From 'The Australian',

"MILY RITCHIE
REPORTER

12:00AM NOVEMBER 19, 2018

At least a dozen of the 40 luxury cars purchased by the Papua New Guinean government to transport some of the world’s top leaders during last week’s APEC summit were at the weekend sitting idle in a Port Moresby warehouse.

This has ­further angered critics, who said the purchase had been excessive.

The PNG government caused outrage after buying 40 custom-made Maserati cars for the summit that were specifically flown in from Italy earlier last week.

The minister responsible for APEC refused to reveal the total cost of the vehicles, but the Maserati Quattroporte sedans retail in Australia for between $209,000 and $345,000 each.

The PNG government has said it planned to use the luxury cars for the week of the APEC summit ­before selling them off to recover the costs.

On Saturday, ABC journalist Stephen Dziedzic found at least a dozen of the vehicles sitting idle in a Port Moresby warehouse.

“What’s the collective noun for Maseratis? The luxury cars which stirred so much anger in PNG ahead of APEC2018 are sitting idle in a Port Moresby warehouse right now,” Dziedzic tweeted.

The revelation came after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she would not travel in a Maserati while at the summit."

and the long suffering Aussie taxpayer gave,

"The Australian Government will provide an estimated $572.2 million in total ODA to PNG in 2018-19. This will include an estimated $519.5 million in bilateral funding to PNG managed by DFAT."

http://dfat.gov.au/geo/papua-new-guinea/development-assistance/pages/papua-new-guinea.aspx

maybe PNG will give the cars to Australia as a sort of 'Thank You".

How easy it is to spend lots of money when it is not coming out of your pockets?

A Politician must have come up with than sentence.

Lack of accountability, it is like the over $444 Million Turnbull gave to a group of executives for the Barrier Reef, executive claim they did not even ask him for the money.

Peter Charles Paire O'Neill is the clan leader of PNG O'Neill , the Ui Neill of Niall of the Nine Hostages. His magic rainbow collects gold by the potful from the Chinese and Australian cattle lords and pig pen pubs. Tribal loyalty extends to feasts for all the Is Mise and Hooter clans , Maserati and Manus island guests.

And some people seriously believe that all cultures are equal! These people are childlike; showing off to more enlightened and sophisticated APEC visitors. It is to be hoped that, while PNG should benefit economically from the Australia/US military installation on Manus that will protect the region from China, the construction and maintenance will not be overseen by locals.

Bronwyn Bishop.

According to the Guardian PNG has reportedly added 3
Bentleys to tis controversial fleet of luxury cars
purchased for the upcoming Apec leaders' summit.

PNGinians have reacted with outrage to the news that
the PNG government had bought 40 Maseratis for the
summit despite the country struggling with a nationwide
polio outbreak, increased rates of tuberculosis and
chronic funding shortages for health, education and
other services.

The BBC tells us that some of this Pacific country's
main roads are poorly maintained with vehicle speeds
limited to 80km/h (50mph). Other roads wind through
mountainous terrain and often require a four-wheel
drive vehicle to navigate.

The government claims that it will be able to sell the
vehicles and no loss after the summit.
One can only hope that this turns out to be the case.

"In 2012, despite a refugee crisis between the borders of Papua New Guinea and West Papua, the country, under O’Neill, was steadfast in its support to Indonesia, which promised Papua New Guinea a bigger role in ASEAN in the future. In September 2017, Papua New Guinea rejected the West Papuan Independence Petition in the United Nations General Assembly, to the pleasure of Indonesia."

About 10% of west New Guinea's 4 million people have been killed during 50 years.

After 2 years of watching George Webb, I have my doubts whether any of this stuff is what it appears to be.

Did the cars come in under diplomatic immunity?

Why is the aircargo company connected to anti-terrorism and peacekeeping operations, and sensitive temperature controlled pharmaceuticals transport?
(Drugs and Weapons)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/12/papua-new-guinea-imports-40-maseratis-to-transport-apec-delegates?source=images

Note "costs covered by the private sector"
What's that all about?

What airport did they land at and what was shipped out?

Seems to be some kidnappings and landowner disputes with the tribes in the highlands near Komo Airport, built for Antonovs by Exxon Mobil.

If they are worth $200k to $350k each why is $16m a deposit?

