EDITED BY KEITH JACKSON

“We are not happy to be in the region. We are still trying to find our security from Asia rather than in Asia” — former Australian prime minister Paul Keating, National Press Club, Canberra, 27 November 2021. Artwork by Thanh Trúc, founder of the political news site, pristine.press, and writer on her personal political website at lethanhtruc.com (Pearls & Irritations)

We’ll pay countries to take in 80,000 unwanted
From The Monthly and Yahoo News

Laws giving the Australian government sweeping powers to deport non-citizens - and to pay countries to accept them - was one of more than 30 bills passed in a frantic last day of federal parliament yesterday. The Labor government and Coalition opposition joined forces to ensure passage of the bill.

MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad

Sir Peter Ipatas (PNG Business News)

PORT MORESBY - A seventh attempt to mount a challenge against prime minister James Marape got underway yesterday in Papua New Guinea’s parliament.

Acting Speaker Koni Iguan informed parliament that he had received a motion for another vote of no confidence against Marape when parliament met for its November 2024 sitting.

Daulo Pass c mid-1964. Jackson proudly models the official uniform of the time

NOTES TO PICTURE I
| November 2024

From Patrick (Big Pat) Levo, biknem raita, PNG Post-Courier

Dearest King Kit Esquire,

Venerable mountaineer, lost in paradise, pig squealer and pork chopper.

We are looking for this fair young man, who once ranched at our rubber farm,

(Our last bag of elastic for the condom factory is missing.)

NEWS DESK
| Bougainville News

President Toroama (left) leads officials and landowners after signing the Panguna land access agreement (Bougainville News)

BUKA – More than 300 traditional landowners from Panguna have signed a Land Access and Compensation Agreement (LACA) with Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), marking a significant milestone in the exploration phase of the resurrected copper and gold mine .

The signing followed the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s (ABG) decision in January to grant BCL with an exploration licence.

EMMA BUBOLA
| New York Times | Extracts

Link here to read the complete article

The PNG government has tried for many years - so far unsuccessfully - to rid the country of sorcery-related violence, which mainly targets women (Ann Braun)

PORT MORESBY & VANIMO - In Papua New Guinea, when a sudden death, illness or other tragic event hits a community, alleged culprits are sometimes identified by a person nicknamed the glass man.

He does so by burning a bamboo stick and interpreting the direction of the smoke. Multiple people can be accused and rounded up simultaneously.

KEITH JACKSON

Dr John Waiko (Pang Media via YouTube)

The distinguished academic, writer and politician, John Dademo Waiko, died yesterday at the age of 79.

Waiko was born in the village of Tabara in Oro Province on the lands of the Binandare people.

He once said his parents had been reluctant to send him to school because they feared he would not be able to look after them in their old age.

NEWS DESK
| Academia Nomad

PORT MORESBY - The remains of the late Corporal Sefanaia Sukanaivalu, who received the Victoria Cross after fighting against the Japanese in Bougainville in 1944, will be repatriated from East New Britain to Fiji next year.

The Victoria Cross is the highest British and Commonwealth military honour.

ALLAN BIRD MP
| Academia Nomad

Papua New Guinea's annual real (orange) GDP and nominal (blue) GDP, 2017-2023

WEWAK - This graph, recently released by National Statistics Office, shows clearly that Papua New Guinea’s real gross domestic product (the orange line) has remained fairly stagnant over the past five years.

Real GDP is the money value, adjusted for inflation, of all goods and services produced within PNG, typically over a year.

EDDIE TANAGO PAINE
| Act Now

PORT MORESBY - A concerning analysis by community advocacy group Act Now has revealed that almost all District Development Authorities (DDAs) in Papua New Guinea are failing to make crucial information available thereby hindering governance, accountability and service delivery.

Despite each District receiving K20 million annually for service and infrastructure improvements, as of July 2024 the analysis reveals that, of 96 DDA’s across the country:

PAUL KEATING *

SYDNEY - A Resolve Political Monitor poll published in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald makes clear that the Australian community at large possesses a contrary view to the foreign policy priorities of the Albanese government and its predecessor under Scott Morrison.

