By ANDREW ALPHONSE
THE Hela people in the Southern Highlands are now beginning to embrace peace and normalcy in their area.
The days when the entire Hela region was under siege as tribal warfare raged on perpetuated by public murders, armed hold-up and road blocks with tribesmen roaming freely around in public places fully displaying weaponry items without any fear for the rule of law is soon to be over.
The Huli valley for years has been ravaged by tribal warfare as warring tribes resort to bows and arrows and guns (both home-made and factory made) to solve their tribal conflicts that mostly stems from disputes over three of Hela’s most prized tribal assets, women, land and pigs.
If compensation payment was not negotiated successfully, a full scale tribal clash was imminent as it is the norm to settle conflicts. People lost all hopes in the rule of government and its law enforcing agencies including the police and courts.
Over the years, despite cohesive efforts made to put a complete end to tribal warfare and lawlessness in the region and Tari, Komo, Margarima, Pori, Koroba and Lake Kopiago districts not much was achieved even during the controversial state of emergency operations in the province in 2007.
Successive governments turned a deaf ear to the plight of the Hela people, custodians to the lucrative Moran, North West Moran, South East Mananda, Hides Gas fields, the prospective Juha and Angore hydro carbon projects that. Benefits from these projects continues to bulge the country’s economy yet Hela’s back home have nothing tangible to showcase in terms of infrastructure developments while amidst lack of basic government services and increased lawlessness, people lost all hopes in the powers that be.
It was not until the Hela Nation probably during their lowest point in life, rose on the occasion in June 2007 to determine their future by electing into the National Parliament four new Hela MPs including James Marabe (Tari Pori), Francis Potape (Komo Margarima), John Kekeno (Koroba Lake Kopiago) and Anderson Agiru (SHP Governor). With strong political leadership, the people are confident that their desire for a better Hela and future is well on the way.
With Tari being the nerve of Hela’s administrative and business centre, local MP Marabe wasted no time in launching another major peace awareness drive throughout his electorate. The campaign was launched at the Hoiyebia United Church just outside Tari town on 01 Dec 2007 with the theme ‘Hela for Peace and development- No Peace - No Progress’. The awareness was supported by peace advocate and non governmental organization the Young Ambassadors of Peace (YAP) of the Uniting Church of Australia, the Hela Christian Churches and the Hela Tertiary Students. Mr Marabe sponsored the awareness aimed at educating the Hela people on the importance of peace and normalcy to prevail first before government services could reach them. About 15 Hela tertiary students who were on school holidays took the lead in conducting the awareness.
Mr Marabe said the awareness and peace building process would lead to a massive arms surrender and destruction scheduled for the coming Easter weekend at Andaija Oval in Tari next month. He said the Hela leaders including Governor Agiru, MPs Potape and Kekeno have committed to work together to revive all law and justice sector programs in the region.
He said all disputes, lawlessness and conflicts would now be addressed by police and the courts as currently due to the unavailability of courts and jails in Tari together with a complete breakdown of law enforcing agencies, people resolve their conflicts through tribal means. Mr Marabe plans to have a district court magistrate posted to Tari this year while the Hawa Corrections Services jail is also re-opened.
He said police manpower in Tari would be beefed up and strengthened while their accommodation problems that is forcing members posted to Tari reluctant to take up their posts would also be addressed.
The awareness reaped early fruits when two war lords publicly ended their seven years of gruesome warfare and made peace during a peace crusade in Tari last Christmas Eve. Mr Henry Hanguri from Pujoro and councilor Hekele Undiapu from Halongo tribes wept and embraced each other in front of a huge crowd at Andaija Oval. They vowed not to fight anymore and are friends now. The two tribes that live on the northwest fringes of Tari township have been at war since 2001. Several government services including the Hawa CS jail, Paijaka, Loka and Henganda community schools and the Lumulumu high school closed down as intense gun battle rattled on for many years. Constant threats were made to the operations of power pylons that ferry electricity from Hides gas field to power the Porgera Gold mine in Enga province. The pylons run through the battle field and resource developers Porgera Joint Venture and Oil Search Ltd were always on alert incase the two tribes vent their frustrations by felling down the pylons.
Mr Marabe said he is humbled to see people taking ownership of law and order in Hela and are now prepared to embrace development and progress. He commended the efforts of the Hela Tertiary Students, Hela Christian Churches Council, YAP and the community at Hoiebia for a job well-done. Mr Marabe also thanked Joy Bazalo, an international YAP trainer from Australia for conducting a one-week win-win mediation, conflict resolution, peace and reconciliation workshop for about 20 selected warlords from the 16 to the 23 of Dec 2007 at Hoiebia mission station. The two war lords attended the workshop reconciled thereafter before coming out public during the crusade in Tari to show that they would no longer fight and are working towards for peace now. They also urged other tribal warlords to follow their examples. They thanked MP Marabe and YAP for facilitating the end to their seven year old fight. The fight has claimed more than 20 lives while thousands of kina worth of properties were also razed up in flames. Mr Marabe commended the two tribes for realizing the importance of peace and normalcy before he could bring into their areas government services. In the neighboring Margarima district, MP Potape also wasted no time by arranging with Governor Agiru for a new police station commander to be posted to Margarima with a new vehicle after nearly 20 years. Agiru also appointed Mr Potape as chairman of a task force team to revive all the defunct village courts in the area and province.
“Hela people have now realized the importance of law and order and peace.
“They are now ready for development and progress as they now have elected four of the finest men into National Parliament in Potape, Marabe, Kekeno and Agiru as Governor to lead them forward for a brighter future,” commented Moses Kiru, YAP Tari program director.
 

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