Using students as political pawns

AFTER the successful ousting of Sir Julius Chan’s government during the Sandline scandal in 1997, the politicians, particularly the opposition, saw the students as a means to exploit and use against the government.
Since then the students have become the opposition’s stooge and at times used to play the role of devil’s advocate.
This has now seriously compromised the independence and respect of students as a genuine advocacy group.
It almost goes without saying that Papua New Guinea is the only country in the world where student power is blatantly abused for political convenience.
Having said that, in June 2001 the opposition bankrolled and cajoled student leaders at the University of Papua New Guinea to lead a protest against Sir Mekere Marauta’s government and demanded that he step down.
Sir Mekere responded by unleashing the police and in the ensuing mayhem four students were shot dead by police, many were wounded and property damaged. The cost of damage hit hundreds of thousands of kina.
Sir Mekere defended the police actions, declaring: “There can be no room for patience and understanding of acts of organised violence against people and property. The rule of law must prevail.”
It was a shocking moment for me to see two of my friends killed for a cause we never fully understood. My two friends who were killed were from Western Highlands, and coming from that part of the country I could not bring myself to think of how the parents back home would deal with the situation.
It was a very difficult time for students.
Following on from the massacre, the university erected a memorial statue for the four fallen brethrens, which also served as a reminder that no such protests were ever to happen again.
The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) was disbanded and demonstrations or protests were limited to student welfare, and academia alone was to be conducted within the precincts of the campus.
Many years later – in 2007 – the university decided to recall the SRC to allow students to have a voice and be responsible but the council had very limited powers and operated under special conditions. Notwithstanding those experiences, the UPNG Students’ Representative Council led a protest against Peter O’Neill’s government in June 2016 and called for the PM to resign.
This was exactly a year before the 2017 national elections and a few months going into the vote of no confidence timeframe.
Indications strongly suggested the opposition was heavily behind the student unrest, primarily to induce a favourable outcome in the coming vote of no confidence and ultimately take charge of the next elections.
Then when the protestors decided to leave the confines of the university and go out on the road, the police quickly dealt with them.
Fortunately there was no death and only five students were hurt.
The opposition’s plan to table a report this month of the student unrest of June 2016 will re-open a can of worms.
Potentially a disaster of an unimaginable scale is waiting to spill over. Bryan Kramer and the opposition should ask themselves if this is for the best interest of the country, especially when we are only a few days away from hosting the Apec Leaders’ Summit in Port Moresby.
Or is this mere political grandstanding?

David Lepi, Madang