Right choice, Sumkar MP

I write again to say thank you to the Member for Sumkar for his bold stand against the dumping of mine waste in the sea and his views on the PMIZ.
Common sense prevails, and yes all developments have their consequences and do impact our environment and cause change to our lifestyle. We do want the mine to operate as long as there is minimum environmental destruction with controlled waste management systems in place. Let’s not be fooled by the money factor, let’s be stewards and masters of our own destiny when it come to managing our environment, land and our resources!
But dumping of waste in the sea is not a win solution.
Why fish in a mine dump? What will become of the planned PMIZ seven fish canneries, if erected? We can’t be joking are we?
Building fish canneries and dumping of mine waste in the sea at the same site is so funny! Obviously, someone is blinded by money and making irrational decisions for such projects, dumping of mine waste in the sea and having the sea to feed us with fresh fish, how crazy? Furthermore, erecting of more tuna/fish cannery will surely wipe out our tuna stock in and around the waters of Madang and Momase, one is enough we do not need seven. Upgrade the current cannery and erect others elsewhere in PNG.
A question for the Prime Minister, the Minister of Environment and Conservation and MP for Raicoast, would you all agree with me that the mine waste dumped at Basamuk, will affect our edible fisheries stock and marine resources in Madang?
If it is toxic waste dumped apart from the mine tailings, elsewhere in PNG coast that shares the same ocean current and tide with Basamuk will also be affected isn’t it?
Now, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is very hard to be contained by the world’s super power nations with available technology and equipment.
What if we are face a similar fate? All waste must never be dumped in the sea, the sea has a lot to offer to planet earth for our survival, we have reaped the dry land of its natural resources and we must not do the same to our sea and oceans!
Stockpile the mine waste on dry land where it can be contained if there is a disaster! If the members of parliament insist, maybe they should stockpile mine waste in the backyards and on traditional land that belongs to those MPs who are for the dumping of the mine waste in the sea.
To all the MPs vote with your God given consciences, analyse and digest information, seek expert views if it is not your field of expertise, consult all stakeholders, then seek views from your constituents and cast your vote’s.
“Let not the wallets do the talking for you!” Ken Fairweather from Sumkar said it all well!

Paul Konia
AMC Madang

Post Courier June 21 2010

Fairweather quits government ranks

SUMKAR MP Ken Fairweather has quit the government in protest over environmental law changes that protect a controversial Chinese-run nickel mine.
Fairweather left government ranks on Wednesday and criticised the recent amendments that prevented landowners challenging approved resource pro-jects, saying it would cause irreversible damage to his electorate.
“I do not want my people in later years to say I did not safeguard their rights when I was in the seat,” he said.
“It is a controversial law. Procedures were not followed in the passage of the bill. I am not against mining. I am against environmental damage that might affect the people in the future,” he said.
Environment Minister Benny Allan and other government members have defended the changes as “in the national interest” and protecting the industry from delays caused by court challenges.
The Environmental Act amendments now see the department director’s decision as “final and might not be challenged or reviewed in any court or tribunal”.
This move has outraged the opposition, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and landowner groups who are locked in an ongoing court challenge with China’s state-owned Metallurgical Construction Corp (MCC), the developer of the A$1.5 billion Ramu nickel mine.
Lawyer Tiffany Nonggorr has spearheaded the fight to stop MCC building an offshore deepsea tailing dam that would, over 20 years, pump 100 million tonnes of mine waste into Madang’s Basamuk Bay.
The government made the legal changes after Nonggorr had a “David and Goliath win” in the National Court that granted an interim injunction to stop the project building its tailings pipe.
“The director of the environment department can now make allowances for companies that cannot be challenged; the problem is we cannot rely on the director to make the right decision,” Nonggorr said.
He said the government had sold out to China, equating the potential damage to Madang, and other parts of PNG, with the BP oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico.
“BP is what happens when you remove checks and balances from legislation. Even the Chinese have banned this particular type of tailings due to the environmental destruction they cause,” she added.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare lambasted the media for biasness in their reporting on the matter.
“The amendments did not mean we have lowered our standards of environmental protection,” he had said. – AAP

National Newspaper, June 18, 2010