GIGITA LATEBO’S HIDDEN ECONOMIC SAVAGERIES
It was foretold through a Gigita Latebo correlated legend called ‘Kwai Topo’ that if the proceeds of PNG LNG are not coped effectively or managed well, the economic upshots would be far more injurious than the benefits. Thus this article divulges Gigita Latebo’s prophetical resource-curse thus the much chatted PNG LNG Project or Hela’s Gigita Latebo has hidden economic furies as well as benefits.
Background
Gigita Latebo legend is the Hela region’s legendary myth held for long generations of an everlasting fire or light that one day would be engaged to light up the whole world. That boundless light, as we have now realized happened to be the undeveloped natural gas deposits which Exxon Mobil and partners including the government extracted and shipped to light up the world thereby gratifying the prophesy.
The legend has been foretold in many parts of the surrounding regions of Hela or Hela progenies which can be viewed as related myths with the same import but retold slightly and in different style. In these, the economic wraths are seized and revealed.
This article meets a related legend, known as the “Kwai Topo” and is relatively analogous to the Gigita Latebo prophesy. It divulges not only the economic benefits but furies as well. And it also delivers acumens into what these furies are in order to enlighten Papua New Guineans to organize to enjoy the benefits of the PNG LNG Project. If we are not primed to reap its benefits, the legend holds that the diagonal effects would inflict great economic discharge and dejection on the lives of the average Papua New Guineans.
Introduction
On February 10th 2014 I wrote in the letters column ‘Agiru- Olkoben combination best for Hela’ followed by ‘Unity for Hela’ or another, ‘Hela’s issues as important as national issues’ and others. A Weekender Feature magazine of the Post Courier newspaper quoted several reinforcement sockets from these articles. These articles reconsidered Hela Governor Anderson Agiru’s undeterred decisions and premonitions to assemble men, machine and money to flag mode Hela’s development as well as the chucks of all to be integrated to see Hela sets off on its voyage to progress.
If you have seen them, there were some severities of issues to be measured amidst the unresolved Gigita Latebo’s development issues and the beneficial structures and systems including proper land demarcations and clan vetting, benefit delivery structures and others that are urgently needed to be positioned.
Today, on the face of it, it is rigid to scope the Gigita Latebo era of Hela. The future of Hela, in other words, is inflexible to calculate thus the inaccuracies in establishing the doles of Gigita Latebo. Gigita Latebo, the infinite light is the legendary gas. Where was it found? If someone comes and takes your generationally sacred treasure without your permission or commissioning you, would you let it go? How will it benefit the keepers of where it was found? When will its benefits start to flow and impact their lives including the Hela progenies and Papua New Guinea in general? How will the proceeds be managed?
This article could sound just a little too late but Gigita Latebo’s sister legend, Kwai Topo has some stunning as well as bloodcurdling leaks of the depraved side of the profoundly ballyhooed Gigita Latebo or PNG LNG.
The Kwai Topo legend
The forefathers of the Huli’s had five sons and their progenies populated the central, eastern, western and southern ends of the vast Hela region. The descendants at the utmost south have a relatively similar fairytale or prophesy called the “Kwai Topo” foretold for many generations. There is significant bearing and leaks that not only Hela and its descendants but Papua New Guinea as a whole ought to know that there are secret economic savageries or curses of Gigita Latebo which if we are not focused, arranged and geared up to embrace the benefits of the everlasting light, we are predestined for calamitous economic adversities with uncontainable corollaries.
Kwai Topo legend currently sounds like the original Gigita Latepo of an everlasting fire called “kwaitopo” burning in infinity in the north (interestingly now Hela) which an albino (literally a European man) from a dreamy place would one day come and take away to light up houses beyond the mountains and faraway foreign and unheard places.
The albino, with the kwaitopo alit and raised up in the air, will appear on a high speed, riding on a red pig’s back from the north heading to the south. The legend hold that one must see a glimpse of it, touch it or even catch it whilst on its way and do not let it by-pass. For if let it go by, it will be the end of the world! Letting it by-pass without seeing it, touching it, catching it or chopping off a piece of the rosy pig’s meat has the buried economic savageries.
Or usually, an old man would be sitting up late in the early hours of a night in a half-lit houseman whilst occupants lie down and recap the legend in his astute tendency that there is a red pig in the land of Huls (Huli or Hela). It will be slaughtered and put on the fire to get rid of its hair but the blood of the pig will put off the fire where the host jets off in search of an everlasting fire called Gigita Latepo to reignite the fire. The dead pig will then regain conscious, become desolate and start attacking to run away. The host will arrive with the eternal flame but about the same time, an enflamed man (albino) will arrive from nowhere, grab the flame, jump on the back of the wild pig and head south.
It will pass through this land thus the sons of this land ensure to catch it together with the albino and kill it before it escapes again. The pig will be slaughtered, its heart detached and the meat cooked with another everlasting fire called Kwai Topo which is in this village (Kware). Some fatigued Huli men will come after their pig. The person who catches the pig, who will automatically be someone from this village (Kware) will then make peace with the Huli men and share between many people from here, in Huli and elsewhere. The heart will be shared among the Hulis and its progenies.
