Basil urges Sepik MPs to issue joint statement

MEMBER for Bulolo Sam Basil has called members from East Sepik including the prime minister to sit down with him and issue a joint statement over the recent clashes in Bulolo between the locals and Sepik settlers and a reported clash at the University of Papua New Guinea, The National reports.

Basil said it was in the best interest of the people that whatever was said and debated on the floor of parliament stayed in parliament.

“It will be good if we, as leaders from Bulolo and Sepiks sit down together and issue a joint statement, urging all our people and young ones to remain neutral and not take matters into their hands.

“I also call upon university students not to take these matters further because it will only spill onto the streets,” Basil said.

“Such actions by our young elites are uncalled for, and they should not be tolerated.”

He said he was also willing to go to the university campus and address students if invited.

“If the students want me to go and address a forum, I will do so gladly with my councillors from Bulolo, so that we can explain things properly.

“As the 2012 elections are fast approaching, I would like to once again appeal to serial general election candidates and recycled leaders not to politicise the issue at the expense of the Bulolo ethnic clash.

“There are opportunists who use pen names in letters to the editor, or on the ground, taking sides with either party of the conflicting groups, playing the blame game or publishing more unfounded accusations,” Basil said.

“I see how such things can help those affected and the vulnerable ones on ground zero.

“When the election writs are delivered by the governor-general in April to July 2012, then we all can play the political game.

“Today’s situation demands common sense to help in any way possible,” he added.

Basil said Morobe Governor Luther Wenge and himself might have not done enough, “but when we all come to properly analyse the situation, we will find that there are so many contributing factors that led to the situation”.

“Law and order, lack of funding, slowness of the provincial law and order committee meeting, disappearance of the uncertified report by the Wau urban LLG manager, police not enforcing the full force of the law on both sides of the conflicting parties, lifting the liquor ban by the magistrate at the request of the traders and, worst of all, politicking of this unfortunate issue.”