PNG's parliament. "Elections are not simply about voting people to parliament to deliver goods and services," writes Patrick Kaiku. "Elected representatives are law-makers"

PATRICK KAIKU

WAIGANI - The events that transpired on the floor of Papua New Guinea’s parliament on Friday 13 November again exposed the deep-seated defects in our politics.

These defects have little to do with the constitution and the system of government.

The instability in PNG’s parliament is behavioural, not institutional.

James Marape. The global coronavirus pandemic has deepened PNG's economic woes (Ekarvilla Keapu)

NATALIE WHITING & MICHAEL WALSH
| Australian Broadcasting Corporation
| PNG Correspondents

PORT MORESBY - A week ago, it looked like Papua New Guinea's prime minister was about to lose his job after a mass revolt — but in a surprise twist, he managed to take control of parliament and suspend it for five months.

A week is a long time in politics, especially in Papua New Guinea. But things are not over yet.

BERNARD CORDEN
| Edited

BRISBANE - During the first quarter of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic reached Australian shores and its devastating consequences spread across the continent like a catastrophic bushfire.

After many decades of rampant unfettered free market fundamentalism, it soon became evident that preventive legislation, superficial social protection mechanisms and deteriorating public health and privatised aged care facilities were disproportionately inadequate and often ineffective.

James Marape - "I am doing my best in one of the toughest times of our nation’s history"

JAMES MARAPE MP
| Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea | Edited

PORT MORESBY - Our country is built on democratic foundations that no politician must break. Our parliament, our executive and our judiciary are three separate arms of governance that operate within its legal mandate, processes and procedures.

What happened on Friday 13 November 2020, in haste and lust for power, broke section 2(1)(a) of the organic law on calling of meetings of parliament.

Gary Juffa - "I am seeing a more intelligent and brilliant young generation rising up"

GARY JUFFA
| Governor of Oro Province

PORT MORESBY - I have to marvel at what seems to be an amazing phenomenon taking shape largely due to the internet and the rapidly evolving technology that makes global education possible almost instantaneously.

People are learning, becoming wiser and more careful about their choices.

Not fast enough, but for sure. It gives me much hope for our country.

BERNARD CORDEN
| Edited

‘In recognising the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute’ - Thurgood Marshall

BRISBANE - Much like most superficial western democracies, the Australian economy is underpinned by a ruthless feudal system of indentured servitude, peonage or serfdom.

More recently, it is fashionably and somewhat deviously referred to as a gig economy, which disguises many sinister neoliberal features that secure and protect the interests of the powerful over the powerless.

BRYAN KRAMER MP
| The Kramer Report | Edited

PORT MORESBY - During the sitting of parliament on Tuesday 17 November, the Marape government tabled and passed the K19.6 billion 2021 budget.

Unlike the usual convention where the treasurer presents the budget and parliament is adjourned for a week to allow the opposition to reply, the 2021 budget was tabled and passed on the same day.

Gary Juffa - "I remained with Marape. There were not enough compelling reasons to change the government"

GARY JUFFA
| Governor of Oro Province

PORT MORESBY - We the elected officials of Papua New Guinea owe it to our people to explain our decisions in parliament where we are mandated to speak for the people and on behalf of their interests.

This is our fundamental responsibility, along with making laws.

Sam Basil - the deputy prime minister, known for setting loyalty aside to seize the main chance, flipped once too often last Friday, and flopped (Photo - Johnny Blades)

JOHNNY BLADES
| Radio New Zealand

AUCKLAND - Papua New Guinea's prime minister has urged the public to not get caught up in the country's political crisis which has ended up in the courts.

Marape's government appears to have staved off a vote of no confidence by quickly passing the budget on Tuesday and adjourning parliament to April.

Bassim Blazey - "Quite a bit going on in Australia -Papua New Guinea relations"

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

TUMBY BAY - Towards the end of October I sent an email to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) asking whether it was possible to get some background on its Papua New Guinea Branch.

