We do not have a lost tribe in Papua New Guinea

the diversity of the country intertwined into the complexity of more than 800 cultures and traditions that are again connects to the nature; which the genealogy and theories will take ages to explain for Papua New Guinea & perception is 100% absurd 

Those news speculated in the media recently which are related to British adventurer Benedict Allen who got lost in a remote and isolated village in PNG mainland, get to read this article on the link below and digest the truth yourself. 

PNG is an adventurer's paradise, the highlands of PNG is tucked away in a rugged terrain with deep gorges, interconnecting ranges, fast-flowing rivers, vast swamps and valleys which forms alleys within the ranges that makes the places inaccessible and unexplored, yet an adventurer’s paradise awaits. The vegetation differs as well as the species of endemic flora and fauna which are rare to the natural habitat. 

The topography and climate also differ from the coastal low-lying islands, valleys and shores to the upper inland (highlands) with cooler climate which falls low as five degrees Celsius or zero during the morning and late afternoon. The highlands region has most of the fast-flowing rivers that have tributaries in the coast and has the highest peak at 4 509 meters above sea level which is apparent of the Bismarck range’s Mt. Wilhelm and highest in the Pacific region and half height of Mt. Everest. 

There are number of other mountains in highlands which are dormant volcanoes with height ranging from 2000-3000 above sea level; that includes, Mt. Hagen, Mt. Giluwe, Mt.Bosave and few others. 

While coastal PNG has scattered and isolated atoll to white sandy islands, fjords and tributaries of many river systems. The coastal regions have best marine biodiversity and isolated islands that are inhibited while some are densely populated. 

The highlands and coast of PNG are connected with Savanna grassland to mid-mountain forests connecting the topical and mountain rain-forests linking the interconnected ranges which ranks PNG the 3rd in the world. 

The early 30s and 60s perception about PNG is merely a hysteria in the minds of people who think they can live in the planet of the aliens to be super humans than the normal life we all humans live on this planet earth by going through changes in life by adapting into the changing world. 

PNG is a developing country and we are moving forward one step at a time with the changing world and past of the 30s life are the years gone with some generations. Looking at a country with more than 800 different cultures and ethnicity which presents Papua New Guinea uniquely diverse to the outside world. Our identities are within our cultures and traditions which we are born into and becomes the cultural values and prides of the individual’s lives, communities and the society we live in. 

It is only rational to comment on issues relating to PNG’s unexplored places and developments relating to rural villages or remote islands, only if one was born into PNG, lived and grew up in PNG then so he/she will get to say things from a perspective of a Papua New Guinean. Apparently, it is so cheap for a foreigner to speculate about a nation with twenty-one provinces and more than a thousand different tribes with diverse cultures and traditions with complex social orders and that genealogy can take ages to explain. But it’s still assumption-based theory that will never explain the whole complexity of PNG’s diversity in culture and the environment.  

The missionary's commentary on the link is fair enough to clarify the well renown media giant 'The Guardian’s speculations and perceptions related to Benedict Allen's planned adventure in Papua New Guinea that The Guardian alleged him to be lost and captured by a primitive and tribal cannibalism village in a remote inland PNG. Instead, Allen was safe at the place that he intended to visit and meet. A place that most people dream to be and meet with the assumed lost tribes that were born into cultures that intertwined into their traditions and customs which have values related to their natural environment that they live in. Hence, they live a self-sustaining life with less worry on the outside world and technology. 

How does it present threat apart from creating curiosity and interest to visit such a place that brings inquest back to hundred years with its people that have less connection with the modern world? Think again to say one negative thing out of the many positive aspects about the diversified nation of PNG which has twenty-two (22) provinces which can supposedly be states of their own or rather countries.  

Outside perceptions will never help nor change the way PNG people have lived, are living and will be living but gives insight to build resilience and patriotism in what we have compared to the outside world.

  There is no lost tribe in Papua New Guinea, we are moving with the change and developing our nation with one step at a time. Our cultures and traditions are our ways of life and connected to our natural environment which appears primitive to outside world, but Papua New Guineans were born into, they lived with and they will live through. 

Engan Male Wig and Face-painting 

On the 90th Anniversary of the First European Crossing Of New Guinea, “Explorer” Benedict Allen Claims to Have Done It For The First Time

The Niche Tourism Product a Rural Development Perspective

In PNG, most of the tourism products are based in the rural villages. The accessibility to the tourism product sites is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to tourism product development. PNG Tourism industry players, tour operators, service industry and the developers are faced with the challenges every time when in the business to develop, promote and market niche tourism products in PNG.

