This was my first posting on May 18, 2006, after an unforgettable Mother's Day experience with my late wife, Hula. A lot has happened since over the last three years...
Mother’s Day last Sunday may have been a memorable moment for many mothers all over Papua New Guinea and the world, a day on which their children and husbands showered them with gifts and expressions of love.
But for many others, life went on as usual; a day of toil and tears on what should have been an otherwise happy day.
Such was the case with two wonderful mothers I met in Ward 9 of the Port Moresby General Hospital last Sunday.
The story begins last Friday night when my wife had a tragic miscarriage and had to be admitted to Ward 9 of the POMGH.
What made this particularly heartbreaking for both of us was that it happened two days before Mother’s Day, and the discovery that the three-month old was a son.
Needless to say, tears fell freely for both of us as we thought about what could have been.
My wife spent the whole of Saturday in hospital and late in the afternoon underwent minor surgery as I paced anxiously up and down the corridors of the Labour Ward.
I needn’t have worried as she was well taken care of by very-experienced doctors and nurses and came out without a scratch.
I spent Saturday night with my wife in Ward 9, amidst the weeping and wailing of women, and during the course of the evening struck up an acquaintance with two women sharing the same room.
Helen Paul, from Garaina in the Morobe Province, would undergo major surgery a few days later.Helen, who lives at Morata with her husband and children, however, had a great personality and sense of humour that kept us awake for most of the night.
Next to Helen was Regina Komae, from Kunimaipa in the Goilala area of Central Province, who was looking after her very sick 25-year-old daughter Lucy.
Lucy, I gathered from her mother, had started becoming sick almost two years ago after giving birth to a daughter in Tapini.
Regina told me that that Lucy had been in and out of hospital since then – including undergoing major surgery - and it had utterly exhausted them: physically, mentally and financially.
Life has not been kind to them in a city like Port Moresby, and they had become settlement dwellers, but Regina’s Christian faith keeps her hanging on.
In all honesty, Lucy, with her skeletal frame, did not look like she had much time in her and this was confirmed by her mother.
“I have five children, of whom Lucy is the eldest,” Regina told me.“I could desert her and leave her alone here, but I love her so much.
“I am her mother and she is my daughter.”
Early last Sunday morning, as my wife and I were packing up to leave, a young student doctor at the nearby Medical Faculty came around with flowers and a wish for all the mothers on their special day.
I had my digital camera with me and was happily taking pictures of my wife – for old time’s sake – when Regina, with tears in her eyes, approached me.
“My brother,” she told me, “could you take a picture of Lucy and me on Mother’s Day?
“We have never had a picture together.”
Tears continued to flow freely down Regina’s eyes as I took a picture of her and her very sick daughter.
It was the epitome of a mother’s never-ending love for her child, come what may.
She later confessed: “This will probably be our last picture together.”My wife and I then left, with a “Happy Mother’s Day” wish to Regina and Lucy, not forgetting Helen, and a promise to bring them the pictures once I had printed them.
Outside, Mother’s Day commercialism was in the air, with jingles on radio and big banners outside the supermarkets.
At home, lots of hugs and kisses from our three children, although we felt that there wasn’t much to celebrate after our experience in Ward 9 of the POMGH.
How many Reginas and Lucys, and Helens, are there out there?
Footnote: Lucy Komae died a few days later - another stark statistic - of the Port Moresby General Hospital
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Happy Mother's Day
A Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful and beautiful Mums all over the world, especially Papua New Guinea, as you celebrate your special day tomorrow.
God Bless You All Real Good!
For my four young children and I, it will be another Mother's Day without their Mum, my Dear wife Hula, who left us so tragically on Easter Sunday 2008.
The first year without her has been tough for all of us, especially baby Keith, but we are getting on with life.
We miss and love you so much, Hula.
On Mother's Day, we will have a cake and light a candle for you, Darling.
We know that you are always with us.
Happy Mother's Day!
God Bless You All Real Good!
For my four young children and I, it will be another Mother's Day without their Mum, my Dear wife Hula, who left us so tragically on Easter Sunday 2008.
The first year without her has been tough for all of us, especially baby Keith, but we are getting on with life.
We miss and love you so much, Hula.
On Mother's Day, we will have a cake and light a candle for you, Darling.
We know that you are always with us.
Happy Mother's Day!
Friday, May 08, 2009
CNN may not have shown this photo
TV reporters are too busy focusing on the Queen receiving the VIP guests at Buckingham Palace .
This was a "touching" Kodak moment outside 10 Downing Street that won't be forgotten by this London copper.
A powerful photo
Remember the coppers on duty are not supposed to shake hands, but the two brothers couldn't resist the historic moment. The black copper never imagined in his wildest dream that he would usher a black American President into the British corridors of power. Nice!