These things need to be looked at closer.

strangley enough I am less offended by the corrupt PNG Government than the millions upon millions of Aussie taxes wasted on the corrupt gw industry and the huge electricity prices we are paying for the myth. At least the PNG guys are seem open about the corruption unlike the gw industry.

Hi Foxy,
Bentley's?
Nice find, there will be more to this behind the scenes I bet.

I'm with Jacinta Adern on this, I wouldn't be riding in those Maserati's.
I bet all these cars are compromised and fitted with spy gear.

Or something.

As I have said before, international aid is often the transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to the rich people in poor countries.

I'm sure the second-hand price of a Maserati is the same as that of a new one. (sic)

In this case we paid for them.
Diplomacy demands we not openly say enough
And China wanting power there says we dare not fall out with the grubby government currently ripping the guts out of that country

Hi AC,

Love reading your posts.

Hey Foxy,
That's was about 2 minutes looking on my smartphone.

But as I went and looked over it and spent about another 15mins, I think there's a hell of a lot going on in PNG quite honestly.

Firstly it's an independent (and possibly corrupt) nation that is going through a resources boom.
So that situation is ripe for forcing tribes off lands.

We should take a look at the nations recent infrastructure.
Whats been going on?

http://www.wpro.who.int/papuanewguinea/en/

Polio Vaccination programs

Are their any new hospitals?
- with facilities for Organ Transplants?

Look up Child Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Forced Labor, Sex Trafficking for PNG.
Looks like a hotspot.

Look at this map.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=CldHfXod&id=168D4F260ED0854A54EC73590D11FEC9EBDB8010&thid=OIP.CldHfXodEYgj_HgHuXT4bwHaFu&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.usaid.gov%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2fpapua_new_guinea_map_03-06-2018_1.jpg&exph=600&expw=776&q=USAID+papua+new+guinea&simid=607987060542015797&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

Why is USAID centered directly over the that Komo heavy lift airport?

Thank I saw Digicel has a monopoly in the country, and it reminded me of Clinton Operations in Haiti George spoke about 2 years ago (Digicel in Haiti) and I feel like I want to take everything I saw about Haiti and drop it over PNG like a template.

Yoohoo, who's this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hillary_Rodham_Clinton_and_Peter_ONeill_August_31,_2012.jpg

State Of Emergency?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/18/state-of-emergency-declared-in-papua-new-guinea-after-riots

- There's a lot going on here -

It looks like PNG really need that money.

Members of Papua New Guinea's police and armed forces — understood by the ABC to be angry about not receiving allowances owed to them from working at APEC — have blocked streets around the nation's Parliament and appear to have barricaded the building.

Vehicles are being turned around in the street and media attempting to film have been threatened by police and army officers.

There are approximately 10 police and army vehicles outside Parliament, and about five are visible in front of the building.

"What I know is that members of the disciplinary force have congregated and are at Parliament, some of them, not all of them," acting commissioner for PNG's correctional service Stephen Pokanis said.

"It's to do with complaints over their allowance."

When he spoke to the ABC by phone, Mr Pokanis said he was not at Parliament, but was travelling there to assess the situation.

"They are demanding to be paid now, that's why they are at Parliament House," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-20/police-storm-png-parliament-over-lack-of-apec-payments/10514774

Give them the Maserati's.

Blockade in place, is it to keep the criminals in or out of parliament

My bad.

Can't give them the Maserati's, apparently there are "300 Papua New Guinea police and soldiers have stormed the nation’s parliament, smashing windows and furniture demanding unpaid wages."

How easy it is to spend lots of money when it is not coming out of your pockets?
Philip S,
Ain't socialism great ?

individual - Just how some politicians think.

$8,000 for a helicopter ride.

Sometimes it happens, while I feel well directed aid, that is well managed is good
This thread brings the trust charity,s one in to play, sometimes charity should begin at home

PNG police and homeless soldiers will soon get a vehicle:

https://www.cams.com.au/media/news/latest-news/australians-donate-cars-to-prevent-youth-homelessness
National youth homelessness prevention charity, Police Under Cover, is about to receive their 15,000th car donation since they started collecting old cars .

Having read about this, and as one who strongly supports foreign aid, particularly to our poorer Pacific neighbours, I must say I was disgusted to read about the PNG government purchasing 40 Maserati cars to transport world leaders around during this years APEC meeting to be held there.

