Wartoto flying high only at our expense

I refer to Frank Kolma’s Building Blocks article “Go for the skies, Wartoto” (Aug 29).
I must say that as a seasoned and experienced journalist, the thrust of the article is rather mystifying and bizarre.

Although he has made considerable effort to justify his purported patriotic stance, it simply is inconceivable that he has attempted to score some brownie points. If this is how to obtain funds from the government, then he has scored a distinction. The article provides an open invitation for people who have political connections to raid the nation’s treasury at anytime they want and often with no moral restraint or legal recourse from the unsuspecting public.

The media has an important role to play, considering if that episode ever occurred in Australia, both Paul Tiensten and Eremas Wartoto would be brought before an inquiry. Just spare a thought for the public, who are mostly illiterate, living below the poverty line, cannot afford school fees or access state-of-art medical treatment, and unable to hold down a decent job.What does that do for their confidence?

Furthermore, to advocate a position that is found in some of the Asian economies and especially the one championed by Dr Mahathir Mo¬hamad and his clan of plutocrats in Malaysia is also discomforting. Democracy and good governance must mean something where public monies are concerned. Wealth and prosperity cannot be measured by your membership to a ruling class. Then where does that leave the vast majority of our people who cannot afford to pay for political party membership or make political donations?

Our people can never wine and dine with the privileged few or afford to provide financial assistance to politicians for kickbacks. This is outright hypocrisy and blatant abuse of journalistic privilege. The article has done considerable harm to the public. By using the same pen, the writer is also morally obligated to explore the relationship of Wartoto and Tiensten.

Did he investigate the way the grant submission was made and whether the airline industry’s need for financial assistance meets the required public policy expectations for that sector? Did he consider that Air Niugini is in debt to the PNG government for many years operating on a loss? Where is the justification for such a massive payment to an airline operator when the industry is haemorrhaging to death from high operational cost?

This country is morally bankrupt and public confidence has dissipated into the morass of corrupt regimes of the world. But the media must never refuse to balance personal opinion with objective analysis. The journalistic proficiency and ingenuity of the media is so robust in countries like Australia that the Wartotos of this world will not be able to stick their fingers into the people’s kitty. Remember, one corrupt politician can be changed during an election. So what if Wartoto is a successful businessman with an investment portfolio of K31 million? I can understand the writer’s emotional stand for Wartoto and so he should be; but not with public money, for goodness sake.

The K10 million could have been better used somewhere else. Please save all of us the K10 million hubris and give us a good dose of common sense. After all, patriotism for the right cause is a worthy cause but when the government takes from poor Jim and gives to rich John and calls it nation-building, it simply stinks.

-Bire Kimesopa

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

MARAPE & PAITA ABOUT TO SIGN AWAY PNG GOLD

HIGHLANDS FRAUD F*CKS RUNNING GOVERNMENT AGENCY,,,

Connect PNG Unveiled: A Tale of Ambition, Scandal, and the Quest for Accountability

James Marape's Missteps Openly Exposed at Australian Forum

PNG GOVERNMENT MINISTER IN PORN VIDEO

James Marape: A Complex Political Trajectory

IS THE PM'S WIFE INVOLVED IN LAND GRABBING?