Instil discipline in disciplined forces

Letters

WE have a serious situation in PNG that needs to be addressed.
The government is made a mockery of when Police, Defence and Correctional Service personnel can storm government institutions and hold authority to ransom to demand for their allowances when engaged in special and emergency operations.
I witnessed the ransacking of our highest house of decision making, the national parliament in November 2018 while the Apec meeting was winding down.
It was the most embarrassing and saddest day in our history.
The recent storming of the treasury office in Hela by police personnel engaged to curb the Covid-19 in the province is very frightening.
Aren’t these disciplined men and women paid their salaries?
The Government never took a tough action when some of them ransacked parliament soon after Apec over unpaid allowances.
PNG was literally embarrassed and ridiculed by the international community.
An inquiry into the matter and prosecution of the officers involved was never done and swept under the carpet by the O’Neill government.
I suggest the Justice Minister spearhead the establishment of a special court in the country to purposely deal with such rouge disciplined personnel because this problem is becoming bigger and will soon become a normal practice.
If they cannot respect the authority and government institutions over their lousy allowances, then what guarantee, and assurance of safety and security do normal citizens of this country have?
The democratic operation of our nation cannot be dictated by some ill-disciplined gun-toting uniformed minority. They have ransacked parliament, and nothing was done so in their eyes and minds, a small treasury office is nothing to them. We have a really serious problem that needs immediate attention and addressing.

F. Gigs,
Goroka