PNG must put the people first, not last
Connecting the dots on West Papua, Part 3

The shame of becoming a US military base

How to lose our sovereignty
Are they here to help, or to control?

MICHAEL TAM

PARI - There’s one word that best describes the United States-Papua New Guinea Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in Port Moresby on 22 May by our defence minister Win Bakri Daki and US secretary of state Anthony Blinken.

And that word is ‘shameful’.

It came into being at APEC Haus amidst the rare sight of nationwide protests urging prime minister James Marape not to sign the security pact.

And they also called for the sacking of foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko over the Coronation Scandal, where politicians treated taxpayers' money as their own..

The Marape government, now in its fifth year, has never respected the Papua New Guinean people.

In their internal WhatsApp group, Marape, Tkatchenko and their officers call the PNG students who protested the defence cooperation agreement "primitive animals".

How can these ugly politicians enjoy the privileges and money that voters and taxpayers grant them, and then discriminate against us like we are not PNG people?

We must continue the fight to expose and depose these corrupt PNG politicians before they completely sell PNG’s sovereignty to the USA.

Although Marape told the media that PNG would not be used as a base from which war could be launched and supplied, I cannot imagine that he and his weak government could stop the US turning PNG into a military base when the day comes that they need it.

In fact the defence cooperation treaty allows the US military access to our country and allows them not to be charged by PNG police if they break any of our laws.

Before the recent US visit to PNG, it committed to provide K11 billion assistance after the security pact was signed. Marape said the money will be invested in infrastructure. But I wonder where most of it will really end up. In fact, where is it now?

A real honeypot, K11 billion.  Money just sitting there to be taken by corrupt politicians.

It all reminds me of Tkatchenko and his team of hangers-on and relatives spending K6 million of taxpayers’ funds on first class seats, lavish hotels and expensive restaurants at the Coronation of King Charles III.

Since then Marape has led a team to South Korea, another lavish, excessive and wasteful overseas trip.

This money is needed for medicine and medical supplies for health centres in rural areas and for more teachers, books and equipment for deteriorating schools. What will Marape bring back from South Korea. Maybe it will be another defence agreement where we give things away for nothing.

Since they are calling us "primitive animals", we should show them our infinite power to defend our country and dignity.

We call on the Marape government to abandon the defence cooperation agreement, stop militarising PNG and focus on economic development.

We also call on the Marape government to stop AUKUS getting into the Lombrum naval base and prevent PNG from nuclear pollution and radiation.

We call on all MPs to be accountable, to use the power granted by the people to oppose the defence cooperation agreement at this month’s sitting of parliament.

We call on all civil societies, trade unions, student unions, NGOs and activists to work together for another nationwide protest to tell the government what we people need.

PNG needs strong and brave men and women with loud voices on various platforms to rise up to fight against the few who are corrupting government systems and sucking up taxpayers’ money.

Comments

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Lindsay F Bond

Agreed. "Fight against the few who are corrupting government systems and sucking up taxpayers’ money" - yet also against every corrupter.

Australians have work ahead on that, even on speaking truth.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-02/fact-check-fair-australia-not-enough-no-campaign-quotes/102422750

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