The request was mere curiosity on my part but I thought it might be a useful topic for a PNG Attitude article and in particularly its PNG readers.

Eddie Tanago - "ICAC should be set up as a truly independent constitutional body but we are concerned about the loopholes"

EDDIE TANAGO
| Campaign Manager | Act Now!

PORT MORESBY - The passage of the law allowing for the creation of an Independent Commission Against Corruption is an important step forward for Papua New Guinea, but it is too early for any celebrations.

An independent commission is urgently needed to tackle the rampant corruption that is holding back our economy and stopping the delivery of vital health and other services to the people.

CHRIS OVERLAND

ADELAIDE - I think that most of you will agree that 2020 has been the most strange, disruptive and, in many respects, disturbing year of our lives.

This has certainly been the case for me, where two major medical events have occurred leaving me seriously frightened and, for some time, in considerable pain.

Of course, in the wider world, what has happened in my life is of no consequence.

SAMUEL LUCAS KAFUGILI

A puppet is no more than,
human hand in lifeless glove,
A finger cluster in one round hole,
Following one man’s orders.

The canon is filled with puppets,
Mindless but yet power-hungry,
Trapped in a snare of enticement,
Just a limp cloth around someone’s hand.

Empty opposition benches tell the story of a terrible political miscalculation

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA - Contrary to what Belden Namah’s opposition planned when it rushed to  remote Vanimo to plot the downfall of prime minister Marape last Friday, its failure to grasp the nuances of parliamentary procedure were disastrous.

The opposition and defectors sat stranded in Vanimo unaware that Papua New Guinea’s parliament had not been effectively adjourned.

So when parliament resumed yesterday under Marape's control, it passed the budget and adjourned to 20 April next year - five months away - with the opposition benches largely vacant.

Ishmael Toroama and United States ambassador to PNG, Erin Elizabeth McKee

ANTHONY KAYBING
| Office of the Bougainville President

BUKA - The Autonomous Bougainville Government says it is making headway part way in its first 100 days in office with progress in the economic and development sectors as well as in its relations with the Marape government.

President Ishmael Toroama’s overarching theme over this period has been ‘Innovation and Change’ with a strong focus on raising revenue and steadying the government’s course ready for post-referendum consultations with the national government.

James Marape - "I’m surrounded by a group of leaders who want to do the right thing for the country"

PACIFIC MEDIA CENTRE NEWSDESK
| FM100 | PNG Post-Courier | Edited

AUCKLAND - Prime Minister James Marape says his executive is still in control for the next three weeks for doing state business, passing the budget and to serve the people of Papua New Guinea.

In spite of the defection by rebel members of his majority last Friday and a vote to suspend parliament until next month, Speaker Job Pomat says the motion by opposition leader Belden Namah is “not right”, reports FM100 News.

Shipments of many books to PNG, including some of great importance, are being delayed because of thefts from the postal service

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

TUMBY BAY - Amazon in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom and Amazon’s other international outlets say they won't ship to Papua New Guinea because too many orders go missing.

PNG is among a number of countries that Amazon won't ship to because of this problem.

Publicly Amazon says this is related to Covid-19, but when you question the company about individual shipments it admits the real problem is the loss or theft of shipments.

MICHAEL DOM
| Ples Singsing Masterminds

“The Ples Singsing blog is created to encourage and facilitate this process to “re-thing and reclaim” our own stories, poetry and drama. Here we may interact with each other through our writing, in literature which expresses what it means to us to be Papua Niuginian” – Michael Dom in 'Re-thing and reclaim our own approaches to express our story'

LAE - As part of our aim for Ples Singsing to be a place for Papua Niuginian creativity we want to welcome all writers to participate in presenting their thoughts and opinions about aspects of our society, economy, politics and culture.

We encourage open expression provided that this is done in a constructive spirit and displays respect and due consideration.

