlands Provincial Government receive 20%.

This they said, for so long they have not seen any developments coming from Kutubu from the money that is allocated to the host province since 1991.

Meantime, earlier this week on Monday, the Kutubu PDL2 landowners through Mr, John Kapi Natto, Chairman of Nama Aporo Association Inc., the political mouth piece for Fasu people and Mr. Johnny Yawari, Chairman for Foe Association Inc, together with Incorporated Land Group representatives from Foe and Fasu, including South East Mananda and Moran Fasu assembled at Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby for a media conference.

Foe Association Inc. Chairman and Director for Petroleum Resource Kutubu (PRK) Mr Johnny Yawari made several profound statements, disputing the Landowner Benefit Identification (LOB-ID) exercise that the Department of Petroleum introduced in 2013 and the new Ministerial Determination on benefit sharing structure for Kutubu Landowners effected in 2022.

Mr. Yawari said that his Foe people are custodians to the land boundaries that hosts both the old Oil project and the new PNG LNG project in Kutubu PDL 2, SHP.

The State must protect the Landowner entitlements and ensure their fair share of royalty and equity as per the initial Kutubu Oil Agreement with then Prime Minister Sir. Rabbie Namaliu in 1992 remains and unaltered.
He stated:

“Our country faced economic crisis in the late 1980’s as a direct result of Bougainville conflict relating to the Panguna Gold Mine. The Kutubu project commenced in the midst in 1992. The institution of the project actually introduced PNG to the world as Oil producing country. Also, before Gobe, Moran, Hides, Angore, Juha, pipeline segments and LNG plant site, Kutubu project saw the light of day.

The Kutubu people worked with the Government of Sir Rabbie Namaliu to commence the project at the time country needed a mega project of that magnitude. The Landowners hardly disrupt the operations of the Kutubu project since inception in 1992 to date. The Kutubu people’s kind gesture underpinned the PNG economy at the height of Bougainville crisis and sustain the PNG economy until other projects come on board”.

He further stressed, “All the previous successive Governments under the Prime Ministership of Sir Rabbie Namaliu, Sir Julius Chan, Sir Michael Somare and other Prime Ministers have always respected the PDL 2 benefit sharing arrangement between the Kutubu people and the State.”.

“I want this imprecise Ministerial Determination done in 2022 be revoked forthwith, and we retain the status quo as before,” Mr Yawari continued.

“The State must start talking about increasing the Landowner benefits instead of splitting into fragments the small benefit they are currently enjoying,” he explained.
He said proper consultations should have been done with the landowner beneficiary groups before making misguided decisions that will affect monetary benefits of both the current and future generations.

“In my capacity as the Chairman of Foe Association and on behalf of my people, I give the Prime Minister and his Government 14-Days to revoke the Ministerial Determination forthwith and revert back to the initial status quo as per the Kutubu Oil Agreement in 1992 and 1996.”