HB KILLINGS – AN OPPORTUNITY LOST?

By PAUL AMATIO

The killing of the two innocent men at Hanuabada last week seems to be losing momentum for the rest of the city except for the Motu Koitabuans and other relatives. I for one find it totally incomprehensible that the MKs decided against a citywide protest march. I assure you NCD would have come out and supported you. Why did you call it off?

We are aware of your cries for everything including compensation for your land, the lack of basic amenities and services in the village, the deteriorating state of infrastructure in the village and the poor support you get from everyone, especially those whom you yourselves have elected to represent your interests in public forums like Parliament and the MK Assembly.

This is an opportunity for you people to present and make certain concrete claims which must be addressed. It is unfortunate that it has taken the loss of two innocent lives to create this opportunity but it MUST be seen as an opportunity to right these wrongs which have been ignored for too long. Someone suggested moving HB outside the city. My question is WHY? This is their ancestral home. Most of the migrtion and establishment of other Motuan villages started from HB. So if HB looks like an eyesore, then fix the eyesore instead of transplanting it and hiding it.

Some key issues the MKs should be pushing for now include proper housing for the whole MK community in all traditional villages in NCD. Building of proper footpaths among the walkways in the village. Build a proper community clinic for the village funded by the NCDC, establishment of a police station so that law and order issues are handled in the community, ensure that water piping is done properly so that water is piped into individual homes (and if this cannot be done then install a water reticulation plant in the village to be managed by the LLG and have the villages taken off the main city water supply system), upgrade their sports fields opposite the roundabout so they have a proper sports and recreational area and other similar community benefit issues. This will at least compensate for the lack of monetary compensation for the land city sits on.

Let PNG remember that PNG owes the MKs for giving up their land so that we as a nation can have a capital city.

On a general note, I refer to Sam Koim’s commentary regarding the SOCIAL CONTRACT. Although we did agree to give up some of our rights vis-à-vis law enforcement to the State, we did not agree to be gunned down like animals on our own door steps. The concept of policing was developed in England and meant to be a system of policing the people for the people and by the people. Not by some nameless faceless aliens from another planet or country but people who are also signatories to that SOCIAL CONTRACT within our own country.

I suggest the leaders of Hanuabada get together again, rethink their whole strategy and push for the peaceful demonstration march against police brutality to take place under police supervision and in a peaceful and orderly manner. Publicise it widely in NCD and have it in Lae and other centres as well so that the government and the police department can actually ACT on this and make changes to the system we have so that policing is done in an orderly and peaceful manner for our benefit, not the benefit of a few. This is an issue that affects Papua New Guinea, not only NCD and definitely not only the Motu Koitaubuans. The longer you leave it, the cooler the fire will get until it will finally burn out. Keep the burning fire burning.

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