Rebuttal to Susan Merrell’s COMMENTARY- “Political reality: of Truisms and Urban Myths”

By Renata Laveil

Papua New Guineans will be the judge in their respective electorates of their own leaders. The hackneyed referral to the Papua New Guinea Opposition Leader, Hon. Belden Namah in the article ‘Political Reality: Of Truisms and Urban Myths’, by notorious free lance writer Susan Merrell is more likely another spur in her boots with attempt at raising a public rally against the Opposition Leader for unknown reasons associated by her personal vendetta with the leader.

The public relations machine she refers to in her article exists because it is run by the people for the people. The Opposition, as the alternative government, has the responsibility to take the government to task by demanding transparency and accountability. What then has transpired is that learned Papua New Guineans, whom Susan Merrell describes as ‘young, brash, impulsive and arrogant (and male) are not alone as those who would be his peers’, turning the public treadmill using social media to air out their grievances, views and aspirations.  There are also some prominent MPs within current government whom are members of facebook public forum; ‘Sharp Talk’ who also rally support for the Opposition Leader whom Susan Merrell detests.

Her reference to the typo, ‘dump founded’ instead of ‘dumb founded’ and roguish referral to news splashes covering the opposition leader in the Sydney Morning Herald and in Samoa associated with money laundering and lewd and unseemly behaviour have played a malicious, if not assertive attempt at drawing public attention to the leader’s mistakes.

Without fully opposing her view of PNG PM, Peter O’Neill as a political strategist, the PM played 105 MPs that includes both the government and the middle bench though one cannot deny that the Opposition Leader himself was the forefront of the PM’s quest in acquiring the CEO seat of the country. When it came to integrity and being responsible, the Hon. Opposition Leader crossed over clearly ‘walking the talk’ by exposing corruption from past to present. And the latest of them all is the recent unveiling of the K71.8 million Paul Paraka Lawyers payout by the Opposition Leader himself including further upheaval on the government by the Mr Namah on unresolved Commission of Inquiries reports and recommendations.

In her resolve to save face she attempts to steer her commentary from being viewed as another one of her personal vendetta against the Opposition Leader, showing her support for Peter O’Neill who walks the talk by suing Mr Namah who has not been issued any summons to date makes a mockery of both her and the PM. And she further overlooks concerns raised by the people of this country whose continuous expression of grievances and concerns on social media against the very person the Opposition Leader will continue to expose builds in momentum.

And it is at these forums where examples include; The Extravagant Budget Funds Allocation and Spending, The recent being the K800m allocated for roads in Port Moresby, Djoko Tjandra AKA Joe Chan passport saga, Paul Paraka Lawyers fraud scams just to name a few. It is common knowledge in PNG that ‘silent achievers’ are the ones that must be feared more than their counterparts, and especially with sinister motives.

Using her own words; “yes PNG has a political strategist who understands how to attain and hold onto power legitimately …” at the expense of others.

With power comes greater responsibility; issues surrounding our land that is sold to foreign investors without local landowners consent, PPL issues, Djoko Tjandra Passport issue, NPF Inquiry, Public Servants housing and the list goes on. These would be swept under the carpet and forgotten if not for our ‘swashbuckling, foot stamping, and table thumping’ Hon. Opposition Leader who is for the people and by the people.  Over to the people.

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