By Honorable BELDEN
NAMAH, MP
Leader of PNG Party
& Member for Vanimo/Green
Papua New
Guinea’s national security and sovereignty
is at stake as a direct result of the current government’s continued neglect in
addressing properly the nation’s security concerns.
In recent times, the nation has experienced widespread
criminal activities with increased armed hold-ups, kidnappings, robberies,
rapes, cold blooded murders and other serious crimes.
In addition, there have been numerous instances of open
defiance of the rule of law by ordinary citizens and increasingly it is
becoming the order of the day.
Members of Parliament have been publicly confronted and
physically assaulted by their own voters causing injuries.
Worse still, police personnel, the very people who are to
enforce law and order are on the receiving end of firearms.
On 6th October 2010, a man was murdered in Vanimo and a
senior government officer sustained serious head injuries on 8th October 2010,
which left his skull partially open.
Also this month, in Port Moresby
a long-serving senior policeman, father of seven was brutally killed in broad
day light by merciless, gun-trotting, trigger-happy thugs in the heart Port Moresby city at
Waigani.
This particular law enforcing officer was providing escort
for a private company.
Why do some policemen choose to provide private escort to
companies?
Why are police personnel resorting to doing extra jobs
outside of their duty statement?
One of the main reasons is that the salary they earn
fortnightly simply cannot sustain their families. Therefore, some officers at
their own accord provide escort for private companies and other similar tasks.
Coupled with the PNG’s prevailing law and order situation
has been the dramatic increase in human trafficking, illicit drugs trade, arms
smuggling and illegal trans-border crossings with countries which PNG shares
its borders.
Even the formerly quiet and peaceful towns such as Alotau in
Milne Bay province and Vanimo in Sandaun are
no longer safe.
The Government and state law enforcing agencies are fully
aware of trans-border and trans-national crimes along the PNG-Indonesia border,
PNG-Australia border along the Torres Strait
region and PNG- Solomon Islands borders.
The crimes along border regions are highly organised
involving modern and sophisticated techniques and communication making it
difficult for easy detection.
Numerous calls from all sectors of the wider PNG community
for appropriate and swift government action have simply fallen on deaf ears.
The current Somare Government simply does not care about the
safety, security and well being of the nation’s over six million citizens and
of course our investment partners and tourists.
The Somare Government has no concern for its life assets -
the lives of our citizens and others.
It is a clear
demonstration of this government’s don’t care attitude towards addressing the
security concerns of the nation and the nation’s development needs and issues
of national interests.
This is an indicative fact that the current Somare
government has failed to properly fund, strengthen and equip PNG’s three
discipline forces.
The low morale among rank and file of the Royal PNG
Constabulary, PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) and Correctional Institution Services
(CIS) are evidence of this.
Very poor living conditions, condemned houses and
dilapidated buildings and work places have compounded the problems over decades
of neglect.
Whilst our service men and women continue to perform their
duties under extreme conditions, the Somare government continues to cloud the
issues with big promises of life transformation multi-billion kina projects
such as PNG LNG and the Ramu Nickel projects.
While the government continues to ignore the plight of its
citizens to provide safe and secure communities, thugs have reigned taking full
advantage of the lack of leadership in the Somare government in addressing
important security issues.
In effect, thugs are ruling the country in many fronts of
the wider PNG community.
There is no Government guarantee of the safety of its citizens
and foreigners including temporary residents and tourists.
The Prime Minister and members of his Kitchen Cabinet are
not worried. They are not affected because they have 24-hour body guards and
security when they travel around PNG.
If not in PNG, they are safe in Australia living in properties
acquired during their term in Parliament. Their families (wives and children)
are living overseas in safe environment enjoying better living conditions.
But for the rest of us, we have to fend for ourselves
including our daughters and mothers left vulnerable to physical and sexual
assaults.
Their bags and other belongings are snatched at bus-stops,
market places and other public places every day and it is becoming an accepted
way of life.
Is this the kind of society we want?
Where have we gone wrong?
Where is executive government authority?
What is the Government doing to protect its citizens,
business houses and foreigners in this country?
Way forward for PNG
It has become increasingly evident that the Somare Government
has lost the plot.
It no longer cares
what happens to the ordinary citizens of this great nation, nor does it care
for its own leaders.
The Government has proven itself to be more interested in
multinational corporations in the pretext of national economic development.
THE WAY FORWARD FOR
PNG IS A SECURE, SAFE AND STABLE NATON WITH PEACE AND GOOD ORDER BEING OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE. PEACE AND GOOD ORDER IS
PRE-REQUISITE TO ALL FORMS OF DEVELOPMENT.
As the nation has witnessed, there have been number of
defections by Members of Parliament who supported the current Somare
Government.
We, the leaders who withdrew our support of the Somare
Government, did so because we could not tolerate the way a lot of important
national issues affecting our country are being addressed and managed.
There will be more defections in the coming weeks before
next month’s Parliament session, which begins on the 16th of November, 2010.
WE MUST REMOVE THE
CURRENT SOMARE GOVERNMENT DURING THE NOVEMBER SESSION. WHEN WE DO, WE WILL
PLACE LAW AND ORDER AS THE TOP PRIORITY.
Funding to important components of police law enforcement
sections will be boosted to restore some authority and rule of law will be an
immediate action by the new Government.
This will be followed by major funding programmes for
Police, PNGDF and CIS.
In the Police Force, we will weed out corrupt and unfit
personnel and replaced them with honest, hard working and physically fit young
men and women employed from all around PNG.
Recruitment teams will go out to rural towns and communities
to identify honest, hardworking and fit young men and women.
Recruitment will not be centred on Port Moresby, Lae and other major centres.
Whilst strengthening institutional capacity building, focus
will also be on major increase in staff ceiling to make the discipline forces
play a more active and meaningful role in a modern 21st Century PNG.
We will put more money to improve the conditions of CIS,
including conditions of prisoners and CIS officers.
We will allocate sufficient funding for prisoner
rehabilitation programmes so when inmates have served their terms, they will
come out equipped with some skills to return to their communities as law
abiding citizens.
There will be increased funding allocation to the PNGDF to
improve existing facilities as well as its surveillance, civic work and other
capabilities.
By addressing the current problems faced by the three
disciplinary forces, we can then comfortably talk about development needs of
our country.
These three important institutions must be the flag carriers
of our nation.
The pride of our nation and the envy of every youth are to
wear the uniform and serve our nation.
That is to provide a better and safer PNG for our people,
business community and foreigners and as well as those who are here on short
visits or long-term residency and tourists.
Whilst providing and securing safer communities, we will
work with the churches and other recognised community based organisations to
develop our communities and the nation as a whole.
This is “UNITY in
DIVERSITY with PEACE and GOOD ORDER”
The security and law and order issues of Papua New Guinea are of national
concern.
They are very serious issues which must be attended to
without delay to save this and the future generations of PNG.
By reducing the current level of crime, it will create a
climate conducive for increased foreign and local investments.
A more-peaceful and crime-free nation means more tourists
coming into PNG bringing in additional revenue through foreign exchange.
As responsible elected lawmakers, all Members of Parliament
are not only duty bound, but have moral obligation to move swiftly and take
appropriate action to contain PNG’s law and order problem now before it is too
late.