On the significant question of whether Australia should avoid taking sides in any conflict between the US and China, fifty-seven (57%) of those polled agreed that Australia should avoid taking sides in any such conflict with but sixteen per cent (16%) in favour.

BAKA BINA

Baka Bina with fellow authors Daniel Kumbon and Jimmy Drekore

PORT MORESBY – “I want to write but I don’t have the time to write,” is a sentiment I hear over and over again.

There are several ways of stating these words over and over – a procrastinating trait we all have.

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

Baka Bina (Artwork by Laben Sakale John)

Resis long KSSP (Komonwelt Sot Stori Prais) by Baka Bina, Independently Published, November 2024, ASIN ‏B0DMFK4K83, 388 pages. Paperback available from Amazon Australia for AU$41.88 (plus postage)

This is a collection of short stories written in English and translated into Papua New Guinea’s creole language, Tok Pisin. The stories were either entered into the Commonwealth Short Story Prize competition ('Resis long KSSP') or written for the competition between the years 2020 and 2027. There are two iterations of each story, one in English and one in Tok Pisin.

CAMERON HILL

Representatives gather after the Land Access & Compensation Agreement is signed

BRISBANE - Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) has credited a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration for the signing of a Land Access and Compensation Agreement with Panguna’s customary landowners.

The agreement was signed by traditional landowners during a ceremony at Panguna Catholic Church on Wednesday.

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

The cover of Windward Leeward features artwork by the late Dick Roughsey of Mornington Island

Windward Leeward: The people of Gununa (Mornington Island) by Douglas Belcher, Independently Published, 2024, ISBN 979-8329693263, 338 pages. Paperback available from Amazon Australia for AU$18.11 plus postage

TUMBY BAY, SA - When I decided to retire Pukpuk Publications I was aware that it wouldn’t be easy. There would still be writers out there looking for a publisher and it would be hard to turn them down.

I had to be pragmatic however and think about myself and my wife Sue’s health as we drifted into old age and the problems that brings. Suffice to say, a couple of books slipped past the net.

PAUL OATES

PNG defence force personnel can be sworn in as Special Constable to “exercise all the powers and authorities” of civilian police officers during emergencies. Here Police Commissioner David Manning and Acting Defence Force Commander Commodore Philip Polewara face questions at a media conference in Port Moresby early this year

CLEVELAND - A nation’s defence force can, and logically should, provide assistance to the nation’s civil power – its government.

When natural disasters and other emergencies occur, it is important to have a trained, disciplined and readily available force to provide a quick response.

JOHN BRAITHWAITE *
| Pearls & Irritations

As anger boils among younger generations for allowing themselves to be conned by Australia on independence, a diplomacy of promise-keeping is needed to prevent the fragmentation of Bougainville, followed by the fragmentation of Papua New Guinea, writes John Braithwaite.

Buka Passage (Lowy Institute)

CANBERRA - In 2019, Bougainville finally had an independence referendum which was provided for in the peace agreement that ended the 1988-98 civil war.

That war started with environmental and other grievances over a Conzinc Rio Tinto Australia mine.

PAUL OATES

CLEVELAND, QLD - One of the most insidious threats that we kiaps in Papua New Guinea had to deal with was the continuous and seemingly spontaneous eruption of, firstly, cargo cults, and then, increasingly, of money cults.

The lack of comprehension about where wealth originated, and why some people had it and many others didn’t, led - and still leads - to the ruin of many lives.

HUBERT NAMANI
| President, PNG Law Society

PORT MORESBY - The escalating lawlessness and violence in Enga Province, as well as other hotspots across the country, has reached an unprecedented and dangerous level.

It is now critical that the government exercises its constitutional authority under Section 204 of the Constitution to issue a call-out of the PNG Defence Force in aid of the civil power.

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

Patrol Officers Bob Fayle and Algie Besasparis at Kokopo, East New Britain, 1957 (Bob Fayle)

TUMBY BAY - In 1970 the Department of the Administrator in Papua New Guinea published a booklet outlining its role and the role of its frontline field staff, widely known as kiaps.

While carrying out some research for a book recently, I dug out my battered copy of a booklet, titled Division of District Administration: Its role in the development of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.