James Marape - "A Huli doesn’t surrender in a fight, you have to kill me on the battlefield and I will die with dignity"

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA – Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape has arisen with fire in his belly this Monday morning.

A short time ago he issued a short and pugnacious Facebook message to members of parliament who are plotting to overthrow his government.

The plotters are reportedly led by former prime minister Peter O’Neill and his former deputy Belden Namah.

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

TUMBY BAY - Silence has always been recognised as complicity. Failing to speak out when something bad is happening is often interpreted as endorsement, especially by the people perpetuating the badness.

A cowed and silent population is the ultimate aim of despots who use the repression of its citizens’ right to a free voice as a political weapon.

Liam Fox meets Noah Musingku in 2010 (ABC News)

LIAM FOX
| Australian Broadcasting Corporation

SYDNEY - Noah Musingku turns to an ancient PC that looks like it stopped working years ago, taps away on the keyboard seriously for a few seconds, then looks up and says: "You're a millionaire, Gorethy!"

"Your account has $2 million in it. Just send me your bank account details and we'll send the money to you," Musingku says.

JAMES MARAPE

PORT MORESBY - As Sabbath descends, I am at peace.

All things happen for a reason in its season. To all the people of Papua New Guinea, don’t be uptight of what happened today when some of my colleagues decided to leave my government.

They are elected leaders, what they did today is within their rights so I ask our people to respect the work of our parliamentary democracy.

James Marape

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA – It became clear yesterday that prime minister James Marape was not going to easily relinquish his office, nor Papua New Guinea’s government, to the Belden-O’Neill syndicate which had been conspiring for some months to seize the reins and the treasury.

In a telling revelation on his Kramer Report blog, police minister Bryan Kramer stated:

“Behind the scenes, I have been tracking the likes of Sam Basil, William Duma, Charles Abel, Sir Puka Temu, Sir Julius Chan, Paias Wingti and Chris Haiveta, expecting them to make a play for a change of prime minister.

“I was very much aware that Basil was in secret talks with O’Neill and Namah, who were so desperate to change government they would mislead Basil into crossing the floor. Basil believes he will be the next prime minister, so does Sir Julius Chan and O’Neill.”

CORNEY KOROKAN ALONE

PORT MORESBY – Papua New Guinea’s prime minister, James Marape, consolidated his political capital with 52 MPs and urged calm to Papua New Guineans, the business community, international friends, supporters and political observers in a press conference on Friday.

He warned against corporate lobbyism by mineral resource developers peddling money bags as part of their questionable pursuits. You can link here to his full press conference.

I want to tell you what we, most Papua New Guineans, know and feel.

Kramer says James Marape has great public support that will only build over time because the people of Papua New Guinea are sick of corruption, self-interest and greed (Kramer Report)

BRYAN KRAMER
| Kramer Report

PORT MORESBY – On Friday, deputy prime minister Sam Basil and 12 other ministers in Papua New Guinea’s government crossed the floor to support former prime minister Peter O’Neill and opposition leader Belden Namah’s bid to move a vote of no confidence against prime minister James Marape.

A total of 41 members from the government side crossed to join Namah and O’Neill and provide them the 57 votes required (majority is 56) to take control of parliamentary business and change the Permanent Parliament Committee members to ensure their planned notice of a no confidence vote makes its way to the floor of parliament.

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA – Rumour transitioned into reality yesterday when the Papua New Guinea opposition under Belden Namah seemed to have mustered enough MPs to command the Haus Tambaran.

A procedural vote showed the opposition with a bare majority of 57 members of parliament – but enough to squeeze prime minister Marape out of office.

Author Daniel Kumbon and Enga bigman Paul Kurai Kiap atop their highlands province

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

Victory Song of Pingeta’s Daughter by Daniel Kumbon, Independently Published, 2020, 406 pages, colour illustrations, ISBN: 9798562831323. Available from Amazon Australia, AU$74.65 plus AU$3.90 postage (in Australia)

TUMBY BAY - In 1934, at a place called Tole in what is now Enga Province, a man named Pingeta took up his spear and charged down a hill towards the camp of explorer and prospector Michael Leahy and his brother Daniel.

