PNG on verge of going to the dogs

PAPUA New Guinea is on the verge of going to the dogs as Parliament has just turned the Ombudsman Commission into a “paper tiger”.
This is the reality that is happening in PNG today.
Parliament, unfortunately, has become dysfunctional; the opposition is powerless; the government is power hungry and incompetent to govern PNG properly.
The civil service is ineffective in its implementation of government policies.
The law is not protecting the people’s rights.
It is only for the rich to buy protection at the people’s expense.
Crime is worsening and there are no effective crime-fighting strategies in place.
The Constitution seems to be another useless piece of paper and it is not clearly understood by the people.
The law-enforcement and security agencies are all under-resourced, under-funded, under-manned and demoralised.
There does not seem to be any one key authority in place that can stand up to the government.
The government is making and changing laws to keep itself in power.
What is going to happen now is more political abuses will follow in the next two years to the next elections in 2012.
More resources of the people will be squandered by the few political elites and other corrupt cronies of the ruling coalition.
Can Australia help here?
Not really as it still has its head in the sand and does not see a potential national security threat on its doorstep.
The then Australian government made a mistake by washing its hands off PNG in 1975.
By doing so, it had allowed the self-appointed leaders to pillage the country’s resources with transnational corporations and special interest groups.
The current regime is no exception.
Australia cannot help because its aid programme has failed to make an impact.
I call on the Australian government not to waste any more of its taxpayers’ money on PNG.
Instead, one effective way now is to immediately cut down Australian aid and make PNG truly independent in the true sense of the word.
There must be an increased trade between PNG and Australia instead, with the balance of trade favouring PNG.
Failing this, China can step in and fill in the gaps for what PNG perceives as not getting a fair deal from down under.
More Australian taxpayers’ money is not the solution here.
What is needed is a complete regime change in 2012 and it must start with getting rid of the “evil men” from the house of spirit, the Haus Tambaran.
This “evil house” has become useless to safeguard the national interests of PNG.
We need to put in some real quality leaders in 2012.
As I see it, the 42 years the Prime Minister has been in politics have been wasted.
What legacies has the Prime Minister left behind?
I cannot see a brighter future in store for our children and grandchildren.

 
Reginald Renagi
Gabagaba-Kemabolo