MP urges govt to support plea to bring back Australian police

National

West New Britain Governor Sasindran Muthuvel wants the Government to support Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas’ plea to bring back Australian police to help address the law and order situation in the country.
He even suggested that they be brought in on a five-year contract basis to help local police.
“Our land is blessed with natural beauty and a diverse cultural heritage with so much untapped potential that is sufficient to sustain our economy without fail if we provide a conducive environment to nurture its growth,” Muthuvel said.
“Hence, it is vital to address law and order issues to encourage business development and to attract tourists into the country by guaranteeing them a safe and unique experience.
“It’s a major concern throughout the country with the recent Mendi incident, the burning down of Kiriwina (Milne Bay) terminal saga amidst countless cases across the nation that have spiralled out of proportion due to deteriorating law and order.
“Coincidently, our investors’ are losing confidence in us because of law and order issues while businesses are left with no choice but to spend huge sums of money on hiring private securities for their operations which increases the operating costs and lessens the profit margins.
“They (Australian police) can work under our PNG Constitution and part of their drill while in the country can be to conduct training for our police force and build our capacity to empower our law enforcers.
“Another sector that has been seriously affected by these on-going issues are our airline companies who are being deprived of increasing profits by doing night operation with the hesitancy to fly to high-risk areas with the fear of being attacked.”
An added advantage of bringing in the Australian police is that it will help improve our economy by restoring investor confidence in us.
“It will also be a bonus for local businesses to have the Australian forces that will be renting properties and spending money locally.
“Better still, it will be a great boost for foreign exchange as well if the Australian government comes on board to fund this programme.”