What prompted Pingeta’s action remains unclear. Some people believe that he wanted to launch an attack on the prospectors’ camp to pillage it while other people believe Pingeta was enraged by the apparent invasion of his lands by white men.

The election of Biden and Harris is seen as a beacon of hope by many governments in the Pacific islands

WESLEY MORGAN
| Griffith Asia Insights

BRISBANE - Fiji’s prime minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, was the first  to congratulate Joe Biden on his election as president of the United States.

There was little doubt what he wanted from the next leader of the free world. “Together, we have a planet to save from a climate emergency”, he tweeted.

Belden Namah (left) seems to have wrecked James Marape's leadership in a massive movement of MPs against his leadership

KEITH JACKSON

UPDATE

In a parliamentary vote today on a non-substantive matter, 57 Opposition members voted together (56 being a majority) while 39 voted with PM Marape although he claims to have 52 who support him. 

NOOSA – Papua New Guinea once again stands on the edge of massive political upheaval as a huge number of ministers and other politicians have indicated they will cross the floor in a vote of no confidence in James Marape.

The nine minister expected to defect from the government to join the Belden Namah led putsch include Basil, Pruaitch, Thatchenko and Parkop.

Other prominent politicians who say they will do the same include Juffa, Tom, Bird, Kramer, Wingti, Davis, Wong, Duma and Kuman.

Lieutenant Commander Pryce-Jones of the Naval Intelligence Division responsible for Coastwatcher operations, presents the Loyal Services Medal to Sergeant Yauwiga,  Guadalcanal, October 1943

KEITH JACKSON

With thanks to Joe Herman in the USA who suggested this story to mark US Veterans Day in which we pay tribute to all Papua New Guineans who have served in war and those from other countries who have fought in PNG. This article is based on writings by Steven Winduo, Steve Rusbridge, Phil Fitzpatrick, Dennis Burns, the Australian War Memorial and the PNG Post-Courier.

NOOSA – When Paul Yauwiga Wankunale, known as Yauwiga, from Kusaun village in the Kubalia area of the East Sepik Province came into view, he immediately presented himself as an unusual man.

“He was the only famous Papua New Guinean fuzzy wuzzy angel with a blue eye,” wrote academic and author Steven Winduo.

Joe Biden - hope that his victory will boost action on climate change

KOROI HAWKINS
| Radio New Zealand Pacific

AUCKLAND - Congratulatory messages continue to pour in from Pacific leaders to the US president-elect Joe Biden but what does the change of the guard in Washington DC really mean for the Pacific?

RNZ Pacific spoke with some political experts and commentators around the region about the potential impacts of the upcoming presidency.

British Square at the Battle Waterloo, 1815. A formation adopted in late 1969 by military strategists in Rabaul

CHIPS MACKELLAR

WARWICK - At the end of the 1969 academic year at Queensland University I was ordered to return to TPNG* on posting to Bougainville. 

But when my flight landed at Rabaul en route to Kieta I was ordered off the plane and told I had been seconded to the Supreme Court as interpreter for the forthcoming trial of several Mataungan leaders.

The trial never eventuated while I was in Rabaul because of a rumour that the Tolais were going to besiege the courthouse.

Paul's village vanilla garden showing the 'tithe row' - God's 10 percent cut

DES YANINEN
| Gary Juffa’s Facebook

PORT MORESBY - I was recently on Ferguson Island in Milne Bay where I met a young man named Paul who was only educated to Grade 9.

Paul was a leader in the local church there. He was a missionary and subsistence farmer - and I discovered he was also a vanilla farmer with the biggest farm in his village.