However, on the other side of the challenges are the opportunities to look at the challenges differently. The niche tourism product development at rural areas of PNG is definitely a vehicle for ecotourism promotion, sustainability and conservation related that meets the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Looking into the challenges differently, presents the benefit with huge potential to attract Special Interest Tourists (SIT) into rural areas of PNG.

The prospect of developing and promoting ecotourism and special interest tourism at the rural areas by way of increasing conservation related activities and projects that will entail development and basic services. The idea on this is to integrate tourism into community-oriented programs which can be partly volunteer tourism (Voluntourism) to drive the interest. The responsible government agencies and the development partners tasks are to look into rural tourism product developments seriously and support the initiatives by individuals and community-based organisations. The interrelating of community-oriented activities are to sustain cultural heritage tourism which will determine the interests for other tourist types while targeting Special Interest Tourists.

The exchange of idea and skills between tourists and the communities will improve the living standards in the rural areas. The incorporation of existing public services like education and health into promoting ecotourism as part of voluntourism will help the community sustain themselves economically and continue a resilience livelihood in the community.   

The community-based tourism related activities and product development will also emphasis the rich cultural heritage tourism that are not yet discovered in Papua New Guinea. The interest will attract researchers, specialists in fields of botany, ecology, archology and anthropology which sees PNG has the haven to complement their filed work.  

The secret to development be viewed as; the economic activity of a certain area triggers the changes in the community lifestyles and living standards by making way for other forms of developments and services improvement. The changes generated by the economic activities will attract the infrastructures like; roads, bridges and airstrips into the rural community.

The changes will continue in the process to bring development into the rural areas because of tourism related activities or growing interest in the niche tourism product development and promotion. Hence, with the establishment of the ecotourism management and voluntourism, the conservation and sustainability of the products and projects in the rural communities are major attention to meet Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations. 

This will most likely be the bottom up approach of the development on the rural communities in PNG with promotion of ecotourism and voluntourism at the rural areas.

The challenges now with the tour operators, the tourism industry association and stakeholders of the service industry is to look for the marketing strategies and concepts to promote ecotourism to draw the attention of the Special Interest Tourists to the rural communities for Birdwatching, Kayaking, Surfing, Hiking, Trekking, caving, camping, local food tasting and cultural heritage tourism.

The ecotourism and voluntourism concepts are the idealistic means to develop and promote niche tourism products at the rural villages of PNG. The challenges will only become obstacle in development for niche tourism products at the rural areas if we will never find a solution to overcome them. The view on the challenges to promote niche tourism at the rural areas of PNG is real but the opportunities it presents will put things into different perspective.

PNG need to market the undiscovered, unexplored and unexploited rural areas with a different view of PNG compared to what is seen and heard in the developing townships and urban centres of PNG.

There is so much to be explored in Papua New Guinea for tourism and it’s not just a place to promote only one tourism product but a country with diversity and adversity that presents both the opportunity and challenge.   

Hiya Village Children - Madang South Coast, PNG

The leadership trend in PNG have changed into commodity of high value

Usually, in PNG societies the leadership was vested on a person based on trust and respect due to his or her community standings but now individuals are buying into be leaders of their own people.

There is a complete opposite trend happening in our country where leaders are buying their way into be the leaders of the provinces and electorates they boast to represent their people. In fact, they do not represent the true voice and concerns of their own people, community, district or the province. The agenda of the ruling party and its priorities becomes number one and the voted Members of Parliament (MPs) are tied to the political party codes of conducts which gives no room for individual political decisions by any voted MP.  

It is an indicative fact to accept that reality between Member of Parliament (MPs) who boast to have been voted and mandated by the people and those who have bought the individual votes through bribery, force and intimidation to be the Member of Parliament are the inevitability all voters forget to accept.

This contradicting fact that never convinces the MP or its voters to understand the reality that happens during the pooling day or at the counting venues when it comes to service delivery after being elected through fair or bribery practices. There are several agendas that the voted MP considers as priority than service delivery and development to benefit everyone.  

Those few campaign strategists who manipulates the voter’s rights during the pooling day and the agents for bribery in counting venues benefits from some slice of the privileges enjoyed by the voted MP while rest wait for the next five (5) years to vote him/her again or another new candidate.

The cycle continues to this day since the 1977’s first PNG National General Election. Over the years, the campaign strategies have improved as well as literary of the people also improved to understand the roles of elected MPs. However, money integration into campaign (buying votes) or bribery has been one of the most astonishing fact to know these days in the National General Elections. Every MP or intending candidates will never deny the fact that they have spent almost a million plus to contest for the provincial or the electorates of the country to be a MP.

