Abel calls for reassessment of state of emergency

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IT is practically impossible for people who live in settlements and villages to practise social distancing or wash their hands with soap or sanitiser on a regular basis, an MP says.
Alotau MP Charles Abel, a former deputy prime minister, posted on Facebook that reality in PNG was that most of the people lived in settlements and villages.
Abel delivered bags of rice to people in his electorate who were affected by the state of emergency.
“Their main concern on a day-to-day basis is what they will eat for dinner on that particular day,” he said.
“We are not like modern countries that can lock up in their houses or units and have savings and food stores.
“A settlement dweller will rely on one of the wage earners living in the settlements or the informal cash economy in most cases.
“This informal economy is where the wage earners in general will buy betel nuts, market food – cooked food – and resell, items like cigarettes and noodles.
“There is also prostitution, sadly.”
Abel said village people sold their crops to buy essential items like soap, medicine, garden tools and kerosene.
“I often put myself mentally into the position of these people,” he said.
“Imagine if you did not get your fortnightly pay for one, two or three months.
“We all support the SOE but the costs versus benefits have to be weighed carefully on a regular basis.”

24 comments

  • Thank God, one MP is talking REALITY!….I hope our leaders use this SOE period to find time and visit villages and settlements like Charles Abel only to understand daily struggles our unfortunate people are going through in this time of lock down. I understand it’s not a time to move around and visit but the point is just to put yourself in their shoes or level so you can see what this SOE lock down is affecting everyone.

  • I concur with the Hon. Member for Alotau.
    The reality is that there is no propensity to save by an average national either in both formal & informal sectors, hence no savings ( leaving aside superfunds) to automatically draw on.
    There is also no social safety net. Take these into account and we are heading for potential massive starvation and increasing law & order as a result.

    The informal sector and SME Sectors currently underwrite daily substance of the population.
    The longer it takes to ease the SOE & get the economy functioning again these sectors would become things of the past.

    As a layman, the Covid-19 is here to stay just like any other virus/diseases; its cure has yet to be found.
    What is needed is to refocus Government spending away from non productive infrastructure spending to health, education, etc. Continue massive education required on healthy living inclusive dietary to minimize health risks associated with Covid-19 plus other virus/diseases.

    These have been severely hit and the longer it takes to ease the functioning of the economy it will take a long time to get them back on their feet.

  • A realistic comment by MP Abel….we should have people in the government to give advice. This lockdown thing is making people hungry and instead of dying from COVID19, people will die from hunger instead.

    Mi laik go raon lo please tu ia.

  • MP Abel is talking reality and shares the experiences faced by the small people in the settlements and villages. I support that in great depth.

    I am just wondering what he will be saying when he starts to see the same people he is feeling for are hard hit by the virus and piles of dead corpses lined up the streets and villages as a result of the virus. We cannot deny the deaths in other countries from the virus. So, let me say that our Government has done the best thing by introducing SOE. So that we are not double dipped, by being poor, as we already are and by being hit hard by the virus.

    The government is not ignorant, having seeing the results of tests so far, I am sure some decisions can be made for our best interest of our Country and it’s people.

    We see this Government is led by Wisdom’s from above. Like in ancient Egypt, when the whole land was in hunger, God fearing man Joseph was chosen to lead. Like in Babylon, Daniel stood tall amidst trails. They were all heroes in their difficult times.

    PNG will get over this chaos faced in the world, because we have a leader who puts God first.

  • Please Government of the day, can you send those people those who are not working to the villages to cultivate their land for food instead of roaming around in the cities doing nothing,.

    Mi laik go lo peles yah!!

  • This is a moment for us to SHIFT from our normal living into a new living besides be prepare for the worse one yet to come.

  • Thank you Hon. Abel. We got through a Cholera epidemic a few years back,
    with out all this epidemic madness.
    We must get get back to normalcy and deal with individual cases, We know now that 99.9999% of the population are free of the disease, only isolate those Persons of interest not imprison the whole country. Put controls on people entering the country.
    Some B4s will remember little yellow WHO Immunization booklets that had to be up to date before you traveled. Introduce similar now.
    Michael Pearson,

  • Thank you Alotau MP for your comments…
    All these pros & cons have been weight, unfortunately , we cannot do much with rampaging virus.. We are at this deadly disease’s mercy!
    Least we can do now is isolate. Meaning stay home , no roaming around!……
    Please send those scavengers , unemployed pipol to their provinces . They are a burden to the country.

  • You were in power for many years and did nothing to improve the lives of your people. A few bags of rice will not change anything. You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people

  • Government could try to adjust however, the outcome will be worse off then now. If we control now, life can get back to normal in due time. Say if a family member is infected, the whole family gets infected and just imagine how disastrous that will be. Who is there ten to help?. No one, therefore the whole family is gone with out trace. The lockdown was the best thing Gvernment did. The advantage being, if there are cases of COVID-19, people are already in isolation therefore control is much easier and concentrated to confined area than being chaotic. If we observe these educational messages, life will get back to normal soon when there are no more cases of COVID-19.

