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Sports |
FRIDAY, thank goodness – and a chance to escape the enrouged hordes of
Defence Force personnel who have been pursuing us, crossbows drawn, ever
since The National hit the streets yesterday.
***
NOT to mention the legions of faithful readers who sent us e-mails as
uncountable as the sands on the beach, pointing out that yesterday’s
front page sub-headline “Troops ordered to look out for rouge soldiers”
indicated a state of affairs within the force hitherto unsuspected.
***
SOME hard-liners whose e-mails smacked of Sandhurst or Duntroon laced
their comments with military phrases that sent us scurrying for the
dictionary; they were the tongue-in-cheek readers who purported to see
the allegedly rouged soldiers as symbols of the decay of a legendary PNG
institution. Harrumph!
***
BUT one of the capital’s regular Column readers
e-mailed to say that personally, he failed to see why in 2007 some of
the lads shouldn’t apply a little blusher; it hardly seemed an offence
worthy of a court martial. And a Lae reader reminded us of army
commanders in earlier centuries, who tottered off to war bearing their
jewelled snuff boxes and sagging under the weight of huge powdered wigs.
***
WELL then – to one and all, thank you for your concern. But we do point
out, in the interests of gender equality, that there are members of the
Defence Force whose wearing of a little make-up would provoke nothing
but approval. We hasten to add that we refer to our proud band of PNG
female soldiers. Salut!
***
RIGHT then – elections are the order of the day. Spy reported from
Madang that yesterday afternoon a lengthy and exuberant procession of
trucks bearing supporters of candidates took to the streets, preceded by
a vehicle filled with good-humoured police. The transports included one
huge cattle truck that appeared to have half the town behind bars. A
jolly good time was reportedly had by young and old.
***
HE was dying, his wife by the bed. “I have to confess I have not been
faithful to you on many occasions,” he gasped. “That’s all right, I
know,” she said compassionately. “Now just lie back and let the poison
work.”
***
– Dee Nesenolis
 
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