APEC House not for Motu-Koitabu

I WISH to comment on Steven Koya’s call for APEC Haus to be given to the Motu-Koitabu people.
Rear Admiral John Moresby (March 15, 1830 –July 12, 1922) was a British naval officer who explored the coast of New Guinea and was the first European to land on the site that is now Port Moresby. Moresby was born in Allerford, Somerset, England, and the son of Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby.
The above is a very brief history of how Faifax Habour and Port Moresby came to be.
A major history of the Motu-Koitabu people was the Hiri Moale trade between the people of Gulf.
Voyages taken during those days were long and dangerous. Explorers carefully planned and executed their journeys according to the technology, knowledge and skills available at that time to avoid disasters.
Captain Moresby could have docked in Samarai or Vanimo for that matter.
Port Moresby is the capital city of PNG which is a fact no one can dispute.
Port Moresby was the location in which PNG Independence was declared.
Parliament is housed here and decisions since then have been made in that House.
The same decisions could have been made in Lae or Buka.
Let me show you the other side of the coin.
If Captain John Moresby had landed in Lae, things would have been very different for the Motu-Koitabu people of recent times and this part of the country would be isolated.
The only resources might have been the old coconut and rubber trees and fish in the sea.
Port Moresby, or National Capital District, is barren as we see today. Port Moresby’s growth and development is fuelled by the money that is generated from other provinces of PNG. This is also a fact. The local Port Moresby economy is thriving because of this. Port Moresby was not like this in the 1800s.
Many people have become entrepreneurs and gained fame in various capacities all through the benefits offered by Port Moresby.
Port Moresby as the capital city will have almost all government services, infrastructures and systems.
The landowners here did not write or sit examinations and assignments for the many Papua New Guineans who attended schools or colleges in Port Moresby.
Many top people now come from other provinces.
Port Moresby is made up of Papua New Guineans, the people whose resources made this the place to be.
We are very much socially connected here despite the negatives which are elements or cultures of human civilisation and interactions.
The writer mentioned land grabbing in Port Moresby. Land in other parts of the country were bought with axes and salt back in the day.
I believe the landlords here made similar bargains with Captain Moresby. Recent acquisitions of Motu-Koitabu land in NCD must be subjected to the laws of PNG.
Deal with the culprits if they have stolen. I think it would be funny to claim compensation from the government for land here where government infrastructures are set.
The sad fact is that if Port Moresby was not here, these land would be roamed by maganis (wallaby). I think the Koiaris, of Sirinumu, have a case.
The Apec Summit has just been concluded.
Like I said, this meeting could have been hosted in Mt Hagen or Rabaul. The Lakatoi Haus will become a national heritage and will not be given to the Motu-Koitabu council.
The architectural design, its name and location at Ela Koni already signifies and represents the history and culture of the landowners of this capital city called Port Moresby.

Kere Ninja Gomatultul
Port Moresby City Tax Payer