Police Investigators always fail to produce the evidence when investigating leaders

By MICAH LAN

In today’s Post Courier it was reported that charges of misappropriation have been dropped against Western Province administrator Modowa Gumoi for allegedly applying K500, 000 for his own use, among other things. What is going on here?  Are the police incompetent?   Or is the old “pay them off to lose the evidence” scam at work again?

There are many things we must get out of our heads about our country Papua New Guinea.  First this idea that we are a Christian country, We are not a Christian country, we only say we are.  If anything we were more of a Christian country before the first Christian missionaries came because at least there was a strong environment of sharing within the clan, and firm rules of justice and compensation that applied more broadly. The words spiv, humbug, corrupt was much less applicable back then than now.  At least we weren’t hypocrites back then. Today we are.  We pretend to be something we’re not.

Another thing to get out of our head is that we are a vibrant democracy.   We are neither vibrant nor a democracy.  No country is a democracy that has such a tiny opposition group in government.  No country is a democracy where the elected members can’t even read the laws they vote on, much less understand them.   No country is a democracy that has to pass one constitutional amendment after another in short order.  And no country is a democracy where the newspapers have too much respect for leaders to name names when one of them is alleged to do something wrong.  The word alleged should be enough to allow both the Post Courier and the National to publish any indication of wrongdoing whatsoever along with the person thought to be responsible.

However, we do not only not meet the standards of a vibrant democracy; we also don’t fit into the category of functional democracy. The main vibrant activity one sees today in our country are in the towns and cities and take the form of people scheming in some way or another to take wealth out of another's pocket and put it into their own.  It is no accident that Belden Namah and Peter O'Neill were the ones to get all us copycats to start using the word vibrancy before we even knew what it meant.
There is no doubt that corruption is as bad as it was when Peter O’Neill took office.  The Waigani Rat Gang learnt long ago not to make many unethical activities illegal.  Thus they are free to constantly trample over conflict of interest laws (so too did past PMs like Morata and Chan) and smile that they always follow the law.  Of course they do. 

They follow the law they designed to protect themselves. Does anyone still remember that crazy incident with the late PM Bill “Rock and Roll” Skate who reported to the media that he had been offered bribes many times?  Yet Bill Skate never told the public who had offered him bribes.  The reason is that there was not and still is not a law against not reporting a bribe offer when it is made.  Thus, Bill Skate broke no laws by keeping quiet.  On top of that, an utterly blind and stupid public (nothing has changed, if you have noticed) never made an uproar and demanded that Skate tell PNG who was offering him bribes.   The uproar didn’t happen then and it wouldn’t happen today either.
Let's get off this nonsense that what is important is whether or not a person has broken a law.   The way our PNG laws are written, they protect the rich and punish the poor.  What is important is whether we are acting ethically whether or not any law is being broken.  If you don't know by now how to judge whether a person is being ethical, consult the Bible, or the Koran.  Or any other of the world's holy books that lay out the natural law we all should be following. The last thing we should stop pretending is that we have an honest judiciary in PNG.  

At the very top, we got bits and pieces of what our dishonourable Chief Justice Injia was up to, misappropriating inheritances meant for others.   How shameful but he’s still in office isn’t he?   Go below the Supreme Court and the number of crooked judges, out for a bribe to swing a case, increases. District court decisions today in PNG are usually available for a price and that is exactly why the Supreme Court has such a backbreaking backload of cases.  It is because so many of the National and District court cases are being decided on the basis of who paid the judge the most money. That brings us back to the very sad case of Modowa Gumoi. Yes the police can be incompetent, but it’s amazing what an honest person can do with limited resources.   

The reason why the evidence just isn’t there is because it has disappeared. I would guess that Modowa Gumoi allegedly allegedly allegedly allegedly took some of that K500,000+ and gave it to the police or government clerks to destroy the evidence so that he could be a free man and get going to buy that nice house in Cairns that he and his family can move to, escaping the stinking mess that people like him have created in this country. One of the things I like most about Pngblogs is their ability to pick photos that bring out the worst in our politicians. 

They are greedy gluttons for a fact but too many photos make them look like angels. Please, Pngblogs editor, beautify my editorial with a photo that shows some of our politicians bulging with obesity which suggests an inability to control their eating once a whole table of delicious food is placed before them.  As the old saying goes, if they can’t resist the food, why would we ever think they could resist taking the money? We have groups such as Transparency International popping up to supposedly deal with all this but just like the National and Post Courier, they treat our leaders with the utmost respect. 

You’ll never see Lawrence Stephens write an editorial that comes even close to the anger I am outing in my words.  The simple truth is that our corrupt leaders deserve no respect.  Zero.  They deserve to be pulled out of their houses, dragged into the streets to cheering crowds and strung up to hang on the nearest power cable until their body rots and the rats finish picking off the skin.  Then they can be thrown in a common unmarked grave with a headstone marked “Justice at last for PNG”. Only when that day comes will our country have any chance at all of recovery. Until then, let’s stop pretending all these things that we aren’t and our government isn’t.   It’s not healthy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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