PNG Bulletin | Port Moresby | Monday, July 14, 2025
The Porgera Landowners Association has issued a powerful and public letter to Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas, accusing the provincial government of decades-long neglect, exploitation, and political failure in addressing the plight of the Porgera community.
In the letter, Chairman Mark Tony Ekepa said that despite Porgera being the site of one of the largest extractive operations in the country — generating billions in revenue — the local communities continue to face environmental degradation, displacement, and the collapse of basic services.
“What we have received in return is catastrophic environmental degradation, forced displacement, erosion of cultural heritage, and a breakdown of social order,” Mr. Ekepa wrote.
The letter states that public services such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, clean water, and security are either severely underprovided or completely absent. Mr. Ekepa criticized Governor Ipatas’ public praise for the State Negotiating Team involved in the New Porgera Agreement, calling the remarks “disingenuous” and “out of touch with the lived experiences of landowners.”
He further accused the Governor of presenting a “misleading narrative” that ignores the deep-rooted inequities and structural neglect suffered by the landowners over decades.
“Your recent commendation of the New Porgera Agreement diminishes the genuine grievances of the people,” the letter stated.
The association also took issue with Governor Ipatas’ endorsement of recent dividend and tax announcements by Barrick (Niugini) Limited, stating that macro-level fiscal gains do not reflect the on-the-ground realities of poverty, broken infrastructure, and collapsed services in Porgera.
“Commending corporate payments without addressing service delivery failure is not governance, it is abdication,” Mr. Ekepa declared.
In one of the letter’s strongest points, the landowners argued that the free education policy often highlighted by Governor Ipatas is made possible by royalties generated from gold extracted from Porgera lands. The chairman said the policy is “underwritten by the suffering and sacrifice of our people,” and accused the government of subsidizing national priorities at the expense of local communities.
“This asymmetry is morally indefensible and politically unsustainable,” the letter read.
The landowners are now calling for restorative justice, transparent governance, and urgent reform, and have demanded that Governor Ipatas take tangible action through policy commitments, budget allocations, and enforcement mechanisms.
“We await your response not in ceremonial statements but through real, measurable change,” Mr. Ekepa stated, adding that the people’s patience has been exhausted.
The letter ends with a resolute call for the Governor to fulfill his constitutional and moral obligations, engage constructively with landowners, and deliver a development framework that is just, inclusive, and transparent.
