After meetings and flip flops, apparently Gabriel Kapris won the day and got Governor Amet to concede to a PMIZ groundbreaking, which went off this morning. Without the general public. In fact, they turned PMV, after truck, after car, of people trying to get in to see the event, saying we needed permits, or personal invitations from RD Tuna. Our part included Kanage (Alphonse), who tried everything to raise the boom gate and get us in, but to no avail. We were turned around by everything from friendl security guards to idiot thugs. Just on the far side of the gate sat two Filipinos on motor scooters with arms crossed over their chests, chuckling... As apt a picture of the future of Madang as one could choreograph.
Below is an email I had sent around to Chamber of Commerce and general Madang business people, many of whom did try to come, but were, of course, turned away:
Those of you who either did not hear about or could not attend last Friday's meeting at Sir Peter Barter auditorium at DWU may not know that this was the final and only public toksave for Madang regarding the NFA and GoPNG 'Pacific Marine Industrial Zone' (or 'Marine Park' as it has been misleadingly referred to), and that there will be a groundbreaking ceremony with Sir Michael this Friday at Vidar Wharf. Nancy
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> On barely 217 hectares of State land at Vidar (Alexishafen, home to our best WWII tourism and local historical sites), leased-leased back by RD Tuna, we will soon be hosting up to ten tuna canneries, loineries and other industrial fishing entities from (mainly, judging from responses thus far) Japan and China, in the first Pacific industrial hub dedicated exclusively to reclaiming the profits from our tuna stocks. Whatever your opinion of the project (and I encourage you to check the NFA web site, as well as my own blog www.nancysullivan.typepad.com for more info), this has certainly not been floated to the general public of Madang, which, by any account, lies directly in the impact zone of this 'development.' Our tourism industry, our quiet charm and peaceful way of life are certainly major selling points in the project prospectus, and thus all of the businesses responsible for Madang's good name should have a say in an industrial development that will certainly impinge upon their future.
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> The only real beneficiary of this project is RD tuna, for whom the economies of scale will be extraordinary. The promise of 20,000 -40,000 more jobs is so fantastic to seem illusory, and where it can be trusted, suggests a level of settlement and infrastructure strain that would but the town of Madang to a dead halt. Consider the fact thast we have recently suffered from a month's delay in garbage disposal, and a spate of violence in response to MCC labour issues.
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> The PMIZ groundbreaking is scheduled for this Friday at Vidar Wharf. Try to be there. Governor Amet tried to halt the groundbreaking at last week's meeting, but evidently the Dept of Commerce and Industry are determined to ignore his request. Perhaps the general public can make their interests known on this public occasion.
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