B-Mobile uproar

THE Government and Opposition clashed yesterday over claims there were moves to sell state-owned mobile company, B Mobile. A series of questions from the Opposition, alleging a sale was in the works, was challenged and ruled out of order as the questions were being read in Parliament.

Member for Finschhafen Theo Zurenuoc claimed in questions directed to Communications Minister Patrick Tammur that several Government ministers and MPs travelled to Singapore, Malaysia and other overseas country to look into the possibilities of selling B-Mobile which is facing severe competition from Digicel. However, Finance Minister Patrick Pruaitch raised a point of order and called for the questions to be ruled out of order. Mr Pruaitch said the question was pre-empting government policy and told the Speaker Jeffery Nape to rule them out. Mr Nape ruled in favour of Mr Pruaitch and said the question was pre-empting government policy under the parliament standing orders. Deputy Opposition Leader Bart Philemon argued it should be raised but Mr Nape maintained his ruling.

But information showed to the Post-Courier outside of Parliament indicated that the Government was making moves to sell B-Mobile without the knowledge of Telikom PNG. The information showed that several Government bureaucrats were concerned with the move. Communications Minister Patrick Tammur and Minister for State Enterprises Arthur Somare at a joint news conference told reporters the Government was looking at options to transform Telikom but not to sell B-Mobile.

Government sources later told the Post-Courier that the transformation options include public and private partnership. Mr Tammur said: “The answer is no (to a sale), but the Government in its ICT policy decision directed my colleague minister, Minister for Public Enterprise, Arthur Somare to investigate options in rehabilitating and transforming Telikom PNG.” Mr Somare said the question was of national interest and the Speaker ruled it out of order.
He said the National Executive Council directive with regard to the ICT policy had clearly directed the ministry together with the Independent Public Business Corporation to look at all options in relation to transformation of Telikom for it to participate eventually in an open market environment before March 29 next year. Mr Somare said the text of the NEC decision itself was specific for the Government’s desire to transform Telikom. He said: “As to the question of whether B Mobile is for sale, that question is being answered through this process that both IPBC and the Ministry is looking at right now and we are looking at all the options for the transformations of Telikom to prepare it for full and open competition prior to the 29th of March 2009.”

Parliament was adjourned to 10am today.

 

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Kissinger interested in GreenCom

ONE of the world’s most influential men, Dr Henry Kissinger, has shown interest in taking a piece of the mobile phones market in Papua New Guinea.
Dr Kissinger has already made a move on the “sleeper’’ in the mobiles debate, GreenCom. This emerged from remarks yesterday by GreenCom spokesman Ted Diro after the Government in Parliament denied the Telikom company, B Mobile, would be sold.

Outside Parliament, Mr Diro, a former defence force commander and former minister, said Dr Kissinger, who was the powerful Secretary of State for the US Government in the past, had vied for majority equity in the Indonesian company, GreenCom. GreenCom has the same status as Irish-owned Digicel, as the holder of a mobile phone licence in PNG, but has persistently held off entering the market.

Mr Diro said yesterday interests representing Dr Kissinger had made an offer to buy 55 per cent of GreenCom. Conditions were laid down by GreenCom for the offer to succeed but those conditions had not been met, so the offer lapsed, Mr Diro said. However Dr Kissinger had told him he had a better option to get into the communication market in PNG, Mr Diro said.

Observers said this could account for the remarks by government ministers earlier that Telikom’s future under rationalisation and rehabilitation could involve, among options, a partnership with private enterprise.