The trials of Dr Nadile: PM O’Neill, please intervene
25 September 2011
COMPILED BY KEITH JACKSON
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Private communication
Yesterday at the 25th Papua New Guinea - Australia Business Forum held here in Madang, the very last session of the day included a presentation by Dr Rona Nadile, the First Assistant Secretary of the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations. I asked her how it is we have a major resource extraction project in Madang where most foreign workers speak no English.
To her credit, Dr Nadile was incredibly candid. Before the entire forum, she explained that when these work permits came across her desk she was told that the Prime Minister's Department wanted her to 'make it happen' and issue all work permits for MCC employees. A collective gasp and giggle could be heard across the room.
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Rules ‘bent’ for mining project
By Barnabas Orere Pondros
Chinese nationals employed by the Ramu nickel mine were issued work permits despite not meeting Papua New Guinea’s labour laws which stipulate that all non-citizens must be proficient in English.
Department of Labour and Industrial Relations acting executive manager for employment promotion Dr Rhonda Nadile revealed this yesterday at the 25th Australia-PNG Business Council forum in Madang.
She said despite strong opposition from the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations over the legality of the issue, the National Government directed the department to issue the permits “because the agreement has been signed to develop the Ramu nickel project”.
According to Dr Nadile, the National Government overlooked the labour laws because the Ramu nickel project was far more important….
Dr Nadile said if the department tried to question or oppose the issuance of work permits, the applicants only go higher up, “even to the Prime Minister’s office”.
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Blog post
From The Namorong Report
Prime Minister O’Neill’s vow to tackle corruption and the misuse of public monies is not going to bear any fruit unless the government moves to protect whistleblowers like Dr Rhona Nadile. Nadile has been sacked from the Department of Labour, where she was a senior officer, for exposing gross misappropriation and inappropriate use of trust funds….
One case involved the drawdown of K241,000 to cover the travel costs for Secretary George Vaso and his staff to travel to Fiji for an extended stay of 18 days to attend two conferences which were only for 8 days. Another case involved the use of K500,000 from the Work Permit Trust Account so a delegation could attend an ILO conference in Geneva.
“Enough is enough”, wrote Nadile in a memo to Vaso, “I have witnessed numerous occasions of gross misappropriation and inappropriate use of WPTA funds”.
As a result of her questioning of the payments, Nadile was suspended from duty and charged with gross insubordination and has now been dismissed
Meanwhile a report outlining specific cases of abuse of funds have been given to new Minister for Labour, Martin Aini, but he has failed to make any public statement on the matter.
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Whistleblower Nadile has car seized in late night police raid
By A Special Correspondent
Whistleblower Dr Rona Nadile, suspended and then sacked from the Department of Labour for revealing misappropriation and misuse of Trust Funds, has had her official vehicle seized by police in a heavy-handed and humiliating late-night raid.
Dr Nadile was at home with church fellowship when, at about 10 o’clock at night, a police vehicle (ZGC 978) with at least five policemen from Waigani Police Station arrived at her house. And if that wasn’t enough, the police vehicle was accompanied by a private registered van (CAX 179).
There were about 14 people in all, cowards and bullies, ever so big and strong and ever so brave to commandeer Dr Nadile’s vehicle, which was her right to hold.
Dr Nadile was allowed no representation and was forced to hand over the keys to the vehicle. Not one of the police would disclose his name. The perpetrators who organised this outrage should be brought to account immediately.
How demeaning is this and what intimidation for any citizen of Papua New Guinea let alone a professional like Dr Nadile. The person(s) responsible for this must be so nasty and mean that he/she is not fit to hold any responsible position.
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Private communication
From The Waima Kid
Dr Rona is a shining star that should set the pace and the standard for all. She is bigger than the Iron Lady of England. We should hang our heads in shame. We are all nothing but cowards.
I said the last time that [NAME WITHHELD FOR LEGAL REASONS] was only Mr 10% and the Big Fish was out there. I hope he is get punished because he deceived because he contributed to Keravat’s own short comings and the many other projects in PNG. You can run but you cannot hide BIG FISH. You will be caught, scaled and locked up.
Now let’s get support Dr and report more abusers and culprits.
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Group communication
From Barbara Short
I hear that Dr Rona Nadile, one of our ex-Keravats, has stood up against some corruption in her department and is now in need of support. I would love to help her in any way I can.
If anybody has any suggestions please let me know. I thought maybe I could write an article for PNG Attitude. Lets all get behind her! Tuum Est again!
I have just read through a copy of PNG Attitude sent from my very dear friend – Sir Paulias Matane.
I would just like to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly and would like to add my backing to comments about Dr Rona Nadile.
I have lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for over 43 years. I love the country and its people, but my heart is sad when I see what is happening around me.
Greed, corruption, lack of health care and good education, apathy in the public service, law and order problems.
(This is not a running down of a country I love, but a facing of facts.)
There is an expression used, “sweeping it under the carpet”. I really pray that the new government will be transparent and work on these problems without fear or favour, in other words they will face up to the huge responsibilities ahead of them without the “carpet getting higher”.
That they will stand up strong and work for the good of the people from the grassroots upwards, then people like Dr Nadile will be able to carry out their jobs in good conscience without having to worry about attacks from people who may have something to hide.
