PM not convincing on asylum deal

 I CANNOT understand the logic behind the deal that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill signed with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last week.

O’Neill said in the media the deal was an extension of an agreement that was in existence but it is unbelievable that he did that with the knowledge that asylum seekers would be sent to PNG to be processed and possibly given the right to live here.

That is a bad decision. 

We already have problems of resettling our own people within the country and now we have another burden placed on us.

The load will not get better if the asylum seekers get frustrated and decide to burn or destroy infrastructure as they did in Nauru.

Our people and resources would be burdened and exhausted to contain such a problem.

Why does O’Neill think that the asylum seekers want to settle in PNG instead of Australia? 

Did the Australia prime minister and our PM do a survey on that? 

As yet, that is an assumption.

If they wish to settle in Australia and are forced to settle here, is it not likely that they will show their frustration because they were not allowed to settle in Australia? 

We must be mindful that some of them came from countries where violence is an everyday thing.

I got an impression while listening to O’Neill’s press conference soon after returning to Port Moresby that we are in desperate need of money and therefore he went  to Australia to help bail us out with this laughable deal (yes, they are laughing in Australia) with the promise of upgrading our universities, hospitals and roads.

Is it because that we are in deeper problems than what the government is telling us? 

After getting loans and working on infrastructure upgrades in the country, are we up to our heads in debt now?

O’Neill must come out with better answers. 

The ones he gave were not convincing.

I watched his senior ministers, who were with him while he was being interviewed and I did not see any sign of enthusiasm when he spoke with the press. 

Is it giving us a hint of their displeasure regarding the deal? 

I do not understand. 

How can we be so rich and yet run to the north, west and now to the south for illogical deals?

It appears that O’Neill and his government is taking us down to the depths of darkness.

I have one suggestion. 

If the prime minister thinks that this is a good deal, then he leave Port Moresby and Manus out of it, let him establish a processing centre in Pangia in his own backyard and see how it goes.

If everything works out fine, then he can take it to other centres around the country. 

If not, then he has to stop. 

PNG Tauna

Port Moresby