PNGBLOGS

By the numbers, shifting the asylum seeker problem to Papua New Guinea simply fails to add up. The nation already has a substantial headache with refugees – about 9000 people have fled across the border from Indonesian West Papua and remain, in the cold parlance of the United Nations, ''in need of durable solutions''. By agreeing to shoulder more of the burden of Australia's asylum arrivals, PNG has multiplied a series of sharp domestic challenges. Australia has also traded places as the dependent country in the relationship, relying on Port Morseby's good will and lessening Canberra's sway when offering advice. Law and order is clearly one of the most pressing demands confronting the nation of 7 million, a point Prime Minister Kevin Rudd acknowledged before his flying visit earlier in the week that set in train this latest announcement. A woman was stripped, tortured, doused in petrol and burnt to death in February after villagers in the highlands branded h

By the numbers, shifting the asylum seeker problem to Papua New Guinea simply fails to add up. The nation already has a substantial headache with refugees – about 9000 people have fled across the border from Indonesian West Papua and remain, in the cold parlance of the United Nations, ''in need of durable solutions''. By agreeing to shoulder more of the burden of Australia's asylum arrivals, PNG has multiplied a series of sharp domestic challenges. Australia has also traded places as the dependent country in the relationship, relying on Port Morseby's good will and lessening Canberra's sway when offering advice. Law and order is clearly one of the most pressing demands confronting the nation of 7 million, a point Prime Minister Kevin Rudd acknowledged before his flying visit earlier in the week that set in train this latest announcement. A woman was stripped, tortured, doused in petrol and burnt to death in February after villagers in the highlands

By: Tobias Kulung MP The politicising and neglect by successive government has cause towards the disciplinary forces has completely eroded the command and control structure of these forces and has caused a total collapse in discipline in these forces. This is a massive internal security threat and should be treated as a “state of emergency” situation and the government must take drastic measures to divert its attention from other programs and address this critical situation promptly. “Life, liberty and security of the person and the protection of the law “ is the number one basic right enshrined in our constitution. When a government cannot provide for this very basic right of its people, than it has failed miserably. When we have a very important and venerable group of our society under siege by an armed group of soldiers in the capital city of our country and in broad day light and under the very nose of the political and administrative hierarchy of our country and the police are pow

By: Tobias Kulung MP The politicising and neglect by successive government has cause towards the disciplinary forces has completely eroded the command and control structure of these forces and has caused a total collapse in discipline in these forces. This is a massive internal security threat and should be treated as a “state of emergency” situation and the government must take drastic measures to divert its attention from other programs and address this critical situation promptly. “Life, liberty and security of the person and the protection of the law “ is the number one basic right enshrined in our constitution. When a government cannot provide for this very basic right of its people, than it has failed miserably. When we have a very important and venerable group of our society under siege by an armed group of soldiers in the capital city of our country and in broad day light and under the very nose of the political and administrative hierarchy of our country and the pol

By GRANT WALTON For those on the front line, fighting corruption in Papua New Guinea can be a dangerous occupation. It wasn’t that long ago that a former Ombudsman Commissioner was shot. Sam Koim, chairman of PNG’s anti-corruption coordinating body, Taskforce Sweep, knows all about the dangers that come with the job In February this year, his office was ransacked. In a video footage of the aftermath, Koim looks down the camera lens in defiance; he asserts that the incident will not deter him or his team. The office of Taskforce Sweep was targeted because of its success. It has registered over 200 cases of corruption, and recovered over 68 million Kina (around A$32 million). This has meant Koim has become somewhat of a celebrity, sought by the media, researchers and policy makers. Despite his busy schedule, I managed to catch up with him while he was in Geelong for a symposium on PNG at Deakin University. This blog post, based on our conversation, reports on Koim’s perceptions about co

By GRANT WALTON For those on the front line, fighting corruption in Papua New Guinea can be a dangerous occupation. It wasn’t that long ago that a former Ombudsman Commissioner was shot. Sam Koim, chairman of PNG’s anti-corruption coordinating body, Taskforce Sweep, knows all about the dangers that come with the job In February this year, his office was ransacked. In a video footage of the aftermath, Koim looks down the camera lens in defiance; he asserts that the incident will not deter him or his team. The office of Taskforce Sweep was targeted because of its success. It has registered over 200 cases of corruption, and recovered over 68 million Kina (around A$32 million). This has meant Koim has become somewhat of a celebrity, sought by the media, researchers and policy makers. Despite his busy schedule, I managed to catch up with him while he was in Geelong for a symposium on PNG at Deakin University. This blog post, based on our conversation, reports on Koim’s perceptions about

A dental student has been seriously injured when a group of more than 30 soldiers armed with bush knives, iron bars and firearms attacked students at the Port Morseby General Hospital. Papua New Guinea police have condemned the attack, which happened at about 1pm local time, and say it is a likely retaliation for an earlier incident. The incident happened just hours before Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd flew into Port Moresby to hold discussions on PNG's widespread law- and-order problems with his counterpart Peter O'Neill. "This is totally uncalled for and unacceptable behaviour by members of a disciplined organisation," Acting Police Commissioner Simon Kauba said in a statement on Sunday. He said he had contacted PNG Defence Force officials, and that Military Police and National Capital District police are now investigating the incident. "I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms and will ensure that it is thoroughly investigated and those res

