Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape has arisen with fire in his belly today.

A short time ago he issued a short and pugnacious Facebook message to members of Parliament who are plotting to overthrow his government.

The plotters are reportedly led by former prime minister Peter O’Neill and his former deputy Belden Namah.

They claim to have a majority of members who have defected to them, but a parliamentary vote of no confidence cannot be held for another month.

“Produce your numbers on the floor, mate,” a belligerent Marape wrote to chief plotter Belden Namah.

“I am a Huli chief responsible for the small people’s dreams to be rich in their God-given rich land and waters throughout the length and breadth of my country.”

He went on to say that “a Huli doesn’t surrender in a fight, you have to kill me on the battlefield and I will die with dignity.

‘I would rather die in battle’
“I would rather die in battle for the values I stand for than succumbing to the call of a political scumbag.

“And if you do kill me, I can assure you and your cronies, I have kindled a fire in the gut of many of my innocent country-loving first and second term MPs who will carry the fight to take back our country’s resources from the hands of greedy few elites who play this game under the pretext of people’s interest,” Marape said.

“Don’t ask me to resign, come and get it off me in the battlegrounds of Waigani.”

Referring to Namah’s previous hijacking of Parliament, Marape concluded: “You, Belden Namah took it illegally off the father of our nation [Sir Michael Somare] in 2011.

“It will not be as easy this time around.”

Keith Jackson is editor and publisher of PNG Attitude. The Pacific Media Centre republishes his blog items with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

James Marape told The Guardian that Australia had “a moral responsibility … to the upkeep of the planet”, particularly given the extreme effect it was having on smaller Pacific nations.

“I don’t intend to speak from Canberra’s perspective, they have their own policy mindset, but as human beings I know they will respond to the moral obligation that is prevalent amidst us, that we are environmentally sensitive to the needs of others.”

He said the voices of smaller island nations must be listened to.

READ MORE: PNG leader urges Australia and NZ responsibility on climate

“As big countries in the Pacific – Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand – we have a sense of responsibility to the smaller island countries, because displacement of these smaller communities will first and foremost be our neighbourhood responsibility,” Marape said.

In a wide-ranging interview, Marape outlined a vision for his country, to leave behind a history of wasted opportunities and squandered resources, and move towards a healthy and educated nation free of violence.

In May, after Scott Morrison led the Coalition to an election victory, Pacific leaders urged him to do more on climate change, saying Australia was “lagging behind”.

Marape, undertaking his first official visit to Australia last week, said he would “not be silenced” on environmental responsibility.

“We can have our resources but we must have it in an environmentally-friendly manner, so that we leave planet earth to the next generation not in the form we’ve inherited but a better form.”

He said he believed Australia, New Zealand, and PNG should lead the Pacific as a “bloc” of nations reconstructing their economies to handle resource productions in a more environmentally and socially sensitive way.

On Thursday Marape warned foreign companies already in PNG that he intended to crack down on regulatory compliance, and also shake up revenue processing to ensure PNG drew at least 50% in taxes and royalties.

He also wanted to see a shift towards an agricultural exports economy, as a “food bowl for Asia” rather than the current dependence on mining.

“For the amount of wealth the lord has blessed us with … the actual translation of this resource into improving peoples life hasn’t happened well in 44 years,” he told Guardian Australia.

“I don’t blame the past they lived at the time. They wrote the history, I’m going to write the future for our country.”

He said if his government didn’t get the balance right, future generations would blame them.

His comments followed an ambitious declaration on Thursday that the impoverished nation would be free of its dependence on Australian aid – more than half a billion dollars a year – within the decade.

He told Guardian Australia a prosperous PNG was a “win-win” for Australia.

“If we are independent economically, if we are solid and sustaining our own life, your taxes don’t need to come to us,” he said.

“We’ll keep the borders up north safe, we’ll have a better, friendly region up there, so the entire region is safe. If we disintegrate up there it affects Australia too.”

• This article is republished by Asia Pacific Report with permission from Keith Jackson’s blog PNG Attitude. 

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

COMMENTARY: By Bryan Kramer in Port Moresby 

Yesterday, I returned from Tari Electorate in Hela Province following a one day trip to assess the situation following the horrific killing of 23 women (two of whom were pregnant) and nine children in the worst payback killing in our country’s history.

