Local villagers hold a placard as they participate in a gathering near the Porgera Gold Mine in Enga province, Papua New Guinea on 23 September 2024, almost one week after police reinforcements were rushed to the area in a bid to quell tribal violence that shuttered the key gold mine Photo: AFP
A former Papua New Guinea deputy prime minister says the problems in Porgera can all be sheeted back to the James Marape Government.
The Porgera gold mine was re-opened with fanfare earlier this year, after a three year shut down during which the government negotiated terms more favourable to it.
But for months there has been violence surrounding Porgera, resulting most recently in security personnel shooting six people, one fatally, and arresting dozens of people mining the mine's tailings illegally.
The mine operators have suspended operations.
Sir Chris Haiveta said the government's reckless mismanagement of the mine has thrown PNG into a national crisis.
The Post-Courier quotes him saying that "what was framed as short-term pain for long-term gain" has instead resulted in prolonged suffering, with no end in sight."
"Porgera, once a cornerstone of our economy generating 10 percent of national exports, now stands as a tragic symbol of failed leadership, paralysed operations, and government negligence."
He said the closure of the mine has devastated the livelihoods of thousands, driven investors away, and choked off essential foreign exchange earnings.
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Sir Chris said despite a State of Emergency, Police Commissioner David Manning has failed to restore order.
He compares the crisis at Porgera with what happened in Bougainville more than 30 years ago.
"The disastrous mistakes of the Bougainville Crisis, where mismanagement of the Panguna mine, unequal distribution of benefits, and corruption, ignited violent conflict and economic devastation.
Sir Chris told the Post-Courier that the new Mining Minister, Wake Goi, "must immediately engage with all stakeholders to address landowner disputes, restore investor trust, and reopen the mine without delay."