What also disgusts me is the notion that politicians in a very poor third world country like PNG think that they have to do this to show they are worthy, and can meet some kind of expectation of the richer developed countries.

This nonsense gives the anti-foreign aid brigade ammunition to attack Australia's program that does help poor people in some of the worlds poorest countries to improve their lot in life. A small example is, Australia has just donated a worthwhile extra $6 million to help fight an outbreak of polio in PNG children. This is not "the transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to the rich people in poor countries" as one of the forums cynical anti-aiders puts it . Some would use this "Maserati Scandal" as an unjustified excuses to curtail life saving aid to countries like PNG.

How many polio patients get the proper vaccine ? Will the Health officials get a Maserati?

"As PNGi revealed in February, the audit revealed widespread failures throughout the medical supply and distribution chain which, it claimed, have persisted and not been addressed over several years.. These legendary issues and challenges have remained unaddressed over the last 4 years causing continued deterioration of unavailability of life saving and essential drugs to treat patients at the health facilities throughout the country”.

The audit revealed widespread opportunities for fraud, overpayments to contractors totalling as much as K80 million a year,..But such revelations were not new. In 2013, a Burnet Institute evaluation and later a 2016 a USAid report revealed the same widespread problems involving many of the same companies and managers."

Unfortunately NNN corruption at all levels is systemic in many third world countries. Those in a position of authority on meagre wages use their position to supplement their incomes through corruption or theft.

A little example; When I first started going to Fiji and using the public bus system, something most visiting Europeans don't do, and something I was surprised by was the sign at the front door, which read in bold letters 'DEMAND YOUR TICKET'. I got on the bus and asked the driver for a ticket to X, he politely told us to sit down. As people got on, they simply sat down, strange didn't pay. But as they got off they gave the driver a few coins as payment for the ride, which he put in his cash box, no Opal cards there. The penny dropped, the sign, the driver, the passenger, the cash, what I found out later was the driver would tally the take from the low paid "fares" and rip off some appropriate amount of tickets for the bus company, and rip off a little cash for himself at the same time.Everybody's happy, well hummm... I don't know.

The penny drops. . "Port Moresby has no shortage of taxis, and you'll usually be able to find one outside a hotel or the airport, and in Boroko. Practically none will agree to use meters, so negotiate the price before setting off. " Maserati fares will kicked-back to Chinese bankers who have friendly loans for impoverished taxi franchises.

Hi NNN, in Fiji any ordinary local with a car is a "Taxi".

Local pulls up; :Bula, how are you today?
Me; Itau bula vinarka, I am buenos, vacava tiko?
Local; I am Nikko, I am good today. Are you from New Zealand... where are you going on this day.
Me; No Australian, going down to the village.
Local; I drive you.
Me; Vinarka, but we walk, not far..... Nikko moce, maybe you drive us next time.

That is about the extent of my Fijian.

Shopping trips are a joy in the Maserati , easily nipping down to the corner store at 240kph. A quick trip up the Mt Hagen freeway passing logging trucks and war-parties is a breeze thanks to double rear bogeys with snow-chains and cable winching from the 2 ton Whitworth anchor-haul . Titanium roll-bars are fitted at O'Neill Parliamentary Hot-Money Welding for that trip of a lifetime.

Can't say I've done a lot of shopping in the Maserati, Nick, prefer to take the Ferrari myself. Lucky the PNG people didn't go for the Ferrari, as Enzo once famously said while waiting for the bus; "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it!"

Is the PNG Government Green or Labor ?

Black Indy, back in your tree, imagine if they were as silly as you and the wackos you support, Corny Banana and the Lovely Pauline.

They had 40 cars , 21 leaders and no agreed statement at the conference. If they were stuck for words maybe something like " We agree that Ferrari is over the top and what a sensible lead PNG has shown by going Maserati ". The video would show a cheerful betel nut farmer ploughing his betels with a wooden spike towed by his village car.

I can just picture it NNN; a cheerful betel nut farmer ploughing his betels with a wooden spike towed by his village (Maserati) car.

That's a crack up.

P.S The Maserati is being pulled by two oxen, the Maserati ran out of petrol about a month ago.

Maserati looks to targeted TV ads to find rich car buyers - Digiday
May 22, 2018 - Luxury car brand Maserati will only run TV ads in Europe if it can buy the right target audiences.

It's worth it to sell the betels not as organically grown but made by Maserati.