Is the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone the answer for Madang?

Madang is now the hub of all kinds of development that you find in the whole country. You name them, we have logging, mining, commercial fishing, agro-forestry projects such as oil palm…..they are all here. The tourism industry which once contributed to the income for the province is now threatened by these large scale developments. The environment has to pay the price in-order for these developments to take place.

Although much of the attention in the province is now on the Ramu Nickel Mine’s plan to dump waste into the sea, the issue of the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) is quietly gaining momentum. Fencing at the Vidar location site in Madang is complete and this is under phase 1 of this project. There is going to be 10 more new fish canneries in Madang under the PMIZ Project. There is already one cannery in Madang so the new ones will be just additional.

Like other large scale development projects in the country, this project is strongly pushed by the government regardless of the many outstanding issues on the ground which needs to be dealt with. Some of these issues are:

1. Lack of Information.

The people lack basic information about the PMIZ. Initially it was called the Marine Park. People often ask, what is a marine park? The name “park” is confusing to most people. They think that a park is a protected area where people can go see wildlife like nature reserves and national parks. So when they hear a marine park they think it is going to be a park full of marine life. In fact, this is not the case; a marine park will be an area where 10 canneries are going to do processing and the effluent will end up in the sea. This is so confusing to the villages along the Madang Lagoon that are going to be affected.

2. Free Prior Informed Consent

The people from the area are complaining that they were not consulted let alone given their approval for this project to go ahead. This project is just being bulldozed through by the government in particular the Commerce and Trade & Industry Departments. .

3. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

The PMIZ is a national project and will be operating under an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The people don’t what is an EEZ? There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding amongst people as the government has not given basic relevant information to the people. It is scary to the people when they hear and understand that an EEZ is an area is like a country of its own. The laws of PNG will not apply in this area. This area will have its own laws which will govern whatever activities that will take place in that area. The locals will be barred from using the area for their daily activities, let alone they will not be allowed to enter the area unless they work there.

4. 30-40,000 Jobs

The government talks about 30-40,000 jobs that will be created when this project goes

ahead, however the question to ask is how much are these people especially locals that

will work in this project going be paid? Currently there are a lot of complains by locals

that work for the existing fish cannery regarding their pays and most of these workers are women that work 12 hours/day. Is this going to improve? Most of these women work odd hours standing most of the time the factory. Is this what we call development when we become slaves and “work for the man” for very little?

Influx of people – 30-40,000 Jobs

Where are the 30-40,000 that will be employed by this project going to be housed? Are

we ready for the many ethnic tensions that will arise when people from within the

country as well as outside flock in?

Are we ready for the increase in social problems as a result of increase in the number of

people? Are we ready for the many diseases that will arise as there are reports already of

rise in HIV Aids in the province mainly from logging, mining and fishing camps?

Ten foreign companies coming in under PMIZ will bring their own people to work for them. One of the terms and conditions of employment for those expat workers would be automatic attainment of permanent residency. Is this fair to the many expats that have already contributed to the development of this country however still awaiting approval of their application for permanent residency from the government? It is taking years and years for them to hear back from the government. Is this another strategy for big countries like China to resettle their already huge population in our country?

These foreign companies will not only bring in equipment and money but their own ways of doing things. The people of Madang had enough of dealing with Chinese workers working for the Ramu Nickel Mine. They don’t know how to speak in English and Tokpisin. They do not respect peoples’ culture and tradition. Is this what we want?

There are already a lot of problems faced by people in regards to only 1 cannery in Madang, do we expect these problems to increase 10 times when the 10 new canneries are established under PMIZ?

Are we really sure that the benefits of PMIZ far exceed its costs or is it the other way around?

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

Is this a preview of what we expect in Madang Province in the next 10 years?

The photograph below was sent to me by some friends in Madang Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a photograph of a fish taking its last straw of life. It was found along the coast of Madang. If you take a closer look, this fish is swimming upside down fish with its belly fully swollen.

This fish is commonly found along the coast of Papua New Guinea. People fishing along the reefs closer to the shorelines often catch this type of fish. According to coastal people, a swollen fish is an indication that it must have consumed some sort of poison in the food chain. At this stage the sources don’t know yet what kind of poison and where did that poison come from.

This raises a lot of questions when one thinks about the many development initiatives being talked about on media and others which are already underway in Madang Province. Is this fish a preview of what we expect in Madang in the next couple of years? Do the people in Madang should expect more of this in future especially if the Ramu Nickel Mine and Marengco start dumping their wastes into the Astrolabe Bay?
Is this what the coastal people are about to see more of when 10 more new fish canneries under the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) begin their processing operations on the coast of Madang?