Member for Lae, Loujaya Toni, has spoken out onthe Lae Ports closure sayingthe introduction of anther stevedore company, willbreakhat she called &ldquothe Steamships Monopoly.”
She said in a news conference that Patrick’s –the Australian company opposed by Riback and antherLandowner faction – will offer a better deal with a 50 percent ownership going to Ahi clans.
The closure has exposed existing rifts between clans seeking business opportunities withthe Lae Port Operations. On one side; George Gware -Riback’s Stevedores, union workers and several Ahi and Labu clans.
Loujaya pointed out thatthere are ther important players including principal Ahi landowners who have been left out or have refused to be part ofthe existing shareholding arrangement with Riback anPNG Ports.
She saysthe Australia’s Stevedore Company being courted bPNG Ports will give a better deal to landowners. A fifty-fifty arrangementono jobs will be lost butthere’ll be competition.
Competition, she says, that will breakthe shipping monopoly held by steamships.
Like many ther parts of Papua New Guineathe challenge now is how to unite feuding factions and clans; and atthe same time, take advantage of vast opportunities that are being presented.
Observers had hinted that ongoing disputes could derail efforts of Papua New Guinea ownership of a significant industry.
The Morobe Governor is taking about benefits package that includesthe provincial government; Loujaya Toni seeks a package that makes no mention ofthe provincial government; andthe union, landowner faction wants things to remain pretty muchthe same.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cYo737x3W6M%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