In fact, few of the funds will be committed to the campaign logistics but mostly all funds are meant to buy favours (buying votes) as a means of bribery.  This gives the understanding that all elected MPs one way or the other buys their way into being the leaders of their so-called people that they represent. 

In this regard, its gives a general understanding that, once a candidate is declared after the counting as winning MP, he/she spends the first three (3) or four (4) years recovering costs of the election campaigns as well as for the supporters. Then last two (2) or one (1) year before the election becomes very intense and effective years for the sitting MPs to propose and initiate projects that have no socio-economical values and no sustainable benefits to the people, community, district and the province.

Most of these projects comes with ground breaking ceremonies one after the other at the last minutes into election campaign but reality never eventuates after the election. Such projects have now become norm to lives of PNG people and those days of living the life with high hopes and expectations have come to the ream of politics.  Under the cover of the last-minute projects before the National General Elections, the MPs usually dashes out DSIP and PSIP funds to their supporters and cronies on projects that never starts even after the official ground breaking. Later these allocated funds have no traces and vanishes into thin air if the same government comes back to the helm after election. These monies are assumed to have funded the campaign logistics and its associated costs like bribery. The proposed project becomes some people’s avenues to milk project money as free handouts and it becomes part of the political corruption.

In the election some MPs retain their political seats while others lose due to their cronies never mastering the bribery strategies carefully to win again. This is such an indication of those who have been faithfully serving the MP are few with vested interest to benefit themselves than the population at large or province and electorates each MPs represent. The parody of the MP retains or loses the seat, it’s a contest between the supporters who have benefited most against less or nothing during his or her tenure as a MP.  

It’s the money that comes to play in politics which determines the leader and not the trust and confidence on a person to serve as a leader. The power that is vested on a person by the community, electorate or the province through free and fair votes.

We see the fact of living in shanty towns, districts with no power, proper water and sanitation services but we tend to support the candidates in favour of money and create rowdy crowd to feel that the intending candidates have support to master the election victory. The feeling of trust and confidence in a leader to provide honest and transparent leadership at both local and national levels have no significance over the years.  The fact of money involvement in politics remains realistically true in a sense that; the leadership becomes a material quality which people can trade with money when people with qualities of leaderships, integrity and ethics are becoming rare in our PNG societies these days.

The supporters for intending candidates of PNG have never learnt enough from the last eight (8) elections. The remains of colonially built roads, schools, hospitals and airstrips are only indication of; there was once few transparent leaders in PNG in the likes of; Late Sir Tei Abal, Sir Peter Lus, Sir Imbaki Okuk, and other former colonial leaders who were so patriotic about developing this nation without any political differences like now a days in PNG politics. Their interest and first agenda were to provide development and services to the people and make it accessible to all the people. Their legacy remains a pure transparent politics and there was no bias or favoritism in service delivery or developments.

Comparing to these days, there is total opposite of what politics has been in the past, the current MPs are delivering developments and services to the places that have their base votes and cronies originates.  

People do not realize that, leadership is simply the capacity of someone to lead by providing guidance with example as a role model. A leader who is transparent in running the public affairs of an electorate or province for fair and equal wealth distribution, developments at the local and national arena.  

A role model, accountable and transparent leader who is well versed with the affairs of the district, province and the nation.

In PNG, the influence from a leader is not the same everywhere due to varying factors of culture, societal influence or socio-economical tends. However, the involvement of powerful cronies with money has a lot of influence in the political systems of PNG. Hence, it is the political power that the most prominent people are contesting in the National General Election to gain access to the prominent seat in the National Parliament as a MP. It is not a just a mere political contest for a leadership to bring services and tangible development to the people that they claim to represent but for personal gains and political power to build own empires.   

People tend to forget Integrity and trust, which are two important aspects of leadership that can never be traded cheaply. However, the leadership at the national level, in the provinces and electorates are fragmented due to business houses, individuals and associations are affiliating with political parties to hang on to the power and hide the corrupt practises under pecks and privileges of the MP. There is a complex scenario to understand how the business houses benefits from political affiliations and impact projects which never delivers to the expectations and exists as ghost projects.

There have been various allegations of leadership misconduct and official corruption towards most of the MPS in the recent years, but none of the MPs have ever indicated to step-down from leadership as MP to clear his or her allegations through the court process. Instead they have gone to all the court systems; from the District Court to the highest Supreme Court to defend themselves while still hanging on to the power. In the course of leadership tribunals on the implicated MP, the people that he/she claims to represent have suffered more due to inefficient service delivery and poor leadership. Such leaders deserve to retain or loose the seat is determined by money coming into play in politics and not the view of quality in leadership and service delivery of the MP that wins him or her the votes to be the Member of Parliament.

