Despicable behaviour – The week that was, ending 16 December 2013

Scram, Schram.

Last Thursday, December 12, Minister David Arore directed Sir Nagora Bogan, Chancellor of Unitech, Lae, to terminate the employment of Albert Schram, the very popular (with students), Vice Chancellor.

While I have not been following the saga closely, my immediate misgivings are the increasing expressions of xenophobia by a nervous O’Neill government.

Indeed, last week, PM O’Neill labelled me a “foreign journalist,” while denying he was referring to me but addressing my criticisms just the same.

Mr O’Neill, where I was born makes me ‘foreign’ to all countries but one, but never mistake that for disinterest.

I am profoundly concerned with peoples’ ‘human rights’, wherever they reside, especially if they are being denied – because ‘there but for the grace of God, go I.’

Furthermore, no one will prevent me from expressing my abhorrence at the callous exploitation of my fellows, especially those with an interest in perpetuating the exploitation.

As for my sisters, how can I stand back and tacitly approve of how they are systematically being brutalized in PNG?

Mr O’Neill, please understand, there are issues that transcend populist nationalism.

It seems that Vice Chancellor Schram’s popularity may have been his undoing.

Rape in Wewak

This week saw the publicizing of one of the most despicable acts to be reported in the social media this year.

Police carrying out a raid in Wewak took it upon themselves to deliver arbitrary justice by gang raping a suspect’s daughter.

When a well-respected local woman complained to the Wewak Police of the crime, she was beaten and locked up.  It was reported that police fired a shot above her head before she was thrown to the ground and kicked – before being locked in police cells.

Her crime…?

That the social media (myself included) needed to goad the Minister for Police (AKA the Prime Minister) to take action is indicative of the state of affairs in PNG.

The lunatics are indeed in charge of the asylum.

Police responsible for enforcing the law are committing unspeakable crimes and that sounds like anarchy to me, (however much the Prime Minister – and/or his spin doctors – protest.)

O’Neill needs to get his head out of the sand, refocus his gaze away from the good life in Sydney (yes, Prime Minister, I know, and you know exactly to what I’m alluding – do see my ‘about’ page and the principle of the panopticon) and back to the people of Papua New Guinea.

As for the Speaker, if he thinks that removing a few cultural artefacts from the Haus Tambaran will fix what ails PNG, he has another thing coming.

Stop the Speaker.  Someone?  Anyone?

And still the controversy rages through PNG:

Sir Michael has tried to stop him, the unions want him arrested, the Prime Minister pleaded with him to reconsider his position – but no.

Theo the Wrecker presses on with defacing PNG’s heritage: presses on with his self righteous, pious crusade.

If, as the Speaker has told the media today, he wants Christian representations in the Haus Tambaran, then by all means supplement the cultural artefacts, but don’t go throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Speaker, change starts with you – not with inanimate objects.  Think about it