  • Welcome to earth, former deputy PM. If you had provided running water, proper sanitation services and other basic services, you would not have to worry too much about them. On the positive note, your suggestion to have normalcy restored is supported. However, we need to see people at least practicing the health messages in order to push the government to relax the shut down.

  • We would be better off if your former government was in the shoes where now your are feeling.

    Your government did a ragless spendings, on things that does not benefit the rural population and the urban drift.what goes around will come around.

  • COVID-19 its just like any other sickness it came here to stay it wont go away. After the lock down for more than a month see, how constraints it has on everyone’s live and the calamity of prolonging the SOE its just like preparing for many more uncertainties to intervene.

    Otherwise, lets go back to basics health and hygiene, overhaul this basic rules by start doing awareness and educating people more on how to look after them by practicing safe measures. How effective and reliable the information to everyone can immune them to start do things with safety measure and that can gradually diversify to everything they do.
    Government to put public utilities in place – water tap in common areas like bus top, market place, sanitizes in office entrances etc… so people can apply all these to maintain their health and hygiene in order.

    Likewise the private sectors to apply the same principle at own their setup, public transport to ensure this is regulated and they comply to it.

    What is more left when keep on enforcing SOE and severe lock down to movement of people? Government to consider this and reassess its SOE measures and severe restriction on human movement and activities its again inhuman….

  • Timing is just right now to send home ALL unemployed people back to their point of origin.

  • In fact two children (5 & 8 years of age) from Seleo Island in Aitape/Lumi District, West Sepik Province have already died for hunger instead of corona virus,

  • Corona virus is like any other disease. It enters png last year 2019. This governments declaration of SOE is unnecessary and meaningless making its very own people suffer and die of hunger and starvation. The simple thing government should at the first place shut all our borders and cease international flights where people will come into our country. What Alotau MP said make sense and he spell out the real life situation faced by people in the villages where their daily living depend heavily on marketing to sustain their daily lives. Government should relax some of measures imposed so that people can atleast do some business for their daily survival. PPE and other necessary items to contain this virus are yet to be recieved by health personels who are the front liners and text payers money like K23 million was already spend on hire cars and media contract. Is this government really mean business to fight this virus or using this pandemic as a blanket to divert resources for political gain in the nearing 2022 national election to hang onto the power. Something is wrong here someone has to really dig it out.
    Lets get back to our normal bussiness because people will not long die from starvation than dying from Corona virus.

  • We, png have different levels of people in works of life big people, small people, money man and you name it. So with SOE in place people are suffering to earn their lives if png is Christian country than why we’re looking for places to hide cause we’re NOT super human beings to live forever. Thank you concern MP

  • John. G, You are wrong by saying Hon. Charlie Abel has not done anything to improve the lives of the people. Infact he is the only Member of Parliament that has done more than any other Members we know. He is not God so he will press a button to improve lives of people. Distributing rice is only a kind gesture to ease the pain of hunger. Only a person with wisdom feels the pain of his people that is why he is calling for a review of the SOE restrictions affecting people. It is very true that people are already suffering since lockdown. I thank the Almighty God for a Leader like Charles Abel.

  • Perhaps this could be an opportune time to asses and consider vigorously the SETTLEMENT concept. Under the guise of Human Rights & Freedom Of Movement people end up living in settlements and fit into an environment of unemployment, crime, violence, unhygienic practices, forming rascal gangs, poverty, prostitution, etc. Now that we have SOE in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 and see the effect of it on people living in settlements. Social Distancing, Hand Washing, Less Moving Around are not followed. They do not care. Can settlement concept be reviewed by the Government?

  • A great leader speaks with deep sympathy and kind loving care for his citizen’s. Tums up Hon, Charles Abel

  • CORONAVIRUS is not any other diseases, its only become any other diseases when treatment or drugs to treat is available . If far well developed nations are getting tough stand to stop it. I think if more people are infected in.PNG, it will be beyond control. Let not talk about those people are lazing around cities and towns, just encourage them.home. Those of in the villages enjoying, lock down is not affecting us, its affecting you and affecting people who engaged in corruption, lock down is stopping and preventing measures for covid 19. God has given wisdom to government. We have only one life.money and other things will.remain as long there is life. Thank you government of the day.God will bless you more to people.

  • CORONAVIRUS is not any other diseases like people are saying , its only become any other diseases when treatment or drugs to treat is available . If far well developed nations are getting tough stand to stop it. I think wr are doing fine in lock down. if more people are infected in.PNG, it will be beyond control. Let not talk about those people who are lazing around cities and towns, just encourage them to return .home. Those of us in the villages are enjoying, lock down is not affecting us, its affecting you and affecting people who engaged in corruption in high offices and businesses, lock down is stopping and preventing measures for covid 19. God has given wisdom to government. We have only one life to live on earth, .money and other things will.remain as long there is life. Thank you government of the day.God will bless you more to save people.

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