It will be absurd if a MP boasts to represent the province or electorate when the MP has never lived and seen his electorate for the last 4 years after winning the election. It is a pity to see people are dying of curable diseases, poor road conditions for public utility access, kids going to school in overcrowded classrooms, mothers and infants dying because of birth complications, hospitals running out of drugs, communities disuniting with tribal fights, ongoing and unresolved election related violence, fights with increasing lawlessness, roads are deteriorating, cities are becoming unsafe and unhygienic.  

On the other hand, the MPs and their cronies are enjoying the luxury, perks and privileges under the expense of the poor and complaining voters. Flying on the business class, driving on the tinted and luxury vehicles under heavily armed police escort, high class medical treatments overseas, families and children living overseas. These are some of the obvious corrupt practices and bias traits of a leader which makes the entire people of the province or electorate feel alienated and marginalized.

Logically, it is not the MP’s own sweat out of the times committed in the business investment or studies to be a leader to benefit his or her own associates and cronies, it is supposed to be a bearer of a politically mandated leadership title. To raise hands to be a leader means, a leader for the voters in favour or those that are not in favour and everyone in the province or electorate. In some cases, it never matters to a MP, as long as he/she has the money to buy votes through bribery, he/she can be a leader and represent the people on parliament sessions only with presence (such leaders that never debates or even raises an issue in the floor of parliament) and then off to conduct their own businesses. It’s a norm to some under-performing MPs who have bought their way to be MP.

Whilst on the privileges of MP, the cost recovery and vote rigging strategies comes to play for next coming election. It is a shame to call those kinds of MPs as leaders of an electorate or province when actually they are serving the interest of their cronies and building their own empires. They are earning respect through money and corrupt acts and not as a mandated leader for the people.  

2017 National General Election has taught most people some good lessons to be judgemental with what kind of leadership they require in their electorates and the provinces. The past has gone and now the trend has changed with money involvement in politics and campaign. People need honest and transparent leadership at every level, one who can deliver tangible service with infrastructure development to improve the lives of people in real time.

It’s better to avoid those leaders that are trying to buy their way into be a leader by buying votes through bribery and rigging the election process. As long as they have the money, they can do anything it takes to be a leader in a self-style means than being voted by the people for the trust and confidence on a person that has leadership quality. A person who can lead with transparency and honesty to serve the best interest of the people he/she has chosen to represent as a leader.

When the 2017 National General Election is over, it is better to revisit the campaign policies that each of the wining politicians have used as their political platform to bring services and developments. The campaign times are different with all good things that brings the people to next level with expectations. However, after the formation of the government, the mystery remains as; the people’s leader is driven away in tinted glass vehicles under heavy armed escort, living in hotels and apartments with gates guarded 24/7.  

It’s the PNG style of leadership which the people wants or the leaders themselves wants it.

The question to; who will change the whole picture of politics and leadership style in the 20^th Century for PNG remains uncertain.     

A Generous Scholar - Mr. Mitio

.. all forms of friendships are formed out of the unknown into reality ... 

He was my language & literature teacher in secondary school. 

In my work life we cross the pathways in Baimuru basins when he was doing internships with Oil Search PNG and I was working with Oilmin Downstream Processing Plant there.

As they say it's a small world, no exception for a diverse Nation like PNG, we came to work and live in Port Moresby where Mr. Mitio works with PNG Ports as the Stakeholder Relations Coordinator.

PNGTPA contributes news article and tourism adverts to the PNG Ports owned Ahoy Magazine which his team coordinates to publish and disseminates industry and related news and information to the public.

Back in our teacher/student days in the school, I would write any piece of writing and bring to his office for corrections and editing. I cannot recall all of those topics but one of the topics was "First Met" a narrative writing practice which has a setting of unknown people meeting and creating lasting relationships at schools.

Now I do send him articles to Ahoy Magazine for publication and it continues to be playing the past days of student and teacher. He has the values to groom students and a role model.

Today I was surprised with this special gift (complimentary of PNG Ports - signature). I told him the stories of my Kayaking adventure in Madang which I did not realized was on a New Year’s Eve and came back to the shore where the fireworks and celebrations setup to welcome 2018.

That gave us a good laugh as this will complement my first weekend of 2018.

At times we PNG people do not go on a holiday for self-revival and renewal from work environments, rather tie our holiday times into customary obligations and it continues with holidays and festive seasons. That was one of the reasons, I forgot it was on a New Year’s Eve I was Kayaking off Madang seas.

