PNGBLOGS

BY JOHN FOWKE I HAVE JUST READ Patrick Lindsay’s  plea for help for Papua New Guinea’s police following the senseless  murder of young  Rex John during a robbery at Laloki on Port Moresby’s outskirts .A relaunch of the ill-fated police ECP [enhanced cooperation program] was advocated. Whilst it has long been obvious that PNG’s police need urgent help, in 2009 I penned a piece demonstrating that sending Australians whose experience and training is entirely Australian, to be mentors to PNG policemen, is not a valuable exercise. Indeed not a valid one at all except where technology and legal procedure are concerned. The article may bear repeating, now that many in positions of influence in Canberra and Port Moresby are regular readers of this blog. In 2009 I wrote as follows: “A new group of Australian Federal Police officers may move to PNG next year to act as advisers to the RP&NGC. At the same time a comment was made to the effect that these men and women may end up sidelined due t

BY JOHN FOWKE I HAVE JUST READ Patrick Lindsay’s  plea for help for Papua New Guinea’s police following the senseless  murder of young  Rex John during a robbery at Laloki on Port Moresby’s outskirts .A relaunch of the ill-fated police ECP [enhanced cooperation program] was advocated. Whilst it has long been obvious that PNG’s police need urgent help, in 2009 I penned a piece demonstrating that sending Australians whose experience and training is entirely Australian, to be mentors to PNG policemen, is not a valuable exercise. Indeed not a valid one at all except where technology and legal procedure are concerned. The article may bear repeating, now that many in positions of influence in Canberra and Port Moresby are regular readers of this blog. In 2009 I wrote as follows: “A new group of Australian Federal Police officers may move to PNG next year to act as advisers to the RP&NGC. At the same time a comment was made to the effect that these men and women may end up sideli

One of Papua New Guinea's most senior policemen has warned his officers against taking political bribes ahead of the country's June 23 elections. With just six days to go until the start of the 2012 poll, Assistant Police Commissioner Francis Tokura has told his troops not to be swayed by money being splashed around by candidates. "Electoral officers and members of the security force, do not accept bribes. Let me repeat, do not accept bribes," Mr Tokura told about 500 officers as they prepared to depart for the Southern Highlands on Saturday. "This is our country... PNG is our country and this is our election, so let us be responsible. "Polling candidates, let us set the foundation for a better tomorrow by refusing to threaten or bribe your voters." The police will spend 24 days based in and around the highland town of Mt Hagen and will provide security during PNG's two week voting period. Including the PNG Defence Force and police, there are 8000 s

One of Papua New Guinea's most senior policemen has warned his officers against taking political bribes ahead of the country's June 23 elections. With just six days to go until the start of the 2012 poll, Assistant Police Commissioner Francis Tokura has told his troops not to be swayed by money being splashed around by candidates. "Electoral officers and members of the security force, do not accept bribes. Let me repeat, do not accept bribes," Mr Tokura told about 500 officers as they prepared to depart for the Southern Highlands on Saturday. "This is our country... PNG is our country and this is our election, so let us be responsible. "Polling candidates, let us set the foundation for a better tomorrow by refusing to threaten or bribe your voters." The police will spend 24 days based in and around the highland town of Mt Hagen and will provide security during PNG's two week voting period. Including the PNG Defence Force and police, there are 8000

With only a couple of days remaining before the nation goes to the polls, the campaign fever is gaining momentum for all political parties. Prime Minister and People’s National Congress Party leader Peter O’Neill has been a staunch campaigner for his PNC candidates since writs were issued. Last week and early this week, he was in the National Capital District, Madang, Morobe, Western, Gulf and West New Britain provinces to support his candidates as they attempted to sell their party policies to the voters. While campaigning, Mr O’Neill has also been educating the people about the need to vote wisely as this election is very important and will determine where Papua New Guinea will be heading in the next 40 years. During the 10 months that he has been in government, Mr O’Neill has visited many remote areas throughout the country - more than any other leader in such a short span of time – and he has seen and heard the cried of the people for basic services to be delivered to them. That is

With only a couple of days remaining before the nation goes to the polls, the campaign fever is gaining momentum for all political parties. Prime Minister and People’s National Congress Party leader Peter O’Neill has been a staunch campaigner for his PNC candidates since writs were issued. Last week and early this week, he was in the National Capital District, Madang, Morobe, Western, Gulf and West New Britain provinces to support his candidates as they attempted to sell their party policies to the voters. While campaigning, Mr O’Neill has also been educating the people about the need to vote wisely as this election is very important and will determine where Papua New Guinea will be heading in the next 40 years. During the 10 months that he has been in government, Mr O’Neill has visited many remote areas throughout the country - more than any other leader in such a short span of time – and he has seen and heard the cried of the people for basic services to be delivered to the