A dental student has been seriously injured when a group of more than 30 soldiers armed with bush knives, iron bars and firearms attacked students at the Port Morseby General Hospital. Papua New Guinea police have condemned the attack, which happened at about 1pm local time, and say it is a likely retaliation for an earlier incident. The incident happened just hours before Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd flew into Port Moresby to hold discussions on PNG's widespread law- and-order problems with his counterpart Peter O'Neill. "This is totally uncalled for and unacceptable behaviour by members of a disciplined organisation," Acting Police Commissioner Simon Kauba said in a statement on Sunday. He said he had contacted PNG Defence Force officials, and that Military Police and National Capital District police are now investigating the incident. "I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms and will ensure that it is thoroughly investigated a

By ANDREW ANTON MAKO PNG politics was labeled unstable for many years, for some it’s analogous to the well-known political impasse in 2011.Today we’re still experiencing these problems. The notion of political “stability” in PNG has often been used by many governments to increase their political longevity in Parliament, and to quash any attempts of change in government. This is a narrow definition of political stability, which was described as elusive at best and been “achieved” in many ways, that undermined parliamentary democracy, and lessened the power of the Parliament or the Legislature over the years. Constant change in government is disruptive to socio-economic development and should not be encouraged. However, in PNG the Executive Government’s practice of amassing power, particularly in the last decade, at the expense of the Legislature, the second arm of government, is in itself undemocratic, and impedes the separation of power between these two arms of government. Since 1977,

By ANDREW ANTON MAKO PNG politics was labeled unstable for many years, for some it’s analogous to the well-known political impasse in 2011.Today we’re still experiencing these problems. The notion of political “stability” in PNG has often been used by many governments to increase their political longevity in Parliament, and to quash any attempts of change in government. This is a narrow definition of political stability, which was described as elusive at best and been “achieved” in many ways, that undermined parliamentary democracy, and lessened the power of the Parliament or the Legislature over the years. Constant change in government is disruptive to socio-economic development and should not be encouraged. However, in PNG the Executive Government’s practice of amassing power, particularly in the last decade, at the expense of the Legislature, the second arm of government, is in itself undemocratic, and impedes the separation of power between these two arms of government. Sin

By BELDEN NAMAH, MP The Prime Minister and those surrounding him need to mature and appreciate the importance of public debate and criticism of government decisions and performance to ensure democracy and good governance. The Opposition often takes the lead in public discussions in respect of activities and policies of government. The Opposition gives credit to government where due with criticism and offers alternatives where it sees fit. We take exception to the Public Statement by the Prime Minister in defense of his proposed constitutional amendments branding Opposition MPs including learned Papua New Guineans who are critical of his Government as social misfits and psychopaths. The Opposition and the public have every right to express their views on decisions and activities of government. The Prime Minister tries his best to justify the vandalism and demise of a very significant law of our Constitution by telling us that there is something or things that are doubtful or not clear i

By BELDEN NAMAH, MP The Prime Minister and those surrounding him need to mature and appreciate the importance of public debate and criticism of government decisions and performance to ensure democracy and good governance. The Opposition often takes the lead in public discussions in respect of activities and policies of government. The Opposition gives credit to government where due with criticism and offers alternatives where it sees fit. We take exception to the Public Statement by the Prime Minister in defense of his proposed constitutional amendments branding Opposition MPs including learned Papua New Guineans who are critical of his Government as social misfits and psychopaths. The Opposition and the public have every right to express their views on decisions and activities of government. The Prime Minister tries his best to justify the vandalism and demise of a very significant law of our Constitution by telling us that there is something or things that are doubtful or

As Papua New Guinea threatens to again impose the death penalty, Mark Baker investigates the nation's fightback against crime Brian Leahy's father was one of the first white men to set foot in the New Guinea highlands, among the last regions on Earth to be explored by Europeans. In 1934, Dan Leahy, with his brothers Mick and Jim from Queensland, went looking for gold over the forbidding mountain ranges that were thought to guard an impenetrable wilderness. Instead they found a vast network of temperate, fertile valleys that were home to a million people. The Leahys established one of the first coffee plantations on the outskirts of Mount Hagen. Now Brian Leahy runs the last of the coffee co-operatives that, after Papua New Guinea gained independence in 1975, succeeded the great colonial family plantations that had spread across the Western Highlands. ''We are the last one still in production. All the others fell apart because of tribal conflicts,'' says Leahy, w

As Papua New Guinea threatens to again impose the death penalty, Mark Baker investigates the nation's fightback against crime Brian Leahy's father was one of the first white men to set foot in the New Guinea highlands, among the last regions on Earth to be explored by Europeans. In 1934, Dan Leahy, with his brothers Mick and Jim from Queensland, went looking for gold over the forbidding mountain ranges that were thought to guard an impenetrable wilderness. Instead they found a vast network of temperate, fertile valleys that were home to a million people. The Leahys established one of the first coffee plantations on the outskirts of Mount Hagen. Now Brian Leahy runs the last of the coffee co-operatives that, after Papua New Guinea gained independence in 1975, succeeded the great colonial family plantations that had spread across the Western Highlands. ''We are the last one still in production. All the others fell apart because of tribal conflicts,'' says

By TOBIAS KULUNG MP We the Opposition, call on all fellow parliamentarians, to stand up and defend the National Constitution from being manipulated and flogged for short term political gains of the Prime Minister and his Government and not allow themselves to be misguided by self-interest. The further amendments proposed to section 145 of the Constitution in addition to the 30 months amendment, with respect to votes of no confidence and amendment to section 124 which deals with, the callings of Parliament, is nothing more than a selfish and heartless scheme designed to secure them-selves a full five year term in office, by removing or weakening key safeguards of our democracy. This is not only dictatorial but a dangerous abuse and violation of our National Constitution. All Members have taken an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution and we call on intellectual MPs and Former Prime Ministers to lead the way in defending the spirit and intentions of the Constitution. The Constituti