PNGBLOGS

By CHRISTOPHER PAPIALI Recorded Police brutality in Papua New Guinea ought to be brought to the fore as more and more Papua New Guineans experience extreme physical suffering and death in the hands of rogue policemen. Reported and unreported cases of police brutality is causing extreme violence and it becomes a national issue as some foreign observers have also discussed it at various forums and meetings. A far more appalling reaction from United Nations is contained in a fact finding report titled Level of police violence in Papua New Guinea. In this report, Manfred Nowak, the UN Special Rapporteur states “This regular practice of police violence, corroborated by medical evidence, often reaches the level of torture.” Every year the government’s allocation of police budget increases without any improvement and reduction of police brutality and not even the rank and file of the police force inform the nation how the increase spending is accounted for. We are left in awe whether or not t

By CHRISTOPHER PAPIALI Recorded Police brutality in Papua New Guinea ought to be brought to the fore as more and more Papua New Guineans experience extreme physical suffering and death in the hands of rogue policemen. Reported and unreported cases of police brutality is causing extreme violence and it becomes a national issue as some foreign observers have also discussed it at various forums and meetings. A far more appalling reaction from United Nations is contained in a fact finding report titled Level of police violence in Papua New Guinea. In this report, Manfred Nowak, the UN Special Rapporteur states “This regular practice of police violence, corroborated by medical evidence, often reaches the level of torture.” Every year the government’s allocation of police budget increases without any improvement and reduction of police brutality and not even the rank and file of the police force inform the nation how the increase spending is accounted for. We are left in awe whether

By SANJAY BHOSALE PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill deserves to be congratulated for putting together a coalition of unprecedented proportions in the aftermath of the recent elections. Any questions of legitimacy and credibility have now been emphatically answered. And the new government enjoys a level of acceptance around the country and abroad than perhaps any other before it. The challenge for O’Neill lies in keeping his grand coalition together for the duration. They say a week is a long time in politics, and five years is an absolute eternity. To use an Olympic analogy, holding the government together for five years is like running a marathon. The runners know that only one of them will win gold. Still, it won’t stop them from trying to breast the tape first. Those who had ambitions for the top post have been kept at bay. But for how long? It would be wishful thinking to hope that O’Neill will not face any challenges to his leadership until 2017. And as has been pointed out on this pa

By SANJAY BHOSALE PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill deserves to be congratulated for putting together a coalition of unprecedented proportions in the aftermath of the recent elections. Any questions of legitimacy and credibility have now been emphatically answered. And the new government enjoys a level of acceptance around the country and abroad than perhaps any other before it. The challenge for O’Neill lies in keeping his grand coalition together for the duration. They say a week is a long time in politics, and five years is an absolute eternity. To use an Olympic analogy, holding the government together for five years is like running a marathon. The runners know that only one of them will win gold. Still, it won’t stop them from trying to breast the tape first. Those who had ambitions for the top post have been kept at bay. But for how long? It would be wishful thinking to hope that O’Neill will not face any challenges to his leadership until 2017. And as has been pointed out on

Triumph Heritage Empowerment (THE) Party leader Don Pomb Polye is the most upset man in this country right now. Sources close to Mr Polye said the Kandep MP was fuming that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has “lied” to him over the Finance and Treasury portfolio. Last night when Mr O’Neill made the announcement, Mr Polye was at a function to celebrate the election victories of Delilah Gore and Julie Soso Akeke for the Sohe Open and Eastern Highlands provincial seats respectively. At that function, he remained calm when told that he was given only the Treasury portfolio but sources close to him said, the man felt cheated. “He had to forgo the Deputy Prime Minister’s post for the Finance and Treasury portfolio. What can he do as Treasurer,” a senior member of the party told Post Courier. At that party, senior MPs and officials from THE Party informed Post Courier that they were also concerned that none of the economic portfolios were given to any of their members and what was allocated to t

Triumph Heritage Empowerment (THE) Party leader Don Pomb Polye is the most upset man in this country right now. Sources close to Mr Polye said the Kandep MP was fuming that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has “lied” to him over the Finance and Treasury portfolio. Last night when Mr O’Neill made the announcement, Mr Polye was at a function to celebrate the election victories of Delilah Gore and Julie Soso Akeke for the Sohe Open and Eastern Highlands provincial seats respectively. At that function, he remained calm when told that he was given only the Treasury portfolio but sources close to him said, the man felt cheated. “He had to forgo the Deputy Prime Minister’s post for the Finance and Treasury portfolio. What can he do as Treasurer,” a senior member of the party told Post Courier. At that party, senior MPs and officials from THE Party informed Post Courier that they were also concerned that none of the economic portfolios were given to any of their members and what was all

CABINET PORTFOLIOS: Peter O'Neill              Prime Minister Leo Dion              Deputy Prime Minister; Inter-Government Relations. Don Polye              Treasurer James Marape              Finance Charles Abel             National Planning Loujaya Toni              Religion, Youth and Community Development. Ben Micah              Public Enterprises and State Investment Rimbink Pato              Foreign Affairs and Immigration Education              Paru Aihi Michael Malabag          Health and HIV-AIDS Patrick Pruaitch          Forests and Climate Change Ano Pala              Transport Tommy Tomscoll          Agriculture and Livestock Sir Puka Temu              Public Service John Pundari              Environment and Conservation David Arore              Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Kerenga Kua              Justice and Attorney-General Fabian Pok              Defence William Duma              Petroleum and Energy Paul Isikiel              Housing and Urba

IN the days of the Cold War, the Pacific firmly belonged to the United States’ Pacific Fleet. The Pacific consisted, in the minds of US military strategists as a theatre, a wide expanse of ocean with a sprinkling of islands and dreamy islanders in grass skirts swaying on white sandy beaches like the coconut palms to the strum of ukuleles. Simplistic, perhaps, but that is how the islander felt he was being treated. If the US needed to dump highly toxic nuclear waste or test nuclear weaponry, or even transport nuclear arsenal through the region, it did not feel anybody deserved the courtesy of being informed. The ANZUS Treaty collapsed as a direct result of this arrogant stance by the US. But times are a-changing. US influence in the region, while still very influential, is being challenged both militarily and economically by the rising might of China and India. What does it all mean for little nations in the South Pacific like Papua New Guinea? The first thing really is to wake up to th

IN the days of the Cold War, the Pacific firmly belonged to the United States’ Pacific Fleet. The Pacific consisted, in the minds of US military strategists as a theatre, a wide expanse of ocean with a sprinkling of islands and dreamy islanders in grass skirts swaying on white sandy beaches like the coconut palms to the strum of ukuleles. Simplistic, perhaps, but that is how the islander felt he was being treated. If the US needed to dump highly toxic nuclear waste or test nuclear weaponry, or even transport nuclear arsenal through the region, it did not feel anybody deserved the courtesy of being informed. The ANZUS Treaty collapsed as a direct result of this arrogant stance by the US. But times are a-changing. US influence in the region, while still very influential, is being challenged both militarily and economically by the rising might of China and India. What does it all mean for little nations in the South Pacific like Papua New Guinea? The first thing really is to wake up