SAMUEL LUCAS KAFUGILI

Mt Giluwe, oh Giluwe 
Kiluwe in mother lingua franca,
from whose mighty peaks,
the freezing mists disgorge

And snowflakes that puff out, 
and ice, the spray-gunned ice,
Sending away the glacial drops
that slide into the mist

Kerry Dillon today - his perceptive chronicle of a time in PNG as independence loomed is well worth reading

KEITH JACKSON

The Chronicle of a Young Lawyer by Kerry Dillon, Hybrid Publishers, August 2020, 384pp. ISBN: 9781925736410, $35. Available from Booktopia & all good bookstores, www.hybridpublishers.com.au and as an ebook from Amazon, Kobo, Google Books and Apple iBookstore

NOOSA – In case you missed it, or on the off chance you want to know more, in this piece I’m revisiting Kerry Dillon’s memoir, ‘The Chronicle of a Young Lawyer’.

After publishing a brief review of the book in PNG Attitude in August, I exchanged a number of emails with Kerry, mainly on the subject of Rabaul in 1969-70 when his and my paths crossed during the tense days of the Mataungan Association’s challenge to the colonial Administration.

James Marape and Ishmael Toroama - trying to get substantive talks going

ANTHONY KAYBING

BUKA – Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape and Bougainville president Ishmael Toroama met in Port Moresby on Monday to lay the foundations for a successful meeting of the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) in Kokopo later this month.

JSB is the formal body in which matters affecting the relationship between PNG and Bougainville are thrashed out.

SCOTT WAIDE
| My Land, My Country

LAE - How much of the economy do we own? All the prime shop spaces in our towns and cities are owned by foreigners.

Can we easily get financing for a business? No. If we do get it, are the terms PNG-customer friendly? No. And shop space rentals are unaffordable.

GAIL JONES
| The Conversation | Edited extracts

SYDNEY - Literary culture carries profound social value. It is essential to employment, cultural literacy and understanding of community as well as to Australia’s post-pandemic recovery and growth.

It is also radically underfunded and in urgent need of new support.

Joe Biden - his uncle Ambrose was killed when his aircraft was shot down in PNG in World War II and his body never found

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA – United States’ president-elect Joe Biden is well acquainted with Papua New Guinea – two of his uncles fought there in World War II and one was killed, his body never found.

“Australia looked to America, and a generation of Americans - including two of my uncles - responded,” Biden said during a visit to Australia as US vice president in 2016.

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

TUMBY BAY - It has always been a commonly held belief that politicians don’t run the country. That prerogative is exclusively the domain of the public service.

Anyone who has ever studied human relations theory will also know that managers always appoint people in their own image. This is particularly so among senior bureaucrats.

Mouth of the Fly River

STEPHEN CHARTERIS

BANGKOK - I read with interest Professor Howes' assessment of the huge disparity in the provision of services between communities in the Torres Strait Islands and the Middle and South Fly Districts in PNG.

I had the good fortune to visit and work with many communities in Middle and South Fly in 2006 and between 2009-2014 and offer these thoughts.

A transmigrasi village in West Papua

JOHN GREENSHIELDS

ADELAIDE - In 1975 I went from Papua New Guinea, where we were working, to Irian Jaya and Indonesia. Nothing prepared us for the scene in Jayapura. The Melanesians were serfs in their own country.

We stayed in a nearby village, which had been the subject of recent transmigrasi, the scheme to populate Irian Jaya with migrants from heavily populated parts of Indonesia, especially Java.

STEPHEN HOWES
| DevPolicy Blog

‘Too Close to Ignore: Australia’s Borderland with PNG and Indonesia’ by Mark Moran, Jodie Curth-Bibb, Melbourne University Press, March 2020, pp 312. ISBN 9780522875478. Hardback $69.99. Paperback $34.99. Ebook 16.99. Available here from Melbourne University Press

CANBERRA - Edited by Mark Moran and Jodie Curth-Bibb, ‘Too close to ignore: Australia’s borderland with Papua New Guinea and Indonesia’, is a fascinating book, with detailed, rich descriptions of life in the South Fly of Papua New Guinea and of Australia-PNG interactions in this part of the world.