CANDIDATES in resource-rich electorates around the country are having a field day. They will do everything in their power. They are telling potential voters to ensure resource owners have a greater say and get a greater share of the benefits of resource developments. They are painting the resource developers as selfish multi-nationals hell-bent on exploitation and profits with hardly a care for the welfare of ordinary Papua New Guineans and, particularly, resource owners. This is, of course, a cowardly gambit since most resource companies have no recourse. They have no right of reply and would never raise a voice in protest anyway or they would be accused of participating in politics. These kinds of talk make us recall the 1987 elections on the island of Bougainville. Then regional MP John Momis ran a hard anti-Bougainville Copper Ltd campaign, calling the company the “BCL pig” that needed slaughtering. There was a mass slaughter later that year and of more than just the BCL

CANDIDATES in resource-rich electorates around the country are having a field day. They will do everything in their power. They are telling potential voters to ensure resource owners have a greater say and get a greater share of the benefits of resource developments. They are painting the resource developers as selfish multi-nationals hell-bent on exploitation and profits with hardly a care for the welfare of ordinary Papua New Guineans and, particularly, resource owners. This is, of course, a cowardly gambit since most resource companies have no recourse. They have no right of reply and would never raise a voice in protest anyway or they would be accused of participating in politics. These kinds of talk make us recall the 1987 elections on the island of Bougainville. Then regional MP John Momis ran a hard anti-Bougainville Copper Ltd campaign, calling the company the “BCL pig” that needed slaughtering. There was a mass slaughter later that year and of more than just

JAMES COGAN The Australian reported in its weekend edition that military strategists drew up detailed plans for the invasion of the island-states of Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) as part of the Labor government’s 2009 Defence White Paper. The plans were part of a “top-secret Force Structure Review and analytic documents supporting it—which were prepared in conjunction with the white paper—and were presented to the National Security Committee of cabinet for consideration.” The Australian had previously revealed that the 2009 White Paper also contained a “secret chapter” dealing with how the Australian military would assist American forces impose a naval blockade on Chinese trade in the event of a US-Sino war and assessed the prospect of retaliatory Chinese missile strikes on Australian territory. (See: “New book confirms US-Australia plans for war on China”) The military preparations for the small Pacific Island countries of PNG and Fiji stem from their economic and strategic importan

JAMES COGAN The Australian reported in its weekend edition that military strategists drew up detailed plans for the invasion of the island-states of Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) as part of the Labor government’s 2009 Defence White Paper. The plans were part of a “top-secret Force Structure Review and analytic documents supporting it—which were prepared in conjunction with the white paper—and were presented to the National Security Committee of cabinet for consideration.” The Australian had previously revealed that the 2009 White Paper also contained a “secret chapter” dealing with how the Australian military would assist American forces impose a naval blockade on Chinese trade in the event of a US-Sino war and assessed the prospect of retaliatory Chinese missile strikes on Australian territory. (See: “New book confirms US-Australia plans for war on China”) The military preparations for the small Pacific Island countries of PNG and Fiji stem from their economic and strategic i

  LISTEN HERE Australia's Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Opposition Leader, Julie Bishop, has committed a future Coalition government to easing up visa restrictions on Papua New Guineans wanting to visit Australia. Seen from Papua New Guinea the current tough requirements are regarded as racist. And as our Pacific correspondent, Sean Dorney, reports Julie Bishop's pledge to do something about it was warmly greeted at a recent annual PNG business forum. SEAN DORNEY: Papua New Guinea's high commissioner to Australia, Charles Lepani, recently described as galling the treatment of Papua New Guineans wanting to get visas to Australia. The issue came up again and again at the just completed Australia/PNG Business Forum. Aware that it would, Australia's Deputy Opposition Leader, Julie Bishop, in her keynote address made a promise. JULIE BISHOP: If we are honoured to be the next government of this country I most certainly commit to ensuring that we can free up the v

  LISTEN HERE Australia's Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Opposition Leader, Julie Bishop, has committed a future Coalition government to easing up visa restrictions on Papua New Guineans wanting to visit Australia. Seen from Papua New Guinea the current tough requirements are regarded as racist. And as our Pacific correspondent, Sean Dorney, reports Julie Bishop's pledge to do something about it was warmly greeted at a recent annual PNG business forum. SEAN DORNEY: Papua New Guinea's high commissioner to Australia, Charles Lepani, recently described as galling the treatment of Papua New Guineans wanting to get visas to Australia. The issue came up again and again at the just completed Australia/PNG Business Forum. Aware that it would, Australia's Deputy Opposition Leader, Julie Bishop, in her keynote address made a promise. JULIE BISHOP: If we are honoured to be the next government of this country I most certainly commit to ensuring that we can free up the