Posted by: Eileen Allan | 05 October 2011 at 02:52 PM
Participation of police in carrying out orders from public servants and politicians outside the requirements of police search and arrest policies is demeaning and shameful to the Royal PNG Constabulary.
Such members of the RPNGC demonstrated an image of a half-baked, gullible and at times self-serving police personnel to be behaving under pretext of doing police work.
The Commissioner of Police has declared 2011 as year of discipline. Let declaration be seen to be done by pulling in line such rogue behaviour from all police men and women.
Posted by: Basil Peutalo | 26 September 2011 at 07:54 AM
As Dr Rona Nadile's headmaster when she was at Keravat I wish to add my support to her appeal.
I always found her strong, truthful and intelligent; the type of public servant PNG has very much need of.
Posted by: Dr Peter Eaton | 25 September 2011 at 07:51 PM
Clean up the corruption from the top level of government departments right to the grass roots, sack them and provide interviews and recruit new senior staff who will follow the rules and regulations and the code of ethics once the new MP takes the oaths.
Posted by: PNG Meri | 25 September 2011 at 11:57 AM
Sounds all too familiar....
I was a victim but had to move on in life for the sake of my young family. This time it was the Department of Education - the usual 10% factor and mishandling of building contracts, e.g., the Kerevat NHS etc. It is every where.
I admire Dr Nadile for her upright character as an honest person. Where do we start to clean up? Legislation must be included for whistleblowers like what Fiji is doing currently.
Posted by: David Ealedona | 25 September 2011 at 11:01 AM
What a shame, PNG Department of Labour. No organisation and managements skills.
They run the department as though they are running their own house hole.
Bring that person who is accountable to justice and be made a shame.
Bring in 60 Minutes and 7.30 report to expose their rotten business dealings.
Posted by: Elenora Auki | 25 September 2011 at 10:20 AM
Everyone in PNG welcomed the elevation of Peter O'Neill as the new Prime Minister of PNG (maski legal or illegal), not through general election.
The overwhelming welcome is because the ouster of the former regime represented a much needed break from the political inertia of the powers-to-be to stem the blatant and arrogant flaunting of the Public Finance Management Act of the government and the honest ways of doing business in PNG.
To a majority of Papua New Guineans, Hon Peter O'Neill and his government represents a welcome break to the "systemic and systematic" corruption practices by our politicians, bureaucrats and unscrupulous business people.
Dr Nadile is a sacrificial lamb of those voices in the wilderness against corruption in their own departments, business entities, and peoples.
They should be supported by one and all in PNG and overseas (donors). Set up a support mechanism for whistle blowers like Dr Rona Nadile.
Posted by: Basil Peutalo | 25 September 2011 at 10:04 AM
I support Dr. Nadile for what she has done! And others who have done the same in the past must be supported.
So let us put pressure on the O'Neill-Namah government to dig into this and have those people investigated and locked up as well. Time for action now.
Posted by: Essam Mycall | 25 September 2011 at 09:54 AM
This is a travesty that should never happen to anyone who runs their department with honor and integrity and especially to someone as caring as Dr Rona Nadile.
When she was on the Gezelle last year she made a point of coming to see us at Keravat something we will always remember.
Yes, and what a delightful lady! If there were more individuals in PNG with her intellect, honesty, and compassion, the country would be far better for it.
Let's hope the new prime minister Peter O'Neill provides some thoughtful reassessment of the events that precipitated her termination and reinstate her.
Such action would show that he is determined to deal with corruption at it roots.
Posted by: Vic Romanyshyn | 25 September 2011 at 09:41 AM
Dear Ex-Keravat students and staff - One of the Ex-Keravats, Dr Rona Nadile, is having a spot of bother after reporting corrupt ways in her Labour Department.
I'm sure some of you may remember her, a delightful lady, very hard working, honest, and compassionate. I remember her when she served on the school's BOG for awhile. Also, she helped me when I was writing TUUM EST.
Now she has been sacked for "insubordination" . See the article which Keith Jackson has placed on PNG Attitude. Some of you might like to add comments to this.
Some of the ex-students have written to me about it. It appears that this sort of thing is the "norm". It you stand up for justice you lose your job.
Many of the women, especially, are fearful, and tend to keep quiet or else have stood up in the past and are now at home sewing dresses to try to make a living. These women are often highly qualified and experienced but are bullied out of the formal workforce.
Priscilla Kare (Hivorimori Opa) is doing a great job. She is now working for the PNG Education Advocacy Network which have done a survey and found out that literacy levels are now very low in PNG.
Even students who have managed to stay in school until Grade 8 are still illiterate. You can read about it on PNG Attitude.
It is fortunate that our ex-students are still around to do so much to try to steer PNG back to a level course. But sadly they are dying far too young.
I heard about two who died recently - one was John Gesa (1978-79) who was a maths lecturer at the University of Technology, Lae - and also Kari Poawai wrote to me to tell me that another good ex-Keravat Mrs Noreen Kenas Kanasa passed away in the early hours of Sunday (28 August 2011) morning.
Noreen was a Principal Magistrate and instrumental in the Juvenile Justice Reform Program and was on the Tribunal panel to probe allegations of corruption against Arthur Somare at the time of her passing. Her eldest son is a medical doctor and other 3 children are at Uni.
I hope someone will be able to help Rona. Keith has appealed to the new Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill. We'll see if he is up to it.
Posted by: Barbara Short | 25 September 2011 at 08:20 AM