Kwai Topo - Agiru
When Southern Highlands (by then) and current Hela favorite son Governor Anderson Agiru came into power in the 1990’s, and continued his undeterred leadership, many people translated the Kwai Topo legend with Anderson Agiru. That the red pig is Anderson Agiru and the eternal flame is the power he continues to hold. He knows all the hamlets, creeks, hills and mountains in every corners of the province (Hela inclusive) and even knows people by name. He is supernatural, everlasting thus the Kwaitopo legend has rephrased with Agiru.
The Kwaitopo prophesy and the article, “Agiru-Olkoben” recipe has some noteworthy correlation between them too. Literally, Kwai Topo means a dry and piping hot wood from a tree called Kwai. The wood produces ferment heat and sparks (Topo) for a long time in a fire-place. Interestingly, it narrates to and has the identical literal import to the unusual Gigita Latebo.
Lawrence Olkoben comes from a village called Kwai-te (or some called it Kware). In the local dialect, it means a place at the stump of the Kwai tree. The kwaitopo lore is very popular around that village’s locality in Nipa district on the one hand. On the other hand, Gigita Latebo also relates to a very similar undertone. Gigita is the place where the Latebo or the infinite light has been alit (now gone!). Again, literally it means an everlasting and glowing fire at a place called Gigita.
Thus the Hela Provincial Executive Council’s optimal of Lawrence Olkoben as Hela province’s enduring administrator (somehow, the appointment has been delayed for almost a year for unknown reasons), his village’s name and the kwaitopo legend with the Gigita Latebo prophesy have some striking parallels and or bearing – a part of the two legends’ myths fulfilled.
Kwai Topo revelation
Pig is a vastly valued and edible animal. It is exceedingly priced, can be used as mediocre to solve problems, symptom of prestige or mammon, bridal and many are inherent pigs. The pig thus is the purported benefit from LNG. The everlasting fire is the natural gas. Mineral gas burns and glows reddish and for as long as the supply is constant, can light on for ages.
The albino is Exxon Mobil and its partners. An enflamed man (albino) atop a red pig, roar in hurry with an eternal flame, on his way from the north to the south is another exquisite gratification relative to the LNG gas pipeline running from PNG’s northern provinces of Hela and Southern Highlands to the Gulf and Central provinces in the south.
So the rendition of Kwaitopo and the red pig being Anderson Agiru or his leadership were not the precise relationships. Oddly however, Governor Agiru, through his wisdom chattered the PNG LNG Project. His leadership, direction and mission absorbed by his vision cast in the biggest ever natural resources development project - PNG LNG. What a coincidence!
His choice of Hela provincial administrator in Lawrence Olkoben, unmistakably a descendant of one of the Hela sons, whose origination has a fabulous connection with Gigita Latebo, whose cartel is predicted to deliver the Hela Dream, is another amazing gratification of the legends.
Fulfillment of the Legends
It was always firmly felt that when the time of slaughtering the pig arrives in the future as foretold, it will not be cooked in Hela but either in the Kwai Topo legend area or elsewhere as the dead pig would resuscitate and runaway. Interestingly, the groundwork to slaughter the legendary pig or the extraction of the gas was done in Hela but it will not be cooked and served in Hela as it has been piped out (likened to running away) by the albino (Exxon Mobil) to a place called Lealea where the actual distribution of the gas will be done and shared.
The pig has also passed by but a man named Lawrence Olkoben (Opene son), originally from the Kwai Topo legend christened to be the provincial administrator for Hela with Anderson Agiru (Hela/Huli son) as the governor who will take back and distribute the pig (benefits of LNG) to the people (via Hela provincial government). Does not that fulfill the part of the legend that holds for a Kwai Topo man to catch the pig and giving it back to the owners to have the pig meat?
However, though Mr. Olkoben is part and parcel of the legendary gratification as presented, his appointment has been delayed for some unknown reasons. That implies that he has not been able to catch, touch, feel or see the pig with the albino and the eternal flame. What ramifications would this present? Many parts of the legends have come into fruition but this is at large. Kwai Topo has that if one let it passes-by, that’s the end of the world!
Hidden Economic Savageries
Does Gigita Latebo hold the clout to end this world? Is Gigita Latebo a Biblical prophecy that Heavenly God has given his salient muscle to end this world? Haha…..hell no! Rather, the wraths of letting the pig by-pass without any attempt to catch or see it originate within the literal worth of the catch phrases, ‘catching the red pig, killing it and roast its heart, or seeing it by-pass without touching it and or end of the world.
The construction phase of PNG LNG expenditure reached $US19 billion, by far the biggest investment rolling a mammoth cash flow beating the projections of Papua New Guinea’s annual national budget in any one year since independence. Seeing, catching or touching a red beast with an enflamed man atop its back with the eternal flame related to the construction phase of the Gigita Latebo.
