Lealea clan disputes govt’s findings

Baeau Tai
        
Land is the basis for the existence of men. Nowadays, it has a high political and economic value. Considering the significance of land, many landowners in Papua New Guinea’s mining project areas are not always satisfied with issues relating to land.      
Over the years, some landowners have complained or even threatened to disrupt mining operations because of their dissatisfaction of how landowner issues are handled by government and developers.
One most significant mining operation and its forced shutdown by landowners is the Panguna mine in Bougainville. That mine remains closed until now.
Now with the LNG development, the Motu Koitabu people, who live in the vicinity of the US-based ExxonMobil’s proposed LNG plant at Land Portion 152 in Port Moresby, are now feeling the pressures of such a huge development.
They have embraced this development like a “saviour” that has come to the heart of their land to bring them developments that could improve their lives.      
These people see their security in the land and the opportunity to make money, receive some benefits like employment opportunities and other spinoff benefits. While ExxonMobil is proceeding with its planned development, there are ongoing land disputes among clan groups at Lealea village.
Lealea is one of four villages—to be affected by the LNG project. The others are Boera, Porebada and Papa.
The Araua clan of Lealea has called on the Department of Petroleum & Energy (DPE) and ExxonMobil to settle landowner issues first before further proceeding with the gas development.
The clan made the call after it learnt that the DPE had excluded them when it announced last month that 32 clans from the four villages would be affected by the oil project.
It is understood a social mapping report (SMR) compiled by American anthropologist James Weiner had concluded that the Araua clan is the principal landowner from Lealea village. But the DPE, however, has disputed that after conducting an internal review of Weiner’s report.
Correspondence between the Araua clan and Weiner revealed that Araua clan is the principal landowner in Lealea.
The disappointed clan wrote to Petroleum Secretary, Rendle Rimua, and gave him five working days to respond. But when this edition went to press, nothing had been forthcoming from Rimua’s office.   
The appeal letter was also been sent to Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, key government ministers including Arthur Somare, Dr Puka Temu and Dame Carol Kidu, and other stakeholders.
Ian Marru, coordinator for the PNG LNG project and Assistant Director Petroleum Policy Division, circulated a short brief to the four impacted villages notifying them of the results of their internal review and their decision that 32 clans were likely to be impacted by the ExxonMobil’s LNG plant.
“As part of DPE’s landowner verification process, we are releasing this information for feedback that will lead to the Benefit Sharing Agreement (BSA) before 14 March 2009,” said Marru.
“We treat this brief seriously and are extremely disappointed that Araua clan was deliberately excluded from the SMR for reasons only known to DPE,” said Araua clan chairman, Auda Delena. “We believe Weiner’s SMR has been tampered with”.
The clan leaders have noted that Weiner was thorough and took extensive time to carry out his work at Lealea village. Araua clan submitted in full all the necessary documents during the social mapping exercise. Weiner made site visits to sacred landmarks, hunting and gardening grounds and fishing locations. He also recorded oral history of the village and traditional songs.
“We stress that Araua clan is the only Koitabu clan in Lealea village and its history is well documented by famous anthropologists and historians like James Chalmers, N.D. Oram (History of Melanesia), C.D. Seligman and other historians,” said Delena.
“For Araua clan to mysteriously disappear from Weiner’s SMR questions the authenticity of the DPE’s sanctioned review of Weiner’s report,” he added.
The 32 clans from the four impacted villages represent the entire population of the four villages and not the principal landowners as required under the social mapping study.   DPE’s January awareness on BSA at Lealea is also creating confusion among the people.
Contravention: DPE representatives have said that the PNG constitution stipulates that principal landowners cannot be the entire village but an individual, clan or a group of people. DPE’s strategy to encompass the entire population of the four impacted villages is in direct contravention of the PNG constitution.
“We would have appreciated if a copy of Weiner’s report was given to respective landowner clans to vet the accuracy of the information prior to its finalisation,” Delena said.
“The LNG project is the single largest resource project in PNG, and we see no reason why the Weiner report was not sighted by landowners and why DPE had to review it,” he added.
Araua clan is demanding that a copy of Weiner’s SMR be made available to them and other landowner clans for openness and transparency purposes because it believes that the report had revealed the principal landowner clans of Land Portion 152 and the 5km buffer zone.
It is also demanding that DPE’s set timeline of March 14, 2009, for the signing of the BSA be deferred to a later date until the social mapping issue is resolved between the Araua clan, DPE and ExxonMobil.
Potential co-financiers said during a recent visit to the project site that security of the investment and landowner issues were the two “single most important concerns”.
The LNG development will certainly change the lifestyle of the Motu Koitabu people in the four impacted villages and thus expose them to outside influences.
This emerging LNG development will bring about profound changes.
Already local people are being employed as security guards, village liaison officers and labourers at the camp site and not forgetting the divisions and infighting amongst clan groups and families.