THERE is only one life and people must live it wisely, a man living with AIDS says.
Rodney Mukinere, 51, from Indagen village, Kabwum, Morobe, has been living with the HIV virus for the past 12 years. He attended a HIV/AIDS awareness session at the PNG Forest Research Institute in Lae, Morobe. Mukinere, a former credit controller with BOC Gas, said he never thought he would contract the virus, thinking it was for prostitutes and promiscuous people. “I was wrong. I spent five minutes with a young girl at the Huon Gulf Hotel and (forever) regretted my actions,” he said. Mukinere said a friend had arrived in Lae with two beautiful young girls in 2002 and invited him for beer. Mukinere said he had sex with one of the girls and contracted the virus. “I did not know it until 2005 when I was paralysed and admitted at the Angau Memorial Hospital,” he said. “Then doctors told me I had AIDS.” Mukinere, who had been married for 20 years and had four children, said his friends began to ignore him when they learnt that he had AIDS. “Only my children and wife cared for me,” he said. “I had sores in my mouth, throat and internal organs and could not eat. I felt extreme pain when trying to swallow food. “I thought I was living in hell. I prayed to God and asked him to heal me.” Mukinere said his prayers were answered in Nov 2005 when he regained his appetite for food. “I began eating the brown rice that was provided to me by the hospital. “I felt no pain and began eating more. I knew it was a miracle from God and he wanted me to live.” Mukinere said he received his strength back and left the hospital. But he said things had not improved when he returned to his Limki settlement as people refused to be associated with him. An Asian company is course to seal a K71 million deal with the PNG government to supply medical drugs in the country. The company will become the sole supplier of medical drugs however, this company does not have International Organisation accreditation.
PNG Medical Society expressed concern and appeal the government to reject any recommendations made to the company. Any company that apply to to supply medical drugs in the country must meet the Internationl Organisation accreditation. Related News THE Government is determined to crack down on illegal land grabbing in the country.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said in a statement the Government was concerned about illegal land grabbing would get to the bottom of it. “Whether it is customary land or prime land in the city, the Government will do all it can to take back land illegally taken away from Papua New Guineans, and punish those responsible,” O’Neill said. As a result of widespread illegal land grabbing in PNG, then acting Prime Minister Sam Abal instituted a Commission of Inquiry in July 2011 into the granting of Special Agriculture and Business Leases in the country. The inquiry was extended by O’Neill. The report by the commission was given to the Government on June 24 and tabled in Parliament in August. The commission was asked to examine 75 leases. They only examined 42. Of the 42, only four leases appeared to be proper and commercially viable with bona fide landowner consent. The rest of the leases were illegal or seriously compromised. Despite the flaws, the commission had recommended in the report that the leases (SABLs) be continued. It made general recommendations to improve the integrity of the process. O’Neill told Parliament that the freeze on the SABLs would continue. He directed the Minister for Lands and Physical Planning Benny Allan (pictured) to appoint a Task Force to identify a new legislative framework to:
“The Task Force will be consulting widely so that everyone has an opportunity to contribute. “The use of customary land is a sensitive issue and this government is committed to getting it right,” he said. PNG Times / The National Related News
PEOPLE can access information on Parliament and discuss issues of national interest following the launching of a website and SMS link last Friday.
The Open Parliament project is the idea of Speaker Theo Zurenuoc “to restore, reform and modernize” Parliament. The website has a database of information on Parliament including profiles of MPs, bills and papers, committee report and Hansard report. This will allow the people to understand and follow the operation and developments in Parliament. The SMS link will enable the people to access information about their MPs and follow development works regarding their electorates. Zurenuoc said people could now access parliament information on developments, information and activities within the realms of MPs, Parliament staff and the Speaker. The European Union funded it for K1 million. The project was born from an agreement signed by the Government, Transparency International PNG and EU in April to promote transparency and democracy. Zurenuoc said the idea was to restore and promote the integrity of Parliament by informing and educating the nation and international community of what the House did. “My goal is to build the integrity of the Parliament through openness,” he said. “The realization of the PNG dreams can only begin with a transformed Parliament. “The people for whom this institution was built have long been deprived of information and knowledge about the activities of this place. “Even the purpose for which it exists has for many years shut out the nation whether deliberately or just through ignorance.” The National Related News West Sepik Governor Amkat Mai has been ousted by the Court of Disputed Returns.
Trial Judge, Elenas Batari, on Friday ruled Governor Mai's election win null and void, and ordered a by-election. Governor Mai's election win was challenged by former Governors Simon Solo and John Tekwie. A three-week trial was conducted in Vanimo in August and September this year, and the decision was to have been handed down at the end of October. However, it was rescheduled twice to November 22nd and again to November 27, before it was finally handed down on Friday. N-B-C News in Vanimo is informed, the decision was handed down in Waigani. |
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