BY BARNEY ORERE
A customary land group in Port Moresby has accused the government of turning a deaf year to native land issues in the city as part of a land-grabbing conspiracy that involves all its agencies.
Exasperated by years of innuendo and sometimes plain abuse of a process that has denied them any sense of justice; native villagers say they are extremely angry at the cruel treatment they’ve had to endure at the hands of State agencies.
Chairman of Mavara Douna Incorporated Land Group of Poreporena, Hanuabada, Oala Mase Ikau named the State agencies as: the Department of Lands and Physical Planning, the National Lands Commission (NLC) and the courts “by deliberately procrastinating the judicial proceedings pertaining to our customary lands.”
Mr Mase Ikau cited the following as cases by which the State had completely failed the people:
- As a result of a claim for settlement submitted to the NLC a land hearing was to be convened at the Port Moresby District Court, commencing 24-27 November, 2009 in respect of lands described as DA602, 2077, 2157,2252, 2253, DA1047, DA5 and DA2252. One of these relates to Paga Hill and the other, the Harbour City.
The hearing was advertised in a newspaper on November 18, 2009, but failed to eventuate and nothing has been heard of the matter up till now.
As a result of another demand/claim letter dated October 12, 2009 and addressed to the Secretary of Lands and Physical Planning by Mavara Douna land group, land court hearings were scheduled as follows:
- November 16, 2009, for mention in the local land court at Waigani,
- December 1, 2009, as above; and
- March 18, 2010, at district land court in Port Moresby.
Mr Mase Ikau said all these scheduled land court hearings never materialised and the people were still waiting.
“I am 80 years old so when were these so-called State lands acquired? It is a shame; the world looks at our system of justice and laughs at us,” said Mr Mase Ikau.