Force must live up to its words

 THE assurance by a senior Papua New Guinea Defence Force officer that the military will not be drawn into any political power struggle is heartening but hardly convincing. 

The last time the military was involved in a political power struggle was only 22 months ago. On Jan 26 last year, military personnel under the command of retired officer Colonel Yaura Sasa arrested commander Brigadier-General Francis Agwi. 

It was reported that former Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare had ordered the operation in his attempts to regain the leadership from the O’Neill-Namah government that had overthrown him in August, 2011.

While the latest assurance comes from chief-of-operations Colonel Water Enuma, a key figure in the Sandline Affair during the Bougainville Crisis, there is still little or no guarantee that our military will keep their word not to get involved in future political uprisings.

That is not to say that Enuma is not a man of his words.  

As a matter of fact, he is a seasoned soldier who survived the greatest political-military uprising in PNG’s history to rebuild an impressive military career.

He was bestowed with an MBE (Member of the British Empire) award last Thursday for 32 years of distinguished military services.

Nonetheless, his assurance brings into question the defence force’s ability to prevent rogue elements within it from being used by power-hungry politicians. As it is, there are quite a few rogue soldiers, as there are rogue policemen, who will gladly jump at the opportunity to be part-time mercenaries in any political battle.

The current environment within the defence force is quite conducive to the lure of money and other benefits offered by politicians and their sponsors.

Fortunately, there has not been any political struggle that has involved the use of rogue soldiers since January last year.

The rogue elements within the force seem to be more preoccupied with using their strong-arm tactics to instil fear and cause violence in the local communities, especially in the National Capital District.

The recent brutalising of the University of Papua New Guinea’s Medical Faculty campus by rogue soldiers from the Taurama Barracks is a prime example of the kind of mentality that prevails within the defence force.

Hopefully, Enuma has some kind of plan to change the mindsets of these rogue soldiers and transform them into highly disciplined members of the PNGDF.

However, he will need all the help he can get from the defence hierarchy as well as rank and file members of the force.

Enuma insisted that recent rumours of military involvement in politics remained just that. 

“Nobody is going to use the military for scare tactics.” Reassuring words but easier said than done.

As the good colonel is well aware, the defence force has been in dire straits for many years and not in the condition to call its own shots.

The PNGDF is a small force numbering about 2,500 personnel, and consisting of a land element, an air operations element and a maritime operations element. 

It is a joint force tasked with defending PNG and its territories against external attack, as well as having secondary functions including national-building and internal security tasks. 

Defence accounts for up to 4% of government expenditure, while receiving significant assistance and training support from Australia, New Zealand, the United States  of America and other nations.

The PNGDF’s current capability is considered modest, with the army facing significant problems, including a chronic budget crisis, a lack of experience in conventional operations, limited ability to be deployed independently overseas as well as internal tensions. 

The air and sea elements suffer major equipment and funding shortfalls – to the point of sometimes almost being grounded – and are both too small and poorly equipped to take part in operations overseas. 

Indeed, the task of transforming the PNGDF into a truly professional force is an enormous task for both the political leadership and the defence force hierarchy.

And if there is anyone who is up to the challenge, it has to be Walter Enuma.