Thank you, my teacher, mentor and role. This reminds me of something special in every side of my life.

Pics: (L-R) myself, Douglas, Mr. Mitio

PNG Kumuls first flight on RLWC mission is set at 50kph

PNG Kumuls launched their first flight from home ground at 50kph speed against a Wales wind strength of 6knots which was felt after flying for almost 80 minutes before the full length of the day's journey. 

The flight took off at a roaring crowd of 14 800 officially confirmed at the newly commissioned Oil Search National Football Stadium.

There are another two more flights set to be launched by PNG Kumuls from the same site in Port Moresby and the experts within the team led by chief engineer, Michael Marum are studying the weather patterns beforehand.

In the second flight, more of the strong turbulence is expected from the Ireland wind with high atmospheric pressures that are highly likely to cause havoc on the second Kumul mission. On the other hand, the final launching of the Kumul mission from Port Moresby will be against a new waves of wind blowing in from the United States of America which have caused moderate damage to the Fijian expertise team who have more ambitions on the mission but struggled to navigate through.

There is intense expectation on PNG Kumul mission by the citizens to successfully launch the flights throughout the 80 minutes on the remaining two missions after the first against Wales wind was a success. The uncertainty is on the atmospheric pressures and turbulence from Ireland win, an area  that seems to be the epicenter of the atmospheric pressures and turbulence apart from Australia, New Zealand and England winds which are frequents to experience on the missions. These winds have been producing storms and cyclones over the years while combining with warmer air pressures from the Pacific Ocean.

However, due to the climate changes and shifts in weather patterns, the Pacific Islands air pressures are scientist's new area of focus to study as it is expected to bring in extraordinary and unexpected disaster to cause havoc on the RLWC mission.

Now there seems to be so much talk about new and developing atmospheric pressures from the Pacific Islands and a strong turbulence is expected from Pacific Islands areas like Tonga and Fiji. These Pacific Islanders have managed to navigate well in their previous missions encounters. The expected adverse atmospheric pressure in Pacific Islands is due to low air pressure in New Zealand, Australia or English areas which used to be the area of forecast before.

When looking into the forecasts of the days ahead, Tonga is developing an extreme pressure that will cause much damage to the most anticipated missions of Australian, New Zealand and Ireland if it will manage to pass through the intense pressure of Samoa who are vying to be the best in the Pacific too.

On the series of launching events, Fiji's mission against United States high winds paid well with its NRL trained and experienced crews who navigated the 80 minutes successfully with 58kph even when the United States wind speed was at 12knots.

For PNG, uncertainty after the series of predictions with adverse alert from Wales atmospheric pressure and strong wind warnings were carefully navigated by some newly graduated team of young crews from the hunting zones academy of PNG.

The chief engineer for Kumuls, Michael Marum did appointed a captain of the mission who always does flawless number one role at the back and forefront with crews comprising of experienced professionals. There were four (4) Jack of all trades were part of the team to helped out the other crews to ensure the first Kumul flight on RLWC mission was steady towards 50/kph or above the range.



There are so much work needed to do in order to launch the Kumul's second flight against Ireland's strong winds and atmospheric pressures as well as last flight against United State's strong and high speed wind. The early warning signals are flood into the Kumuls headquarters and pressures are developing but no one is panicked yet. PNG Kumuls is eager to soar high above for the 8million people this time when the opportunity was given on the home soil to do the launching of its flight which was successful. 

The Kumuls second mission launching against Ireland is expected on Sunday  05th November, 2017 at National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. The pressures are mounting and forecast is monitored on 24/7 routine with a crew named to take the mission for 80minutes before an expected crowd of 15 000. The weather forecast at the moment has been directed into Port Moresby where the Ireland wind is blowing towards and the Kumul's scientists with the engineers are monitoring the situation to quell off. 

Rest of the Pacific Islanders are believing that the Giant Polynesian Moso will emerge out of  New Zealand when the Tongan Ma'a Mate and Toa Samoa will have a electrified collision on chilling climate over the weekend. The tensions have developed ever since the tropic air pressures were moving from Tonga and Samoa towards chilling New Zealand. 

Let the Kingdom of Tonga and the treasured island of Samoa have the tug of war to regenerate Giant Moso into reality while PNG will envisage on how to navigate the ever changing and unpredictable weather patterns of RLWC.      

PNG Kumuls 50 vs Wales 6 - Port Moresby, PNG #RLWC

PNG Kumuls Vs Wales Dragon Show