Is it possible that drug-resistant TB is spreading from PNG’s Western Province into Australia? The answer according to a  Queensland Health Department spokesman is “Yes. We have not seen a case yet in an Australian resident of the Torres Strait, but the likelihood is that the disease is there, lying dormant in people who still look healthy, and will show up in the next two or three years,” the spokesman said. “ PNG has not been able to cope with the TB problem and for this reason we have helped as much as possible,” this spokesman continued. “ We have been running clinics for Papua New Guinean TB-sufferers on Boigu and Saibai Islands  for some years now, and funds have just been provided to PNG to take up this work themselves.” Papua New Guinea once maintained an active TB Control Unit with teams operating throughout the nation, but this activity ceased many years ago, and treatment for TB sufferers, like medical treatment in general, is hit-and-miss at best, as frequently reported in

Is it possible that drug-resistant TB is spreading from PNG’s Western Province into Australia? The answer according to a  Queensland Health Department spokesman is “Yes. We have not seen a case yet in an Australian resident of the Torres Strait, but the likelihood is that the disease is there, lying dormant in people who still look healthy, and will show up in the next two or three years,” the spokesman said. “ PNG has not been able to cope with the TB problem and for this reason we have helped as much as possible,” this spokesman continued. “ We have been running clinics for Papua New Guinean TB-sufferers on Boigu and Saibai Islands  for some years now, and funds have just been provided to PNG to take up this work themselves.” Papua New Guinea once maintained an active TB Control Unit with teams operating throughout the nation, but this activity ceased many years ago, and treatment for TB sufferers, like medical treatment in general, is hit-and-miss at best, as frequently reported i

Unlike ordinary Acts of Parliament where sometimes layman will find it hard to read and appreciate the true meaning and purpose of a particular law because of the way the legal draftsman has styled the wording in legal lingo, anyone can read the Mama Lo and find it quite easy to understand. It is written in PLAIN, SIMPLE, UNAMBIGUOUS, ORDINARY and CLEAR English Language that even a primary school student with good understanding of English will understand what it is saying. The CONSTITUTION is a document that is written for EVERYONE, persons of all walks of life, it is not just for the lawyers and judges but for every man on the street and in the villages. It is therefore so DAMN CONFUSING and IRRITATING when so-called lawyers can DELIBERATELY AND CALLOUSLY MISREAD, MISCONSTRUE, MISINTERPRET AND MISAPPLY the Constitution section 142 (2) simply to derail the AUTHORITY and SUPREMACY of the Constitution so that they can instil and promote their own and that of their cohorts (in the guise o

Unlike ordinary Acts of Parliament where sometimes layman will find it hard to read and appreciate the true meaning and purpose of a particular law because of the way the legal draftsman has styled the wording in legal lingo, anyone can read the Mama Lo and find it quite easy to understand. It is written in PLAIN, SIMPLE, UNAMBIGUOUS, ORDINARY and CLEAR English Language that even a primary school student with good understanding of English will understand what it is saying. The CONSTITUTION is a document that is written for EVERYONE, persons of all walks of life, it is not just for the lawyers and judges but for every man on the street and in the villages. It is therefore so DAMN CONFUSING and IRRITATING when so-called lawyers can DELIBERATELY AND CALLOUSLY MISREAD, MISCONSTRUE, MISINTERPRET AND MISAPPLY the Constitution section 142 (2) simply to derail the AUTHORITY and SUPREMACY of the Constitution so that they can instil and promote their own and that of their cohorts (in the guise

In a recent email exchange between me and a lawyer for the ONamah “govt”, I came to realise the rationale behind the “govt’s” lawyers in carrying out, in almost a blank robotic devoid-of-conscience manner, their clients’ instructions. Two significant perceptions were revealed in the email exchanges There are lessons here for this election period: 1.       The Elected leaders are the ONLY people mandated to think up and decide what is in the nation’s “BEST INTEREST”. I was scolded because I was putting forward my opinions on what’s best for PNG, when I had NO MANDATE to decide. That disqualifies YOU and me, and EVERY ONE else who is NOT an elected leader, from thinking up and deciding what is the Nation’s best interest. So we’re all wasting our time discussing and debating on Sharp Talk or anywhere else right? This is an amazing perspective that this lawyer has. We are expected to be blind citizens, blind public servants, devoid of any independent ability to assess whether an act or omi

In a recent email exchange between me and a lawyer for the ONamah “govt”, I came to realise the rationale behind the “govt’s” lawyers in carrying out, in almost a blank robotic devoid-of-conscience manner, their clients’ instructions. Two significant perceptions were revealed in the email exchanges There are lessons here for this election period: 1.       The Elected leaders are the ONLY people mandated to think up and decide what is in the nation’s “BEST INTEREST”. I was scolded because I was putting forward my opinions on what’s best for PNG, when I had NO MANDATE to decide. That disqualifies YOU and me, and EVERY ONE else who is NOT an elected leader, from thinking up and deciding what is the Nation’s best interest. So we’re all wasting our time discussing and debating on Sharp Talk or anywhere else right? This is an amazing perspective that this lawyer has. We are expected to be blind citizens, blind public servants, devoid of any independent ability to assess whether an act or omi