Former Founding Father of PNG, John Momis, Is Now Chief Puppet of Chinese and Aussie Opportunists on Bougainville
People once knew him as Father Momis, a young earnest Catholic priest determined to free PNG of Australian colonial domination and make it independent. Father Momis was one of PNG’s founding fathers. However, time has passed and so has Momis. Ever since John Momis returned from his time as PNG Ambassador to China, his friends could see that something had changed in his brain. Used to be he was overflowing with good talk about PNG and the potential we all had to create our nation in the form we wanted, free of unsolicited foreign influence. Momis was a real patriot, a true PNG nationalist. But something happened during his time in China and his views changed. Now he couldn’t say enough about all the wonderful things about Chinese and China.
After he became President of the Autonomous Government of Bougainville, it started to become clear that Momis had changed from Blak Sauspen to Turangu Kokonas. He had become white or maybe yellow on the inside. The black soul was gone, only dark skin remained. Out went the old Bougainville Self Reliance strategy that got Bougainvilleans through very difficult times in the 1990s and made them a respected world model of perseverance and ingenuity in doing things for themselves despite all odds. Self reliance was gone, replaced by Momis’ new strategy of Bougainville Needs Foreign Self Seekers. Dwarf, squinty Chinese carpetbaggers began arriving in Buka by the planeloads standing beside the tall, handsome people of Bougainville.
The arriving snakes promised the usual fake dreams, like Buka was going to be transformed into a major city with highrises and superhighways and the kind and generous Chinese were coming to help the poor Bougainvilleans make that change, with only peace and generosity driving their hearts.
Momis should have known better from his own years as a PNG politician hearing to many foreign conmen promising the moon and delivering dirt. Somewhere along the line Momis has contracted the Slavery Virus spreading throughout developing countries like Ebola. Thanks to the Invitation from Momis, Chinese planted themselves on Bougainvillean sacred soil and set up shop. Momis may have remained blind to what came after that, but not the people of Bougainville. As the months went on, it quickly became clear that these Chinese weren’t the technological wizards and mega investors they promoted themselves as, but simple tradestore owners ready and willing to push aside Bougainvillean business people. Other Chinese set themselves up as pillagers of scrap metal throughout the island, including priceless World War II historic items. Maybe it was the revenge of Me’ekamui that 2 Chinese scrap metal traders were badly hurt when their brakes failed one day coming down a steep road.
Behind this Chinese riffraff stood some much bigger Chinese investors, interested just like the scrap metal dealers, in helping themselves to the resource wealth of Bougainville. It was not surprising that one step would lead to another and one day the people of Me’ekamui would wake up to hear Momis say he wanted the Panguna mine reopened. This foolish and disorientated old man, did he not realise that even making such talk would blow down Bougainville’s doors so that conmen right and left could stream inside? Now the damage is done. The foreign invasion increased and now there are foreign opportunists out to make a fast buck scattered throughout the island, looking to sign deals and secure resources of all kinds. Foreign chainsaws are already cutting down the trees, thanks to local village conmen joining forces with the foreign opportunists. Momis not only lost the plot but lost control of the foreign invasion that now promises to strip Bougainville bare of its resources, then spit the remains out onto the people’s head. John Momis has changed from the Saviour of Bougainville to its Primary Curse.
Bougainville Copper Ltd (actually an arm of the multinational mining company Rio Tinto), of course, is leading those who wish to strip Bougainville bare. It has been pushed under the carpet and quickly forgotten that BCL was the cause of the whole secessionist movement, a noble cause created by the horrors of extreme environmental damage, permanent loss of land, and a tradition of inequitable sharing. Jealous and worried that their rich treasure chest of copper and gold might pass into the hands of the Chinese, Rio Tinto now tries everything from promises to threats to keep their foot in the door. It even follows the old Chinese philosophy: if told no a hundred, even a thousand times, ask again until you have worn down your opponent and they finally say yes.
Although John Momis and his AGB mob have become the contemptible lickspittles of self seeking foreigners, that’s not true for everyone in Bougainville. The anger is growing, people are preparing to fight once more if necessary to keep their land and freedom. Of course that made the snakes who had the bank accounts wide open to absorb the riches of Bougainville to run crying to Momis. With fake tears streaming down their faces, the foreign opportunists complain bitterly of the painful sacrifices they made to help Momis realise his dreams. Momis must not abandon them, they say. Momis, a Founding Father of Papua New Guinea, has become the Bougainvillean Slave to Foreign Carpetbaggers. He no longer hears the cries of those who sacrificed for Bougainville’s independence and the spirits of lives lost for a dream that does not include the hell of near slavery and environmental destruction. Momis is hellbent to put Bougainville under the ownership of foreign opportunists.
The most unpardonable sin of Momis has been to contract a foreign public relations firm to design a public awareness programme to brainwash the people of Bougainville into supporting John Momis and his Gang of Foreign Opportunists. His new partner in crime is Adam Smith International. Adam Smith Intl preaches the techniques of the world’s dictators and is enlisted to help John Momis brainwash the people of Bougainville. They are a mercenary company just like the Sandline mercenary army of African white soldiers who Julius Chan hired to come to PNG to kill Bougainvilleans so that Panguna mine could reopen in the 1990s. Adam Smith Intl is today’s Sandline and John Momis is today’s Julius Chan. Actually worse, since Momis is not a half Chinese zero Bougainvillean blood like Chan, but a full blooded Bougainvillean. A Judas amongst his own people, Momis has hired Adam Smith Intl as his army of words, less painful than bullets, but with the same goal as Sandline – to reopen the mine and ensure Bougainville’s permanent slavery to foreigners.
The second part of this article describes how Adam Smith Intl plans to conquer the Bougainvilleans and hand their heads on a plate given to Momis.
