| Business |
Grim developments in Mt Hagen
IN a few short weeks, Papua New
Guinea will go to the polls.
Some months ago, The National warned that the on-going lawlessness
in the Highlands region would not only put the outcome of voting
there in doubt, but could throw a shadow over the national
election throughout the whole nation.
We suggested that the elections should be postponed for at least
six months.
Unfortunately those with a narrow point of view sprang to the
attack, claiming that the suggestion was an attempt to prolong the
life of the present government.
More astute observers realised the move was simply to try and
secure a marginal improvement in law and order, one that would
improve the nation’s chances of running a relatively honest
election.
There is no virtue in exaggerating the vicious riots in Mt Hagen –
but there is also no point in pretending that they were merely a
small glitch on the road to a peaceful election.
The Western Highlands province currently bids fair to rival its
Southern Highlands neighbour for the dubious honour of the
province running the most chaotic and questionable election.
According to normally conservative information sources, weaponry
in private hands in the WHP is rising rapidly. The level of citizens
held arms in the SHP is presently reckoned at some 19,000 pieces,
ranging from highly sophisticated armaments to home-crafted guns.
Provincial officials continue to reassure the public that the
Highlands will not be the scene of a bloodbath during polling. We
can only question the accuracy and depth of their information and
trust that they are correct in their estimates.
That does not stop us asking questions of the authorities.
It was obvious on the weekend that the situation in Mt Hagen was
completely out of control; beginning on Friday night, it raged
through Saturday morning and beyond.
The police, outnumbered and dwarfed by the fury of the conflicting
tribesmen, never gave the impression of being able to effectively
bring about control.
There have been incidents of increasing violence and ferocity
during the past three months in Mt Hagen.
If that growing pattern of violence is maintained, then the
elections in the province can only be a disaster.
The Governor of the Western Highlands province is a man of vast
experience and one who has always seen himself as a man of the
people.
Yet Paias Wingti, a former prime minister and allegedly an
aspirant once again for the leadership of this country does not
seem to be able to have any positive impact upon the fighting and
violence among his own provincial countrymen.
It is nonsense to expect Mt Hagen business and professional people
to try and pro-vide competent levels of service in a city that is
increasingly in the thrall of chaos.
Politicians in the Western Highlands and neighbouring provinces
have long chosen to neglect their people in favour of the cosy
high-roller life offered by Port Moresby and its fleshpots.
Time after time, tribal and other ethnic-fuelled clashes erupt in
the Highlands region; appeals to local politicians to help restore
peace fall not so much on deaf as absent ears.
There’s a popular misconception that such ethnic battles are the
responsibility of the police or the courts or the magistrates –
but certainly not the affair of local parliamentarians.
If political representatives turn their backs on their people
during such situations, they are failing in their duty of care
towards their electors. Politicians belong to tribes, and if those
tribes are in conflict with others, politicians must demonstrate
their willingness to put their careers or even their lives on the
line in the interest of securing peace among the people.
If a refusal to recognise that obligation continues during the
coming elections and given the shadowy presence of political
manipulators in the background, PNG can indeed expect an
unforgettable national election.
The Prime Minister has stressed that he leads the legitimate
government of the day until a new administration is sworn in and
that he is not heading a caretaker administration.
The nation therefore looks to Sir Michael and his cabinet to take
the appropriate action to ensure that the Electoral Commission can
conduct a violence-free national election.
 
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