Government jet still gadding about: Hawaii report
30 September 2011
PRIME MINISTER Peter O’Neill and his delegation spent a night on Kaua‘i in Hawaii en route home from the United Nations General Assembly.
The island is the home of Captain Christopher Smith, head of the crew that flies the PNG government’s Dassault Falcon 900 EX that Mr O’Neill has promised to sell.
Captain Smith said the group spent the night on island because the plane needed refuelling and his flight crew needed refreshing.
Smith is a part-time pilot for the PNG government, said his mother, Rosemary Smith, standing near the prime minister’s plane parked at Lihu‘e Airport.
“He lives in Colorado with his wife, who is a captain with Frontier Airlines, and their three daughters,” she said.
“But he commutes to New Guinea as the pilot for the prime minister four months of the year.”
Dessie Benson, one of the three flight crew members on the the prime minister’s trip, said the Falcon get is owned by the Papua New Guinea government.
Joining Smith on the flight crew were Kris Randall, a former United Airlines pilot, and Vincent Kipma of New Guinea.
Joi Bonaparte, the Kaua‘i district manager for Air Service Hawaii, said they get corporate jets frequently, but it’s not every day they have the privilege of servicing foreign government dignitaries.
Photo: Capt Christopher Smith displays the flight deck of the Falcon he pilots for the prime minister of Papua New Guinea
Source: The Garden Island, Hawaii, 25 September
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/article_3bf597e6-e80d-11e0-976b-001cc4c03286.html
The previous government did state that the Falcon jet was managed by Air Niugini. The O'Neill government is saying the same thing.
We will see more destructive actions and move by this regime. Believe me, this will happen...
Posted by: Gerald Tananu | 02 October 2011 at 07:56 AM
Piak is exactly right, a revolutionary changing of the system of government is needed in PNG.
The trend of anarchy we are going through will never be eradicated with democracy which is not an effective system in a culturally diverse society.
Husat bai statim?
Posted by: Leonard Roka | 30 September 2011 at 11:31 PM
I think we all should be corrected here. The jet is now owned by Air Niugini and hired by the government. So the jet acutally now belongs to an airline company, which is Air Niugini, the PNG flag carrier.
I am not in support of the government of the day unless I really believe what it is saying is true; i.e: fix PNG within the little timeframe left before the next election.
Can the government maintain and build new roads, fix the health system, provide free education, and do all 'miracles' it claims it can do witjin this short time? I guess no. Not all, after all, how can it. The rest is just fantasy.
Welcome to the land of dreams, fantasies, policies, plans, visions, MOAs and MOUs. This is a clear grab for power game being played.
I am just one voice, paving the way, beating a footpath for the future generation to stand up and take action aginst the injustice and corruptness. I cry out for a 'real' revolutionary....
Posted by: Gelab Job Zigu Piak | 30 September 2011 at 01:50 PM
Like I said, give them a ten year penance - then we'll see about basic things such as trust, respect and honour for our MPs.
Posted by: Icarus | 30 September 2011 at 09:36 AM
Sigh!
This government better deliver on the multitude of promises they made in less than a week of their parliamentary coup.
We are watching. We still have a few more months before the polls and they can easily be discredited and thrown out as an “all talk no action” mob.
Posted by: David Kitchnoge | 30 September 2011 at 07:32 AM