Dictators I have known


By Susan Merrell

Well…actually… I don't know any personally, but in my studies I have encountered many.  They have similar characteristics.  Their methods are eerily formulaic in their sameness. 

WARNING: The people to whom they dictate rarely live 'happily ever after.'

Belden Norman Namah is Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Minister for Forestry (a handy portfolio when your personal fortune is tied up with logging), Minister for Climate Control (ditto), Acting Minister for State Enterprises and Acting Minister for Defence. 

Under the circumstances, there's little wonder another commentator called him 'Belden the Ubiquitous'  (Please forgive me if he's returned any of his acting ministries to their rightful owners and I've missed it)  

Namah is a Prime Ministerial 'wannabe'; an ambition he informed me of personally because he is someone with whom I'm acquainted.

Late last year, he puffed out his fleshy chest and boomed:  "After December 8, I WILL BE THE PRIME MINISTER OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA."  Nostradamus he aint. 

Nevertheless, as a military man, I much admire Namah's record in Bougainville – his sacrifice was beyond doubt. Yet, Adolf Hitler won the Iron Cross, First Class for bravery in the First World War and we all know what he went on to do, don't we?

The word 'military' seems fatally attracted to the word 'dictator' -
Idi Amin, General Franco of Spain, Pinochet of Chile, Mussolini, Muammar Gadhafi, Suharto of Indonesia… I could go on, but I think you've got my point. 

There are signs that the O'Neill/Namah government are going down the path to a dubious political future, in a push led largely by the ostentatiously wealthy Deputy Prime Minister. 

Ominously, ostentatious wealth is a characteristic of many of the most heinous dictators. Idi Amin, for instance, who was often characterized as a buffoon.

Command of the army

Rationale:        'He who commands the army, controls the nation:' is a well-known paradigm that I'm sure is taught in - 'military intelligence 101'.  (Although I've always thought that 'military intelligence' was an oxymoron.)  It's no mere coincidence that many dictators are military men.

Belden Norman Namah is a graduate of Australian Military College, Duntroon, rising to the rank of Captain in the PNGDF (or was that lieutenant? - Information surrounding his military service is a bit elastic.) 

During the recent attempt at a military coup by the Somare faction, Belden really showed them who had the upper hand.  In fact, so in need was the Prime Minister of Namah's 'iron fist' that he made him Acting Defence Minister.

Guma Wau, the actual Minister for Defence is not happy at Namah usurping his role.  That's too bad for Wau, who will be adequately taken care of soon by those charges of stockpiling illegal ammunition that was found at his home.  Pure serendipity?  The co-incidences of good fortune just keep piling up for Namah.  

Quashing of opposition and the formulation of a 'one party state'

Regimes.          Most sub-Saharan nations following independence, including Congo and Rwanda. Also the former Soviet Union and Liberia, where the ruling party managed to hold onto power for more than a century this way.

It seems to be yet more good fortune for O'Neill/Namah that they have no official opposition, save for two members. What motivated the wholesale defection of Somare supporters to this new government?  

Altruism?  Ha!

Ben Reilly in his paper entitled Africanisation of the Pacific points out that being part of the state machine is the best (sometimes only) means of gaining wealth and accessing and exploiting resources in many Pacific nations – as such being on the winning side is everything – staying in power imperative - see below.

Suspend the Constitution

Example:         The military government of Suriname suspended the constitution on attaining power in 1980.  When in 1982 there was a push for return to civilian control the military government responded by murdering 15 people – journalists, lawyers and trade union leaders (see paragraph 'Censorship').

Namah is currently in the process of a push to defer elections.  His reasons seem well…reasonable (if you disregard the Royal visit furphy).  Ah yes, but the government will need to suspend the constitution to do this legally.  More serendipity?

Yeah right! This government is like a window; you can see right through them.

Without a constitution, the executive and legislature has no checks or balances - the people of PNG are left exposed and vulnerable, dependent on governmental goodwill. History tells us that dictators very rarely have any.     

"No one is above the law," said Namah.  With his legislative numbers, the law is what he wants it to be - and if not he can change it.  The Supreme Court's role is to interpret the Constitution - but under these circumstances there won't be one in use.

So far, the CJ has refused to let the executive suspend him, so rendering him redundant would be the next best thing. Bingo!

Nepotism and patronage

Example:         Many dictatorial regimes retained power by putting their cronies into well-paid, powerful positions.  Furthermore, they often mollified those who may have harboured dissension by patronage of a similar sort.  If that didn't work they were often 'fitted up' (flashback to Guma Wau) or sometimes  just…disappeared.

Charles Litau, a PNG party apparatchik was made head of Telikom, recently.  Then there was Mrs. Maladina, wife of the eldest Maladina son who got the plum Brisbane diplomatic posting.  Other Maladina sons include Moses, Minister for Public Service in the Somare government and one of the August defectors who was given the Urban Planning portfolio in the new government. Then there's Jimmy whose name is inextricably linked to that of Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill by an alleged fraud carried out on the National Provident Fund - still to be investigated by the recently appointed corruption 'Sweep team'.  Is it politically expedient to keep this dynastic family happy?

Perhaps both were merely the best people for the job?

Ethnic Persecution   

Ethnic persecution, while not confined to military dictatorships is nevertheless a feature of most of them. Uganda springs immediately to mind, as does Nazi Germany.
                       
Of all the corruption cases in PNG that could be investigated, the balance has been weighted in favour of those implicating Somare or his 'kitchen cabinet'.  First it was Arthur's baby, the IPBC, then it was the tabling in parliament of the discredited Defence Inquiry. But by far the most questionable investigation has been against the East Sepiks who were the instigators of the Supreme Court Reference against the legitimacy of the current government.  Go figure. 

The people of the East Sepik closely identify with Sir Michael Somare and ethnic persecution by association is written all over this investigation. There needs a wholesale suspension of disbelief not to suspect ulterior political motives.   

Censorship

Example:         To give a single solitary example would be to downplay the importance of controlling information in dictatorial regimes.

Ben Micah, Chief of Staff, Prime MinistersDepartment last week sent out a press release warning against the disseminationof incorrect information or information that could destabilize the government(as if saying it in one breath, makes those two things the same.) 

Apparently, the National Intelligence Office is monitoring your every utterance and PNGeans are tasked with being "vigilant" against dissenters and to report them.  The Nazis encouraged the same.

Well, Ben Micah, tell your bosses that the people of Papua New Guinea are watching them too.

It's time to bring this ominous political trajectory to a halt.  It's time to turn Belden the Ubiquitous into Belden the Irrelevant.  There's a viper in your midst, PNG    

Comments

Post a Comment

Please free to leave comments.

Popular posts from this blog

HIGHLANDS FRAUD F*CKS RUNNING GOVERNMENT AGENCY,,,

Image
A Fraudster and unqualified person has been shortlisted for NEC submission for the position of CEPA Managing Director. The candidate in question is Jude Tukulyia. His academic credentials are subject to scrutiny. Further investigation is required to verify the authenticity and legitimacy of his qualifications, particularly the reported diploma in accounting, Bachelor of Laws, MBA from Divine Word and UPNG respectively. It is very suspicious and unprofessional  when the Minister for Environment Conservation and Climate Change, Hon Simo Kilepa, wrote to UPNG Vice Chancellor asking to confirm Jude’s questioned education qualifications. This very due diligence work is the core responsibility of the Public Service Commission and Department of Personnel Management. What authority does the portfolio minister have to write to the Universities? Dumbfounding indeed if one asks. Ulterior motives written all over the letter. This amounts to  Questionable Academic Qualifications of Mr Tukulyia.    
Read more

MARAPE & PAITA ABOUT TO SIGN AWAY PNG GOLD

Image
By: Andrew Arthur Prime Minister Hon. James Marape and his planning minister Reinbo Paita are the parties behind the theft of all Papua New Guinea’s gold for the next 100 years! They have given approval for the STATE of Papua New Guinea to sign away all gold rights to an Australian paper company in Refinery Holdings PTE LTD. First, they have done the deal with a paper company even before there is a LAW that says they have the right to do the deal. We see how the real manipulation works out. Marape and Paita now need to get the law passed by Parliament. The law is before the Parliament to set up Papua New Guinea’s first National Gold Corporation. The National Gold Corporation Bill first surfaced in 2012 but successive Government of Sir Michael Somare and Hon. Peter O’Neill, in their wisdom, had refused to pass this Bill as there have been some sinister motives and constitutional issues associated with the Bill. The new bill will allow Refinery Holdings LTD PTE to own 70% of the National
Read more

AUGUSTINE MANO PNG'S PREMIER CORPORATE CROOK

Image
by  MICHAEL J. PASSINGAN In a significant setback for Mineral Resources Development Corporation (MRDC), the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea has dismissed the company's appeal to stop criminal investigations into its dealings with landowner funds held in the Pacific Balance Fund (PBF). The court ruled that MRDC's appeal was an "abuse of process" and ordered the company to pay costs of the proceedings. MRDC, a unit holder in PBF, had taken legal action against the National Court's decision to dismiss its case, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter. However, the Supreme Court disagreed and held that MRDC's appeal was nothing more than an attempt to interfere with the police's criminal investigative process. The court found that MRDC had no authority to conducted its own investigation into the activities of the Melanesian Trustee Services Limited (MTSL), the fund manager of PBF, and that its actions were in violation of the Trust Deed
Read more

PNG, VERY RICH YET STILL A VERY VERY POOR COUNTRY

Image
by GARY MONDULAME Papua New Guinea (PNG), a nation blessed with abundant natural resources, continues to grapple with economic challenges that belie its potential wealth. The nation's economic narrative is a paradox—rich in resources yet burdened by poverty. The explanation for this paradox lies not only in economic mismanagement but also in deep-seated corruption that has permeated the political landscape since independence in 1975. Following its independence from Australia, PNG was entrusted to leaders who lacked a vision for a holistic national development. This absence of foresight is evident from the lack of long-term development plans that could have distributed the country’s wealth fairly across all regions and communities. Successive governments failed to establish foundational strategies such as building satellite townships or creating robust rural housing schemes. Instead, they resorted to short-term, reactive measures that did not foster sustainable growth. The nascent l
Read more

James Marape's Missteps Openly Exposed at Australian Forum

Image
by  MICHAEL J. PASSINGAN  In a recent event that highlighted the complexities of international diplomacy and governance, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, faced a challenging situation during his appearance at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia. The Lowy Institute, known for its role as an independent think tank focusing on international policy, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, provided a platform for a candid assessment of Marape's governance. Following his formal address, Marape engaged in a dialogue with Dr. Michael Fullilove AM, the Executive Director of the Institute. Dr. Fullilove, a respected figure in public and international policy, scrutinized Marape's past promises and statements, contrasting them with the current state of affairs in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The discussion took a critical turn as Dr. Fullilove revisited Marape's 2019 speech at the same venue, where Marape had outlined his vision for PNG in a speech titled “A New Boo
Read more

BLIND LEADING THE BLIND, WHY THE PNG ECONOMY STILL SUCKS

Image
Elizabeth Genia, Acting Governor Bank of PNG (BPNG) by MICHAEL JOSEPH PASSINGAN The economy of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is at a crucial juncture. Despite some signs of recovery, the country faces several structural challenges that continue to impede its economic progress. The March 2024 Monetary Policy Statement from the Bank of Papua New Guinea sheds light on these issues, providing a comprehensive overview of the economic landscape and the policy responses being implemented to navigate through these turbulent times. In 2023, PNG's economy grew by a modest 1.4%, a significant slowdown from the 5.2% growth witnessed in 2022. This tepid growth is largely attributed to delays in major projects and ongoing economic issues that have not been fully resolved. The anticipated growth for 2024 is around 3.0%, buoyed by the resumption of production at the Porgera gold mine. While this marks an improvement, it remains subdued compared to the potential of this resource-rich nation. One of the mo
Read more

A Call for Local Ownership and Fairness

Image
by JUSTIN PARKER In recent discussions surrounding the establishment of a gold refinery in Papua New Guinea (PNG), concerns have been raised regarding various aspects of the proposed project. Spearheaded by foreign investors, the initiative has sparked debates over ownership, exclusivity, tax concessions, underwriting, management rights, control over currency, legal protections, and historical failures. These concerns, if unaddressed, could potentially undermine the interests of PNG and its people, particularly the hardworking alluvial miners who form the backbone of the nation's mining sector. At the heart of the issue lies the question of ownership. The proposed ownership structure, favoring foreign investors with a substantial 70% stake, raises eyebrows, especially considering PNG's past experiences with failed ventures like seabed mining. Instead of ceding majority control to foreign entities, many argue that PNG should assert full ownership over the refinery. With the coun
Read more