The legends connote that the red pig would run away after resuscitation half-burnt but will still be caught, cooked and shared. And this event will be marked by very long periods of preparations. Have the people been given enough time to prepare for this feast? Likewise, were there enough time given to the people prior to the initial stages of the development of LNG project or start-up time to prepare to catch the pig? How far have the people benefited from the construction phase of PNG LNG?
One of the economic curses surfaces here. The trace conveyers of the legends maintained for generations that a red beast will come thus must be prepared to catch it for if not, it will be the end of the world. The initial stages of LNG project development and the start-up time was a very short notice that the developers including the government failed to give enough time to the people thus instead of a physical end of the world, those who have not participated in the construction phase are starting to feel the pain of the economic hardships caused by the massive cash flow and inflation it brought. Worse is yet to come during the actual sharing of the pig meat!
Now, though not necessarily by Kwai Topo’s sons (as foretold), the pig has already been caught. The Huli men have also arrived in pursuit of their pig and the meat went underground (mumu pit) and soon to be served. The heart of the pig has been removed as foretold but however it was cooked and shared, nobody can be assured by the glimpse of hopes.
The heart, in real terms related to the LBSA Agreements on who the main beneficiaries are and how the benefits would be structured to benefit. The terms of references or the contents of LBSA still remains inexact or concealed as to identify the benefits and beneficiaries specifications. This gratifies that the very people who supposed to share the pig’s heart have missed out completely. Accordingly, an economic adverse of the LNG will be so disastrous given the legendary heart has been eaten up by others. The Huli’s will suffer; the Opene’s will suffer economic marginalization. This is no joke!
PNG LNG versus PNG
The red beast has been caught, slaughtered and cooked. It will be served soon. How soon? Since it will be served in an area not specified by the legends, how will it be distributed and by whom? Will the Hela men who have come in pursuit of their pig be able to give a piece to all its descendants? During the actual pig killing ceremonies, the hosts distribute according to the level of hard work done, extended families, invited friends and guests and are ensured that no one misses out. But when a different person distributes the pieces of meat, it does not eventuate the way the host plans. The feast ends up in commotions between families, brothers or the host leadership gets catcalled on the one hand.
On the other hand, the country is said to experience an unprecedented economic growth of 25 per cent which means that the benefit of PNG LNG project would be immeasurable. Cash flow would be extremely high. Then, is Papua New Guinea ready to benefit from such an unparalleled economic rebirth? Is the Sovereign Wealth Fund, the benefits delivery mechanisms and legislation ready? Are all the administrative issues, landownership and benefit sharing or delivery mechanisms, clan vetting and others for the Hela province ready?
People, who lazy around, do not make gardens, do not set up small to big businesses or virtually become spectators will be economically marginalized. The high level of cash flow will lead to inflation on prices of goods and services making it hard for such lazy people to purchase and use them. Cash or money flows like the vanity of water. We fetch water in cups, containers, tanks, buckets and or store in southern crosses and others to use and drink. Anyone who expects water to flow into his or her mouth naturally can go without drinking.
Over to the people of Hela, you have a better version of your Gigita Latebo, how someone will come get it and light up the world. Thus Hela must unite in politics, governance, socially and allow peace to prevail at all angles between landowners, warring factions and tribes, politicians and others. Stay back in Hela and tell the government to bring all your Gigita Latebo monies to be administered and delivered in Tari by your provincial government.
The Anderson Agiru phenomenon will now close the Gigita Latebo prophesy with him becoming a synonymous legend. He is the living legacy, like some kind of a messiah from the Old Testament of the Holy book. His vision is beyond outset thus let him unleash through the development of Hela province to complete the delivery of the Hela dream equation.
To the corridors of the pipeline and Papua New Guinea, a legend foretold generations ago has come into fruition. Other related legends of a red pig, an enflamed man with an everlasting fire on a high speed travelling from the north to south has also come to reality. No wonder the LNG Project was completed earlier than expected!
Moreover, the economically relevant catch phrases will come into fruition too. Are you ready to catch it? Are we ready to enjoy a good meal? Will living in Port Moresby, Lae or Mt Hagen make you a lucky charm where the benefits of Gigita Latebo will easily flow into your mouth? Do you drink water that way? The red man on the back of a red pig riding high with a glowing flame has just passed us. Have you let it by-passed? Those who have seen it, chopped it, touched it or felt it will be lucky. They will survive the economic hardships. So as those who will have a piece of the main meat.
The government today could be on the right track by setting up schemes like the K700 million managed by National Development Bank and Commerce and Industry for people to access, start up and live on. The government has also set other viable economic structures and schemes to help people prepare and engage meaningfully so Papua New Guineans must start to do something worthwhile to have a taste of the red pig.
[This article divulges Gigita Latepo’s prophetical resource-curse if the proceeds of PNG LNG are not managed well where economic upshots would be far more injurious than the benefits ]
Published by PNGBlogs with Permission from author.
