Why must there be senseless deaths

 THE brutal murder of Divine Word University student Nigel Laki last Friday evening in Madang must be condemned in the strongest possible way.

Like a typical horror story, this one unfolded on the streets of Papua New Guinea’s premier tourist centre.

Two young men were walking back after visiting the liquor shop when they were confronted by “rascals” from a nearby settlement. Police allege that Laki, a third-year journalism student at DWU, was stabbed in the chest during the confrontation and later died in hospital.

Provincial Police Com­man­der Sylvester Kalaut says the suspects are known to police and they will soon be apprehended and charged. While it seemed like an isolated incident, Kalaut thinks it may be related to a spate of school fights that had occurred in Madang during the week.  He has urged the schools and parents to help in preventing further fights and trouble among students, which could affect other sectors of the community.

We are saddened by Laki’s death as he spent six weeks doing his practical training with The National during the Christmas vacation last year. From Avatip village in East Sepik, Laki was a hard-working and dedicated student who showed great promise. Sadly, his aspirations of becoming a journalist will never be realised because of the senseless act of people who do not value life.

As Catholic Church media r0epresentative Fr Giorgio Licini said in the aftermath of the killing: “The shock comes as another young promising life is lost to the family and to the community for no understandable and acceptable reason. Schoolmates and friends grieve a loss that is forever. Leaders and authorities scramble in trying to contain immediate anger and emotions just to avoid an eye for an eye – tooth for tooth retribution. PNG is a Christian country and Divine Word a Christian university and cannot go down that path.”

While the police and law-abiding residents of Madang are likely to blame settlers for the killing and other criminal activities, we agree with Licini that settlements are not places full of rascals. “Rather teachers, bank employees, policemen and other people belonging to the so-called working class live in settlements. They simply cannot afford purchasing, building or renting a house. Any current tertiary student is a potential settlement dweller in a few years’ time.”

We support the notion that the problem is much wider and relates to urbanisation because of lack of development, facilities and amenities in rural areas. Furthermore, it is aggravated by tribal fights and sorcery persecution that force people out of their remote villages.

As Licini pointed out, “It becomes hell when a city does not find its own Powes Parkop providing scholarships to school dropouts and casual job opportunities to those who just roam the streets.” 

Interestingly, Laki’s death has sparked the need for the re-emergence of the neighbourhood watch programme in Madang town. 

Residents of the suburb where the killing took place said there was an urgent need for cooperation to prevent certain people from withholding vital information from the police. 

Maggie Pidik, a long-time resident from West New Britain, spoke strongly against the notion of mothers holding back their sons from police interrogations, saying such behaviour was not helpful to the concerned family and the community.

Bonny Pongo, a local businessman who rushed Laki to hospital that night, said this was a wake-up call to their ward councillor to start initiating the neighbourhood watch programme to prevent youths from other settlements coming into their suburb and causing trouble.

The community’s quick response to the killing is most heartening and shows that law-abiding citizens will stand up for their rights if pushed into the corner. Likewise, the relevant government authorities must seriously consider such issues as housing and employment opportunities in towns like Madang, which are littered with settlements.

The horrific killing of an innocent young man with a bright future should be a wake-up call for the Madang community and government agencies to work together to build an environment that is conducive to their wellbeing and interests.