In my capacity as Minister for Police, I represented the James Marape-led government to be on the ground to pay respects to those killed and prepare and provide a brief to the Prime Minister on the circumstances behind the incident – what, who, when, how and why.

Tribal fights are not new in PNG and in recent years they have become more prevalent in the highlands region; one may argue they have been going on since the beginning of time.

READ MORE: Women who died in PNG’s Karida massacre were community ‘anchors’

However since that time the rules of engagement have always been that the elderly, women and children have been off limits.

So killing of innocent women and children in tribal conflicts until recently was unheard of. Last week’s merciless killings have changed everything. The immediate concern is that it will become the new trend.

I guess the questions people are asking are why did it happen, will it happen again and more importantly what is being done to prevent it from ever happening again?

Why it happened
On the first issue, why it happened:

What people would not be aware of was that last week there were three separate killings in Tagali local level government relating to a tribal conflict that has been going on for almost two decades.

The conflict has been between two tribes, one headed by a man called Oi Kiru, who comes from Pajaka 2 village, and the opposing tribe, led by Libe Koi and his second in charge Ha’gu’ai, who come from Yaganda village.

In June 2019, a key tribesman of Libe was killed. His name was Eganada and he lived in Munima village. Usually, when tribes go to war they solicit the support of surrounding villages they are married into or provide protection to.

In this case, a key ally to Libe was Eaganda, who in June was killed by his own cousin A’gun’ai (a known drug body) over an ongoing dispute between them. It is alleged A’gun’ai killed Eganada and in fear of his life fled to Oi Kiru’s village. As the saying goes, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

However, while in the protection of Oi’ Kiru’s tribesman, we were told A’gun’ai, with a number of his own tribesman, killed six of Oi Kiru’s clansmen including his mother.

They returned to their village and threatened a nearby village called Karita, which A’gun’ai is married into, insisting that Karita village pay them protection money or face a similar attack.

Peace ceremony
On Sunday, July 7, Munima and Karita village got together to stage a peace ceremony, Karita offering 10 pigs and 4,000 kina to A’gun’ai and his clansmen.

Unbeknownst to them, Oi Kiru, learning of his mother’s death, raided a village near Munima called Peta, killing three women and three children – they were all shot to death using high powered rifles.

Following the killing at Peta village, on Monday morning around 6am young tribesman attacked Karita Village killing nine women and seven children. Two of the women were pregnant. They were killed after being attacked by the young men with machetes.

Why were women and children attacked at Karita village?

It appears the killing of women and children stemmed from the killing of Oi Kiru’s mother by men under the influence of marijuana. What followed was the payback killing of three women and three children at Peta village that triggered the further payback killing of nine women and seven children at Karita village.

On Tuesday, members of Police Mobile Squad and the Defence Force were deployed to the area. Following the recent visits by the governor of Hela Philip Undialu and me, the killings have stopped for now. Reports indicate those involved have fled the province.

The Governor and I visited both Munima and Karita villages to get a first-hand account of what happened and provide an assurance that the Marape-Steven government will bring those responsible to account.

I had intended to stay overnight at Karita village, since that was the last village to have suffered a major loss, however I was advised against it as Munima village would expect the same treatment.

Community leaders
Despite my disappointment in not spending enough time in the villages, the fact that the governor and I were on the ground prompted the community leaders from Munima and Karita not to continue to retaliate.

So what happens now.

Following consultation with Provincial Governor, Provincial Administrator and the Provincial Police Commander, including Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police David Manning, a platoon from the Defence Force and Police Mobile Squad is being stationed at Munima Primary School to provide round-the-clock security, to prevent any further escalation of violence.

High level discussions on a strategic deployment action plan, using drone technology and satellite surveillance, will be used to track and apprehend those on the run. An intelligence unit will also be established to gather information from community.

While a number of plans are being put into action to ensure peace prevails, to prevent such devastating acts of violence in our communities it is important that for the long term that we find a different way of resolving conflict that rejects revenge but encourages resolution through dialogue.

I intend to return to the province in a week’s time to get an update.

• This article is republished by Asia Pacific Report with permission from Keith Jackson’s blog PNG Attitude. It was originally published on Bryan Kramer’s Facebook page Kramer Report.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Bryan Kramer in Port Moresby 

Yesterday, I returned from Tari Electorate in Hela Province following a one day trip to assess the situation following the horrific killing of 23 women (two of whom were pregnant) and nine children in the worst payback killing in our country’s history.

