Acting Prime Minister and Lands Minister John Rosso has called for the abolition of Incorporated Land Groups (ILGs) and Special Agricultural and Business Leases (SABLs), saying both systems have failed customary landowners.
Speaking at the high-level meeting on Customary Land and Human Rights in Port Moresby, Minister Rosso said land is the heart of Papua New Guineans.
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“Every citizen is a landowner by birth. Our customary land defines identity, culture and human rights,” he said.
Acting PM Rosso said ILGs and SABLs were introduced with good intentions, adding they were meant to empower landowners and support development.
However, he told, the summit that both systems have been widely abused with ‘paper landowners’ riding on the gullibility of the genuine landowners.
He highlighted that educated elites manipulated ILGs and misled villagers who could not read or understand legal documents.
“Many villagers signed away their land unknowingly. These individuals later partnered with developers for personal gain, while real landowners lost control of their land,” Mr. Rosso told the summit.
Minister Rosso said SABLs followed the same path.
Large areas of customary land, he said, were leased through weak and questionable processes.
He admitted that communities were left with little benefit and long-term disputes.
As a result, ordinary Papua New Guineans lost their land because of a piece of paper, Minister Rosso said.
He said the government is now reviewing the ILG law with Parliament and international partners.
Minister Rosso warned that without urgent reform, land disputes will threaten the future of the nation.
He also highlighted how he tweaked the land revenue collection and title systems which are earning dividends for the country.
Minister Rosso said now his department is contributing K150 million annually to the government coffers.