Peter O’Neill’s Commencement Speaker Designate, Hon. HERST Minister Don Polye, Arrives Four Hours Late To Unitech Graduation
By alt-UNITECH Reporter
By all reports, last Friday's 45th Unitech graduation was most certainly not on time.
The speeches contained the usual choking dose of inspirational tok nating.
At least HERST Minister Don Polye didn’t pretend that Unitech’s graduants got a fine education.
Instead he encouraged them to spew forth across the nation and creatively solve whatever problems they encountered, armed with the substandard education they acquired.
We already know what the results of THAT will be: It already affects us all on a daily basis, we see it everywhere!
The good Minister also mentioned that he couldn’t mention VC Albert Schram until the Sevua investigation completed its work.
That statement follows an old PNG political strategy: Convince the people that the government’s doing something which gives them the breathing space to do nothing until we all forget what they were supposed to do.
With respet to investigations and inquiries, this means that the government quietly shelves the reports when they finally appear and forgets about any recommendations.
That way, everyone who got rich stays happy (and rich).
Remember the Barnett Inquiry? Dept of Finance Inquiry? Julian Moti inquiry? All achieved only one thing: They confirmed that crime in PNG DOES pay!
The NPF inquiry was rare exception (almost) and we certainly won’t let THAT happen again!
So throw the Sevua report onto the same rubbish pile where the others rot, but silently pray that someday we’ll learn what Judge Sevua said.
The government probably won't tell us. Instead, we may have to rely on brave nationalists who leak secret PNG government reports to Australian newspapers.
Unlike our cowardly PNG media, the Aussie rags will make the contents public. That’ll allow the small percentage of the PNG public that is internet connected to read what happened while the vast majority of our population remains forever in the dark.
But let’s get back to Unitech’s graduation and its most important non-event : No Schram.
In response to no Schram, the graduants (as was predicted last week) proved themselves to be hypocrites worthy of the highest disdain. What happened to the Unitech boycotters? Not around that day! Not a shout nor any sign of dissent apparently. The graduants passively accepted the VC’s absence (one witness told me that they all seemed drugged out and generally unresponsive to everything).
That’s not to say the graduants didn’t have their concerns. They did. Thank's to deposed Chancellor Philip Stagg's comments last week, they were worried about the legitimacy of their degrees, as people concerned only about themselves should certainly be.
To his credit, Polye did his part to keep the peace, reassuring graduants that he checked everything out and the degrees were legit. In reality, he probably checked out nothing, being that he didn’t provide any names or describe any discussions to back up his statement. But that’s politics, otherwise known as lying to the public.
Unitech’s graduants bought into this mauswara without the slightest sign of critical thinking. They smiled and lightly applauded, just like Divine Word Uni students know to do. Blessings never cease. No wonder PNG is in the shape it’s in.
Don Polye apparently did his best considering that all this had been thrown at him at the last minute. Last minute? OK, maybe not. In fairness to the PM, let’s re-examine the PM’s absence at Unitech.
The PM’s loyal servants over on Sharp Talk say that Peter O’Neill committed to speak at the Catholic conference in Madang (afternoon) and the UPNG graduation (morning) long before speaking at the Unitech graduation ever came up.
By the way, the date of the Unitech graduation has been known for months.
Let us also not forget that the PM was invited to speak at Unitech months ago and specifically stated in the media that he would.
By the way, even Unitech staff were under the impression until last week that the PM would be delivering the commencement speech.
And by the way, hasn’t the big issue for many months been UNITECH? YES, UNITECH!!!!! NOT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!!!!! AND NOT UPNG!!!!!
One wonders if our PM has any common sense!
The only thing Grand Hypocrite O’Neill is definitely accomplishing through action or inaction, is to delay or do nothing until Unitech’s best opportunity in decades gives up and moves back to the Netherlands.
Another opportunity lost, Mr PM? That's PNG's sickness. You said so yourself.
Will Unitech go back to business as usual without Albert Schram? Let’s pray not. More likely it will return to the mediocrity curse that has affected UPNG and Unitech for years.
Here’s an example: Tell me, Unitech administrators, staff and students, is there any recent evidence of new achievements since VC Albert Schram left? Any new programmes worth announcing that Schram himself hadn’t initiated?
Even though Dr Schram was under Philip Stagg inspired stress for most of last year, HE STILL SEEMS TO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING!
Now there is every indication that Unitech is being managed by good, honest people. But what happened to the progress, WHERE’S THE ACTION WANTOKS?
Why didn’t the momentum carry on after the VC left?
As nationals we must be brutally honest with ourselves. We need much more than God fearers to be in charge of our institutions if we want progress. In fact strong God fearers are more likely to be passive followers than active leaders.
Happily at last Friday’s graduation, I’m told that there were two speakers who at least show potential of being more than simply God fearing.
Neither one of them was Chancellor Sir Nagora Bogan.
Instead, the two positive standouts were Acting VC John Pumwa and past SRC president Joe Kaowai.
Joe Kaowai was SRC president last year.
Joe Kaowai was the fellow who refused to be corrupted by Philip Stagg and Alan Sako (the former Registrar charged with fraud and conspiracy over missing Unitech PIP funds).
Last year Joe Kaowai took a giant personal risk by leaking the big secret that the VC was about to be sacked. The rest of the story, including the Chancellor’s burnt vehicle and ripped trousers, is history.
On Friday graduation Joe Kaowai told Don Polye loud and clear that the VC Schram must be allowed to come back and lead Unitech.
Acting VC Prof John Pumwa is the other positive standout from Unitech’s graduation day. I’m told that he didn’t pretend and didn’t hold back either.
Instead he told Minister Don Polye of Albert Schram’s many accomplishments in only a few months.
The Acting VC then stated to the Minister that the uni administration wanted Albert Schram back.
And how did the good Minister respond do these proclamations?
Apparently Don Polye did what all good politicians do. He tilted his head and gave several deliberate nods, suggesting that what he was hearing was a revelation indeed. Something well worth deep and immediate thought.
Did those nods of agreement mean that the good Minister immediately began reflecting upon the VC’s achievements at Unitech and contemplating why the hell Albert Schram isn’t back at his job, accomplishing even more?
Or did Don Polye simply resume interrupted thoughts of sex and/or food?
Time will tell.
Where is Vice Chancellor Albert Schram?