Concerns on closure of Kokoda Track by villagers
THE Kokoda Track Authority and the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority have expressed concern about the latest threats by villagers to close the Kokoda Track.
They said the actions of certain Kovelo villagers in placing barriers across the Kokoda Track in their village and charging K200 permit fees for trekkers to pass was uncalled for and villagers should cease their unnecessary actions immediately.
“This is very disappointing as the KTA has convened a special Board for this coming Tuesday to specifically address the villagers concerns. The Chairman of the KTA,
Mr Hillman said the KTA is now a new organisation that has learnt from previous mistakes. A new management committee has been established and new systems instigated to ensure the industry moves forward and the funds are fully accountable and distributed equitably. Trek fees are now collected efficiently by the KTA and are ready to be distributed to land owners and the community. Establishing a system to distribute the funds is proving a challenge and this is the main area of concern to all involved.
“The future of the Kokoda Track relies on everyone working together and providing an experience that trekkers will want to come to
The Kokoda Track is PNG’s major tourism attraction and last year close to 6,000 trekkers walked the Kokoda Track bringing huge job opportunities including porters, guides, hotels, transport and food. Each trekker pays K200 to the KTA as a permit to walk the track and these funds are used to maintain the track and associated facilities provide payments to land owners and communities and to operate the KTA.
“I am sure common sense will prevail and the barricades will be removed so the people of Kovelo, the other villagers along the track and all the people who benefit from the trekkers can continue to reap the rewards of their work,” said Rod Hillman
Call for Lutheran communion solidarity with communities affected by climate change
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
LWI News online:
http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html
PURI, Orissa State, India/GENEVA, 7 May 2009 (LWI) - A group of theologians, ethicists, anthropologists and staff working on
adaptation and mitigation measures related to climate change, are calling for the Lutheran communion's global solidarity with vulnerable communities that are acting to address the impact of climate change.
"To be in communion with creation, means to be in solidarity with those victimised by climate change, who inspire and motivate
our commitment and actions to redress climate change," stated the 23 persons following a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) "Climate Change Encounter in India," 16 - 20 April, in Puri, in the northeastern state of Orissa.
The international event in disaster-prone Orissa was aimed at witnessing first hand the dramatic effects of climate change, and
reflecting on the interconnections with other parts of the world. It was organised by the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) in collaboration with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) and the Department for World Service (DWS) associate program, Lutheran World Service India (LWSI).
In addition to those from the UELCI and LWSI, participants came from LWF member churches in Australia, Denmark, Germany, India,Indonesia, Sweden and the USA, from DWS programs in Bangladesh and Tanzania, as well as other Christian denominations and faiths. The five-day event comprised visits to coastal fisher folk and farmer communities around the Bay of Bengal, analyses of climate change, Bible story and worship.
In the six rural communities visited, the participants heard testimonies from and interacted with a large number of persons, whose entire lives, meaning and future are deeply affected by climate change. The LWSI rural development project is working with such communities to educate, empower people and support local initiatives such as self-help groups, disaster management and village development committees to counter the impact of climate change.
The initiatives to adapt and take preventive measures include effort to continually plant more trees; educating children;
promoting traditional food, well-being and health; and relying more on communal family systems, which can survive better amid
climate change. Community members are also conscious of the need to build houses on safer ground or raise them off the ground; and to construct elevated tube wells that guard against salinization during flooding. Through cooperation with government authorities and various disaster alert mechanisms and groups, villagers receive and plant new seeds after floods.
The LWF communiqué titled, "Witnessing to Hope Amid Rising Waters," sums up what the event's participants witnessed, and
also invites solidarity with the hopeful actions that the villagers are taking for their future.
As part of sharing the insights from the Puri communities with the wider Lutheran communion, the participants recommend that the process be broadened before and during Pre-Assemblies leading up to the July 2010 LWF Eleventh Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany.
"Give Us Today Our Daily Bread" is the theme of the assembly, to be hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg.
They expressed their support for the various climate change-related advocacy positions of the LWF Council and member
churches and encouraged others to do likewise. They urged a strategic presence and LWF message at the December 2009 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark. To coincide with that crucial meeting, they proposed that a time be designated and promoted globally for ringing church (and other) bells in order to emphasize the urgency of redressing climate change.
LWI News online:
http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html
PURI, Orissa State, India/GENEVA, 7 May 2009 (LWI) - A group of theologians, ethicists, anthropologists and staff working on
adaptation and mitigation measures related to climate change, are calling for the Lutheran communion's global solidarity with vulnerable communities that are acting to address the impact of climate change.
"To be in communion with creation, means to be in solidarity with those victimised by climate change, who inspire and motivate
our commitment and actions to redress climate change," stated the 23 persons following a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) "Climate Change Encounter in India," 16 - 20 April, in Puri, in the northeastern state of Orissa.
