Soul Searching Rather Than Blaming Is Needed For Personal Growth

By Unitech Resident

Acting VC John Pumwa and and Pro VC Macquin Maino have unfortunately become the crybabies of the senior executive management team, exuding bitterness concerning their fall from the top and blaming everyone but themselves for their predicament.

They block from their minds that their leadership failed to dialogue appropriately and early enough with students, created more anger than harmony each time they met, and caused the present standoff.   

Subsequently the SRC hasn’t talked with them in weeks and took over the functioning of the campus the moment the SEM stood down and the administration building was closed.    

Generally the students are keeping the campus in just about as good shape, as much so as Pumwa and Maino did when they were working.  There was a bit of problem in the dorms for a few nights with rowdy students recently but it seems to be corrected.  Of recent boycotts this has been the most peaceful.  Outside troublemakers never had a chance to create problems on campus any more than normal.   

Yesterday the students went through and cleaned up the campus nicely.  It now looks very presentable for today’s ministerial delegation.  They show great capability of managing things in a time of crisis, whereas Dr Pumwa and Mr Maino failed when the crisis blew up.

Dr Pumwa and Mr Maino have been complaining that many inaccurate things have been said about them on the internet and elsewhere.   I have little sympathy for these complaints.  If they are being unfairly accused, they have had many opportunities to defend themselves and present their side of the story.   For them to act like they are being crucified seems like a self serving attempt to ignore the realities.   By closing their eyes at defending themselves they are not being crucified they are purposely committing career suicide.  

The one exception was a memo sent out to staff by Mr. Maino.  Unfortunately the memo seemed full of defensiveness and suspicion that normally does not characterise an innocent person.   It was not well received by staff, either expatriate or national.   Since then, Maino has stopped defending himself in public but constantly grumbles to small groups that he is being misrepresented, mischaracterised, etc.  

In contrast, Dr Pumwa has never shown any ability or interest to write even one rebuttal or explanation for his actions.  He lets himself be pronounced guilty and again pretends he is being crucified, ignoring that he has as many chances to defend himself as others have to accuse him.    Here is a hint for Mr Maino and Dr Pumwa, if you believe you have been falsely accused about anything send your side of the story to pngblogs@gmail.com.  Either that or send to any blog you believe to be friendly to your views.    

I would suggest to both these fallen leaders that they would do well to stop trying to find people to blame as seems to be their new hobby, and start looking in the mirror.   They did not communicate  sufficiently from inside their ivory towers and were not doing enough to pressure the government to bring back our real VC.  The bursts of anger against them are a reaction to their management styles.   

Both the Acting VC and Pro VC might consult their Bibles and seek for reference the many passages that promote the law of justice and fairness above all else.  Our VC Dr Schram was a victim of injustice and it was thus our duty to act by all means necessary to restore that justice:

“Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”  Isaiah 1:17

"Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien"  Deuteronomy 27:19

The following scripture is particularly important because it shows Pumwa and Maino that they should have stopped worrying so much about the constraints of their job in seeking justice for Dr Schram but expanded their horizons and done whatever was necessary:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”   Matthew 23:23

I cannot judge the role of Mrs Veronica Thomas, Acting Registrar and of Acting Bursar Bomoteng.  They have disappeared from many gatherings and no longer seem in solidarity with the other two.

Turning to the progress of the students, I will provide a brief update of the situation at Unitech.

The great majority of staff still support the students which is the big reason why the campus has such harmony considering that there is no one really in control.  There was overwhelming support for the students at last week’s NASA meeting and much discussion on tangible ways to help their cause.     

The students held a successful wheelbarrow push fundraising in Lae on Tuesday.  People threw in up to K20 notes as support.  As much as the government may want to convince the nation that the boycott does not have support, it is obvious that there is general support.  

So far the students have resisted all pressure to sell out our VC for personal prestige or gain.  Our students are now admired by many.  They show us all that PNG does have people who will fight for what is right, even at personal risk. 
I have but one question to throw out at Professor Pumwa and Mr Maino.  Why do they appear not to be on the side of the students?   Why are they not walking with the students on campus in all departments, sharing stories and breaking bread with them in the mess, and otherwise showing their solidarity?

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