Hela must wake up to its potential

 WHAT can possibly be justification for slaying 21 human beings? Truth is, there is absolutely none. 

Tribal warfare in Hela has taken on a dangerous new meaning and dimension. 

Where there was at least respect for lives of people not directly involved in con­flict, there is no longer any rule of warfare applicable. The common criminals running amok with semi-automatic weapons are a sorry excuse for their once disciplined, proud and brave warriors who fought in defence of territory, life and property. 

Killings in the province have gone on as if there is no police and criminal justice system that is capable of mediating in and resolving conflicts amicably. 

Days of warriors seeking out and attacking their equal are gone. Those tribal warriors are today replaced by senseless murderers pre-dating their ancestors in mentality but armed with 21st century weaponry.  That is a horrific combination and a recipe for the vio­lence we are experiencing and hearing of at the moment.

In days gone it had been warrior versus warrior and never innocent children and women, who at times were booty taken alive, if at all necessary. The continued killing of people for the crime of belonging to another  clan or tribe should not be allowed to continue.

If permitted to drag on or escalate further, the warfare will certainly affect investments in the province’s rich hydrocarbon resources. Much is at stake including, of course, the ExxonMobil-led PNG LNG project installations in the province.

It was some relief that the Hela provincial government has taken stock of the gravity of the situation and its effect not only on the communities engaged in battle but the economy and social fabric of the province. 

The Hela provincial government held its breath for weeks, expecting the police strength on the ground to bring peace and normalcy in the fighting areas. When the situation progressively deteriorated with a growing number of casualties reported, Governor Anderson Agiru first declared a fighting zone. Then this week the assembly voted to expend an unbudgeted K2m to fund a joint police and military operation to end the tribal fighting.

Obviously, this is money that would be better spent on development initiatives for the benefit of the entire province. Instead it will be used for the deployment of police and military personnel, logistics and arms to bring under control and hopefully end the hostilities between the warring tribes.

Already women and children have been caught in the battles. School children have been prevented from attending classes; sick people in need of medical attention could not do so; and properties have been destroyed which would take months or years to replace.

In some parts there would be food shortages as gardens would have been destroyed in the prolonged conflicts. The country and the world’s eyes are on Hela.  

American energy giant ExxonMobil and has placed the province firmly on the world map when it welcomed Papua New Guinea’s invitation to extract and trade Hela’s large natural gas reserves.

The cycle of violence that has been allowed to drag on for this long does not bode well for investment in the province. This is not something that is normally associated with an area that has benefited from an investment the size of the PNG LNG project and all the associated activity that has since taken place. 

It is a shame that while the province’s leaders like Agiru and Finance Minister and Tari Pori MP James Marape have created pathways for more investment into the province, their own people seem to not take notice of their efforts.

Apart from its natural ab­undance in oil and gas, the provincial government is con­sidering investment in a large hydro-power plant to produce and sell electricity to nearby centres. While the outside world has its eyes mainly on the province’s hydrocarbons, Agiru is intent on shifting attention away from that to sustainable agriculture. 

The LR Group of Israel is the first major investor to tap into the province’s agricultural potential through an integrated farm at Koroba, which can be replicated in other areas of the province as well.

Hela has a lot going for.  The ongoing criminal activity, misconstrued as tribal fights, certainly has no place in the province’s plans to realise its dreams.