The international event in disaster-prone Orissa was aimed at witnessing first hand the dramatic effects of climate change, and
reflecting on the interconnections with other parts of the world. It was organised by the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) in collaboration with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) and the Department for World Service (DWS) associate program, Lutheran World Service India (LWSI).
In addition to those from the UELCI and LWSI, participants came from LWF member churches in Australia, Denmark, Germany, India,Indonesia, Sweden and the USA, from DWS programs in Bangladesh and Tanzania, as well as other Christian denominations and faiths. The five-day event comprised visits to coastal fisher folk and farmer communities around the Bay of Bengal, analyses of climate change, Bible story and worship.
In the six rural communities visited, the participants heard testimonies from and interacted with a large number of persons, whose entire lives, meaning and future are deeply affected by climate change. The LWSI rural development project is working with such communities to educate, empower people and support local initiatives such as self-help groups, disaster management and village development committees to counter the impact of climate change.
The initiatives to adapt and take preventive measures include effort to continually plant more trees; educating children;
promoting traditional food, well-being and health; and relying more on communal family systems, which can survive better amid
climate change. Community members are also conscious of the need to build houses on safer ground or raise them off the ground; and to construct elevated tube wells that guard against salinization during flooding. Through cooperation with government authorities and various disaster alert mechanisms and groups, villagers receive and plant new seeds after floods.
The LWF communiqué titled, "Witnessing to Hope Amid Rising Waters," sums up what the event's participants witnessed, and
also invites solidarity with the hopeful actions that the villagers are taking for their future.
As part of sharing the insights from the Puri communities with the wider Lutheran communion, the participants recommend that the process be broadened before and during Pre-Assemblies leading up to the July 2010 LWF Eleventh Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany.
"Give Us Today Our Daily Bread" is the theme of the assembly, to be hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg.
They expressed their support for the various climate change-related advocacy positions of the LWF Council and member
churches and encouraged others to do likewise. They urged a strategic presence and LWF message at the December 2009 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark. To coincide with that crucial meeting, they proposed that a time be designated and promoted globally for ringing church (and other) bells in order to emphasize the urgency of redressing climate change.
The full text of the communiqué from the LWF event in Puri is available at: www.lutheranworld.org
More information and further reflections about the LWF Eleventh Assembly theme are available at:
www.lutheranworld.org/Assembly2010_theme.html
* * *
(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the world, with a total membership of 68.5 million. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)
[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not
represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
P. O. Box 2100 CH-1211
Geneva 2 Switzerland
Tel.: +41/22-791 63 69
Fax: +41/22-791 66 30
A naked grab for power
THE AUSTRALIAN Letters Blog May 08, 2009 3 Comments
I REFER to Graham Davis's response (Letters, 4/5) to Jon Fraenkel's letter (2-3/5). I carry no brief for the racial supremacists of my country, but Fiji's imperfect democracy is an evolving one. And neither Frank Bainimarama, nor Sitiveni Rabuka before him, had the right to destroy it, whatever the pretext.
The wonder and paradox of democracy is that the outcome cannot be guaranteed in advance. A fairer and more equitable electoral system will not necessarily deliver a result that Bainimarama, Davis or some of us would prefer. Indeed Fiji's coup leader is on record as saying that ousted prime minister Laisenia Qarase would return over his dead body.
What this sentiment suggests is that Fiji's unelected ruler, who has no mandate from the people, would lend his support to a democratic model of governance so long as he was satisfied with and could guarantee the outcome. That is a dangerous proposition and reveals far more about the shallowness of Bainimarama's understanding of the nature of democratic politics.
The charge of "racism" that is flung with abandon at Qarase's government is cited to justify the December 5, 2006 coup. Suffice it to say, that in the context of Fiji the discourse about race and ethnicity is more complicated than is portrayed. It is not confined to one community. As a person of mixed-racial parentage, I can cite examples of being at the receiving end of racial slurs and discrimination. But I would not for one moment suggest that a coup d'etat would be the way to address racism and bad governance. The end does not justify the means.
Electoral reform, while important, is essentially a red herring. The real problem in Fiji is that feudal cliques refusing to relinquish privilege, an army that refuses to recognise its limitations in a democracy, and failed politicians of all persuasions and opportunistic businessmen who support them, see nothing wrong in undermining electoral verdicts.
The choice is not between good and evil as such, but rather between the legitimation of arbitrariness and whim in public life and the hesitant but gradual process of democratisation with all its checks and balances.
If the racial supremacists in Fiji are now converts, let it be the Damascus experience of Saint Paul and not the ambivalence of Hamlet. Fiji's latest coup should be seen for what it is—a naked grab for power.
Graham Leung
Suva, Fiji
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