On Friday We’ll Know Who Won the Big Game: ONeill Or Unitech?
His legal exile officially ended almost two weeks ago. Nothing in the newspapers or television mention any extension. Dr Albert Schram should be back in the VC seat at unitech.
But he’s not.
Early on Judge Sevua told the Post Courier it would be an injustice for Schram not to be allowed to come back and testify in his defence in the investigation he heads. The Sevua investigation is nearly done taking evidence.
Schram tried to come back. The government deported him again. He never testified in his defence according to those working in the investigation.
Students at unitech want their graduation diplomas and degree certificates to be signed by a full VC not some acting VC. Students want a real diploma or certificate, not an acting one.
Schram cannot sign because he is in involuntary exile.
Unitech graduation is this Friday 12 April. Peter ONeill will deliver a typical politician speech. That is another term for many words with little content.
Of course ONeill won’t explain why he banned Schram from returning to give testimony. Politicians rarely speak the truth and ONeill is one damn excellent politician.
PNG politicians also speak with two faces. One face of ONeill tells the media he welcomes Schram back to testify while the other face tells his staff to block Schram from returning.
There are now people in his own department spilling the beans in the halls of Waigani about the prime minister’s ethics. Or lack of.
If ONeill was genuine about fighting corruption he would be giving Schram a grand logohu for shining a torch on corruption at unitech. But ONeill is not genuine nor is he honest. If the NPF scandal taught us anything about Peter ONeill, it is that he is at best a reformed con artist.
It’s all a big joke to ONeill. He doesn’t care that most unitech graduates will find themselves jobless or underemployed after graduation because employers know they’re poorly educated.
He isn’t concerned that his government is not seriously investing in PNG’s universities.
What ONeill is most concerned about is to find ways that will convince us he cares. ONeill is excellent at double talk, triple talk, contradictory talk and twisted talk but never genuinely straight talk. It’s all an act.
ONeill expected us to believe that the Sevua investigation would take precedence over pending court cases and be the final word. Not an unexpected sentiment for a fellow who once decided our Supreme Court can be ignored whenever you don’t like their decisions. It is also strange that in Moresby bar talk, professional lawyers almost always find for Schram, yet national court judges mostly rule the opposite. Not that we expect our national courts to make honest judgements.
The juvenile, endlessly contradictory way in which ONeill has handled the unitech affair in public has been a shocking embarrassment. The prime minister is causing increasing damage to the reputation of our country overseas amongst tertiary institutions and their highly educated professionals who our universities should be partnering with and learning from instead of frightening away.
Peter ONeill has effectively shamed us all by bringing new meaning to the term banana republic run by baboons. He shames our country and sets a poor example for Papua New Guineans to deal with problems like this in a mature way. He has contributed more than his fair share to strengthen negative stereotypes that we Papua New Guineans can’t think logically.
The prime minister is an embarrassment to decent professional Papua New Guineans.
Meanwhile, national clowns Philip Stagg and Ralph Saulep are waiting in the wings hoping to resume business as usual at unitech. Students and their education at unitech can go to hell as far as they’re concerned, because their worry is about ego, pretend status and quick money.
But let’s not worry about them because the big day is almost here. Friday is graduation day.
Stagg, Saulep and ONeill won’t be the big issue on Friday. It will be the evicted VC.
Will we find Schram sitting on the podium with O'Neill during the commencement? Or will Schram still be sitting in Australia thinking and sadly beginning to realise that PNG’s reputation overseas for erratic political childishness is well deserved?
I wonder what unitech students will say come Friday. I’m talking about the ones who previously stood up and proclaimed “No Schram No Class” on EM TV?
Will they deny the prime minister his speech of empty words? Or will they do the opposite and clap their hands for ONeill, thus indirectly giving him a stamp of approval for how he treated Schram?
If the latter, let us be frank: you students have become hypocrites.
What about the Unitech SRC president. A boycott whose only objective was to bring Schram back, called off without explanation even though there was no Schram to show for the effort. An SRC prez who once contributed on pngblogs then ran away like a frightened pig the moment people demanded further explanation of his actions. None of that is the mark of a statesman in training, but the sign of another sneaky politician who makes deals behind closed doors, hiding from the public when caught.
For those of us outside of unitech, there will be nothing to smile about on Friday unless our name is O'Neill o Evil. Yes, evil will have a big smile this Friday if Albert Schram is not back in his office at unitech.
There is an old wise saying that goes something like this: Evil only wins when good people close their eyes and do nothing. Let me change that slightly: O'Neill, Stagg, Saulep and their kind only win when good people close their eyes and do nothing.
We’re talking about decent people being the biggest problem here. Not O'Neill, Stagg or Saulep.
On Friday good people everywhere will find out from EMTV and the newspapers if Schram is back.
And what will the good people do if they see there is No Schram?