The border puts all the Torres Straits Islands in Australia and is a creation of the 1970s, but the border, along with the Torres Straits Island Treaty (in force since 1985), now rule everything.

CHRIS OVERLAND

ADELAIDE - Corney Alone raised a number of important and hideously complex issues in yesterday’s article, ‘Warning to Oz: Don’t underestimate PNG’.

Australia's policy towards West Papua is not genocidal although, shamefully, Australia - along with Britain, the Netherlands and the USA - capitulated to Indonesia's territorial demands in the 1960s when they should have supported a genuine act of self-determination.

PNG's Lihir gold mine

RONALD MAY
| Pearls & Irritations | Edited extracts

You can link here to the full article

CANBERRA - The Marape government’s approach to foreign investment – and to governance generally – marks a significant, and welcome, shift away from the sometimes dubious deal-making that marked his predecessor’s approach.

In May 2019 James Marape succeeded Peter O’Neill as prime minister of Papua New Guinea. O’Neill had been under pressure for some time, over allegations of corruption and of his handling of issues associated with major resource projects and foreign borrowing.

Corney Alone tells Australia, "We're not going to sing a backward-leaning Kumbaya with you"

CORNEY ALONE

Australia’s ramped-up megaphone hostility to its biggest trading partner, China, has led to trade repercussions, pole-axed Australian diplomacy and raised eyebrows in the Pacific. Papua New Guinean business leader and national affairs commentator Corney Alone tells Australia it can play this game but shouldn’t expect the Pacific to fall into line - KJ

PORT MORESBY – Yes, Australia. You get exactly what you bargain for in your relations with China. For Papua New Guinea, though, on our turf we reject outdated, cold war era nonsense.

We are also acutely aware of the 54 years of neglect, double-standards and the arrogant complicity in genocide of Australia's policy towards Melanesian West Papua.

The main chamber of PNG's parliament house which has 111 seats for members of parliament but at the last election could find no room for women

NEWS DESK
| PNG National Research Institute

NRI Discussion Paper 178, ‘Challenges and critical factors affecting women in the 2017 National Elections: Case of Lae and Huon Gulf’ by Mary Fairio, Sarah Kaut Nasengom and Cathy Keimelo, National Research Institute, Port Moresby, 2020. You can read the full paper on the PNG NRI website here: https://www.pngnri.org

PORT MORESBY - In Papua New Guinea there is no equal playing field for female candidates when it comes to the national elections.

Female candidates who contest for political leadership face a lot of challenges.

SU-LIN TAN
| South China Morning Post | Edited extract

Link to the full article here

Australia anti-Chinese megaphone diplomacy (toned down just a little recently) has caused offence to China which has retaliated with selective trade bans. Papua New Guinea needs to ensure that its own important relations with China are not being caught up and impaired by Australia’s leaden foot and its tin ear - KJ

President Ishmael Toroama meets prime minister James Marape at Buka in September

ANTHONY KAYBING
| Office of the ABG President

BUKA – Bougainville president Ishmael Toroama will confer with Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape at the Bougainville pre-joint supervisory body meeting in Port Moresby next Monday.

The meeting is a prelude to a formal proper JSB meeting scheduled for 30 November 30 in Kokopo, East New Britain.

Apeke Taso built his house in his village in the war torn Tsak Valley. Many educated elites from the Tsak Valley have also built country homes in their villages

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

TUMBY BAY - Daniel Kumbon’s upcoming book, Victory Song of Pingeta’s Daughter, is full of interesting information and photographs.

I was particularly intrigued by the photographs of veritable mansions built by highlanders in remote places.

Some of them even put to shame the McMansions that dot Touaguba Hill in Port Moresby.