In my capacity as Minister for Police, I represented the Marape-Steven government to be on the ground to pay respects to those killed and prepare and provide a brief to the Prime Minister on the circumstances behind the incident – what, who, when, how and why.

Tribal fights are not new in PNG and in recent years they have become more prevalent in the highlands region; one may argue they have been going on since the beginning of time.

READ MORE: Women who died in PNG’s Karida massacre were community ‘anchors’

However since that time the rules of engagement have always been that the elderly, women and children have been off limits.

So killing of innocent women and children in tribal conflicts until recently was unheard of. Last week’s merciless killings have changed everything. The immediate concern is that it will become the new trend.

I guess the questions people are asking are why did it happen, will it happen again and more importantly what is being done to prevent it from ever happening again?

On the first issue, why it happened:

What people would not be aware of was that last week there were three separate killings in Tagali local level government relating to a tribal conflict that has been going on for almost two decades.

The conflict has been between two tribes, one headed by a man called Oi Kiru, who comes from Pajaka 2 village, and the opposing tribe, led by Libe Koi and his second in charge Ha’gu’ai, who come from Yaganda village.

In June 2019, a key tribesman of Libe was killed. His name was Eganada and he lived in Munima village. Usually, when tribes go to war they solicit the support of surrounding villages they are married into or provide protection to.

In this case, a key ally to Libe was Eaganda, who in June was killed by his own cousin A’gun’ai (a known drug body) over an ongoing dispute between them. It is alleged A’gun’ai killed Eganada and in fear of his life fled to Oi Kiru’s village. As the saying goes, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

However, while in the protection of Oi’ Kiru’s tribesman, we were told A’gun’ai, with a number of his own tribesman, killed six of Oi Kiru’s clansmen including his mother.

They returned to their village and threatened a nearby village called Karita, which A’gun’ai is married into, insisting that Karita village pay them protection money or face a similar attack.

Last Sunday, Munima and Karita village got together to stage a peace ceremony, Karita offering 10 pigs and 4,000 kina to A’gun’ai and his clansmen.

Unbeknownst to them, Oi Kiru, learning of his mother’s death, raided a village near Munima called Peta, killing three women and three children – they were all shot to death using high powered rifles.

Following the killing at Peta village, on Monday morning around 6am young tribesman attacked Karita Village killing nine women and seven children. Two of the women were pregnant. They were killed after being attacked by the young men with machetes.

Why were women and children attacked at Karita village?

It appears the killing of women and children stemmed from the killing of Oi Kiru’s mother by men under the influence of marijuana. What followed was the payback killing of three women and three children at Peta village that triggered the further payback killing of nine women and seven children at Karita village.

On Tuesday, members of Police Mobile Squad and the Defence Force were deployed to the area. Following the recent visits by the governor of Hela Philip Undialu and me, the killings have stopped for now. Reports indicate those involved have fled the province.

The Governor and I visited both Munima and Karita villages to get a first-hand account of what happened and provide an assurance that the Marape-Steven government will bring those responsible to account.

I had intended to stay overnight at Karita village, since that was the last village to have suffered a major loss, however I was advised against it as Munima village would expect the same treatment.

Despite my disappointment in not spending enough time in the villages, the fact that the Governor and I were on the ground prompted the community leaders from Munima and Karita not to continue to retaliate.

So what happens now.

Following consultation with Provincial Governor, Provincial Administrator and the Provincial Police Commander, including Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police David Manning, a platoon from the Defence Force and Police Mobile Squad is being stationed at Munima Primary School to provide round-the-clock security, to prevent any further escalation of violence.

High level discussions on a strategic deployment action plan, using drone technology and satellite surveillance, will be used to track and apprehend those on the run. An intelligence unit will also be established to gather information from community.

While a number of plans are being put into action to ensure peace prevails, to prevent such devastating acts of violence in our communities it is important that for the long term that we find a different way of resolving conflict that rejects revenge but encourages resolution through dialogue.

I intend to return to the province in a week’s time to get an update.

• This article is republished by Asia Pacific Report with permission from Keith Jackson’s blog PNG Attitude.
• It was originally published on Bryan Kramer’s Facebook page Kramer Report.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz