Guns will impact Election

FIREARMS could be the single most influential factor in deciding election results next month.
In the highlands provinces, the use of guns and other weapons by supporters and candidates is sure to take centre stage when polling day arrives. It is common knowledge that, besides being used in tribal conflicts, the possession of firearms is widely considered a sign of power and privilege. This issue has been on the radar for many years.

From the 1990s onwards, the proliferation of firearms being brandished and used to intimidate and coerce voters during an election period has been widespread in the region. The trend is likely to be followed in other parts of the country, particularly the Mamose and New Guinea Islands regions.
Politicians, not all but certainly a good number, are complicit in this regard.

Guns have become in Papua New Guinea society the ultimate symbol of po­wer and authority. If wives, property and livestock were benchmarks by which lea­ders were judged in the past, then the possession of arms is now well and truly the new standard. Many of our lea­ders own firearms.

We must ask how many members of parliament own guns and have licences for them. Owning a gun licence makes the possessor’s information public knowledge so an MP’s ownership of guns, just like his record on voting for or against bills, should be public knowledge.

Although requiring a high licensing fee – in the thousands of kina – and with ow­nership governed by stringent laws, the use of these weapons is still felt in the community. They are expensive to acquire legally, putting them out of reach for the average citizen. But the possession of small caches by tribal groups in the highlands is very much a practice that has not changed.

Police Minister John Boito earlier this week stated that he would surrender any firearm in his possession to police during the election period.

He urged his fellow MPs to follow suit. The proviso would be that the arms would be returned afterward. A commendable gesture but is it enough to avert what could likely be a volatile situation?
Essentially, what Boito is proposing is for a level playing field free from fear, intimidation and violence or the threat of such to be established in order to have a fair election. But, if this is the best a government MP can offer only weeks away from the polls, then we are afraid the 2012 general election will be no different from past elections where the use of arms was rampant and had a great bearing on results, most notably in the highlands.

Simply asking fellow MPs to lay down their arms and compete in the true spirit of democracy is rather idealistic and does not take into account the realities on the ground. Far more decisive action needs to be taken. There needs to be a presence of the security force in identified hot spots. That force can be our police force or the military or a combination of both. Some might say both armed forces have shown themselves to be susceptible compromise, judging from events that have unfolded so far this year. But the need for a policing presence above what is usually the norm is paramount.
Perhaps an international observer force can be deployed to assist our available manpower.

A Gun Report commissioned by former police minister Bire Kimisopa in the early part of last decade sought to define the gun problem, raise awareness and formulate solutions to address the increasing use of automated weaponry. That report was tabled during Sir Michael Somare’s first term as prime minister with the ruling National Alliance. However, little has been done in the way of controlling the number of guns in the hands of private citizens and what they are used for.

Currently, we have no national strategy for combating the gun culture that seems to have embedded itself in the nation’s election psyche as well as being used in violent crimes. We can safely assume that the majority of firearms in PNG are unlicensed and, therefore, in untrained hands.

The question now arises as to what is being done to address the increase in arms build-up and why are parliamentarians trying to take action now.

OP/ED