A time for change: The fight against corruption is everyone’s fight

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo

As the momentum across the country builds up to demand the government to account for allegations of corruption leveled against them it’s important that every citizen in Papua New Guinea must understand that this is a battle for our future. It does not matter who you are or where you are from; if you consider yourself a patriot then this is the time you have to stand united with all concern Papua New Guineans to demand a new deal, a new destiny and a new future. If you are on the fence sooner or later you will have to decide whether to join the crusade or hop on the bandwagon of gluttony and indulgence. Whether you consider yourself a proponent of corruption or an ally, friend, compatriot, associate or colleague of those who promote corruption with their deeds; moral conviction should have your conscience troubled. The truth is that Goodness and Righteousness is universal so what is wrong cannot be made right. Those who use all means possible to prove otherwise are no different to Judas Iscariot.    

This country belongs to the 8-10 million Papua New Guineans who consider this country their home. No one person or group should hold this country to ransom. There should be a concerted effort from everyone to seek justice and recourse for the wrongs that have been done to our nation in the past and present by our government or foreign agents. The fight against a contagious and pervasive endemic such as corruption does not require a divided house of political wrangling but one built on the common voice of the commoners. Only this will restore the future of this country. There should be no room for regionalism, individualism and all forms of schisms that stand to divide us and derail the effort to reign in this “wild beast” called corruption that has caused havoc in all facets of life in PNG. Failure to stop its stampede has ensure that our national security is constantly being undermined, the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen even more and  our State of Union is in danger of being fragmented due to nepotism. Our allegiance should be to God, the Constitution and the people of this country and no one else. 

Governments come and governments go but not our freedom and liberty. As human beings we are bequeathed by God with these unique traits to reach the full potential of our humanity socially, spiritually and physically. What is the worth of forfeiting that which defines us as a people? There are countries who have suffered to enjoy the privilege of nationhood and sovereignty that we see withered away before our eyes by self-serving individuals and entities. Are we prepared to be our own worst enemy? What is life without God, a nation to call home, a national anthem to sing of our pride as a nation, a flag to fly our patriotism with pride and a constitution to defend our alienable rights? Should we be foxes with no foxholes or birds with no nest? 

PNG is yet to see a government that is truly of the people, for the people and by the people.  Every election is jeopardized by politicians and their hungry for power supporters. Power is snatched from the people and people feel powerless to seek justice. No government can absolutely say that they have been given mandate by the people. The truth is just about majority of elections are won through foul play and intimidation. As we prepare for the 2017 General election we should begin to think seriously of what we should do to make this election a “free and fair election”. Fighting corruption begins at the ballot box. Let’s defeat corruption at the ballot box. Before that we need to shake the establishment and send a clear message to the echelon of power that we the people mean business.  

PNG must let go of the Asylum Seekers and reach out to West Papua

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo

PNG’s highest courts recent verdict that the setting up of the Detention Centre in Manus is unconstitutional should be welcomed with open arms by all Papua New Guineans. This was a deal struck by two desperate governments. One looking for a way to stop the influx of “boat people” coming from Middle East into its shores while the other seeking more handouts from Australia. Their temporary marriage on this sensitive issue was bound to come undone sooner or later. Incidents of clashes between the local security personnel manning the Manus Detention Centre and the detainees clearly demonstrate the frustrations and anger that those refugees harbor against both PNG and Australia. A build up of animosity could spell trouble for both countries; more so for PNG given our incapability to detect and deter terrorism activities on our shores. Whether we knew it or not when the PNG government agreed to housed the asylum seekers it declared itself an ally against the “boat” insurgency from the Middle East. The only problem is that it is not our problem. The refugees clearly don’t want to come to PNG and don’t want anything to do with PNG. So who in PNG in his/her right frame of mind would want to go to the extent of being the “Good Samaritan” to these refugees? Adding salt onto the wound we have even decided to grant citizenship to these refugees. We are just asking for trouble. It is Australia that they want to go so let Australia deal with it. PNG and other Pacific Island Countries should only come into the frame only when the issue is a regional one. Right now it is not. That’s a fact.  

The unconstitutionality of the Detention Centre means that the political leadership of PNG must be held accountable. This was a decision that the current PM and his government undertook without consulting the wider public in PNG. Assessing the threat of such an agreement on PNG’s national security as well as its legality should have been the first and foremost logical thing that the PNG Government should have undertaken prior to signing onto this agreement with Australia. Now the agreement has been found wanting by the highest court of the land.  

If PNG wants to be seen as being serious in addressing refugee issues it should take on board the West Papua Issue with urgency. Similar to the Manus Detention Centre the government should set-up such centres to accommodate refugees freeing across the border to sought refuge in PNG. The government should have atleast argued for the inclusion of West Papua in the MSG in exchange for Indonesia's membership. The West Papua Issue has more relevance to PNG culturally, socially and politically than the “Boat issue” of Australia. The West Papua Issue contrary to the Asylum Seeker is the “regional issue”. The plight of the West Papuans is a threat to the well-being of all Melanesian and Pacific Islanders. PNG’s involvement will draw support from the wider Melanesian family from Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji. I am sure other Pacific Island Countries would also support such an effort given West Papuans are Pacific Islanders. In the true spirit of Melanesia and Pacific Detention centres for West Papuan Refugees can be set-up all across the Pacific to share the responsibility to take care of our “brother” in need.

By accepting to illegally hold citizens of foreign countries against their will PNG has not done any good to its reputation. Infact it is just as guilty as Australia in committing this human rights crime. The Supreme Court ruling has done justice to this and perhaps will instill some sense into our leaders to make rational decisions to put the interest of our country ahead of politics. Let’s look at cleaning our own backyard before we lend a helping hand.     

2016 looking more ominous as PNG’s year of reckoning

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo

Events in the last couple of weeks have understandably raised confusion, doubts, frustrations and anxiety among the general public in PNG. Once again the constitution of our country is being tested as a senior judge of the Supreme Court was charged by the Fraud Squad for judicial corruption while the country’s current Prime Minister is fighting allegations leveled against him for official corruption. The court’s decision to firstly dismiss the PM’s application to stay his arrest and then setting aside Damaru and Getua’s suspension by the Police Commissioner has already irritated the PM; to the extent where he has questioned the neutrality of the members of the Supreme Court bench while policemen loyal to him remain belligerent. These actions by the PM and his policemen may well be unprecedented in PNG’s history. Remember this is the PM that along with members of his cabinet sponsored the controversial Judicial Conduct Bill as soon as they came into power. Then soon after vowed to repeal the Act after much criticism both domestically and from abroad. Our judiciary so far has remained resilient since we gained our independence. In a democracy where at times the other two arms of our government have shown little resistance and independence; its often been described as the nation’s last hope and bastion against tyranny.

Economically, the nation is facing cash flow crisis as the government buckles down on its expenditure. 2016 started off with several government cheques being dishonored by the banks. Current restrictions imposed by BPNG on the nation’s foreign reserves are not supporting a burgeoning private sector’s import demands critical to our nation's economic health while the national budget is being supported largely through domestic borrowing. However, if the global commodity prices don’t improve quickly soon enough the government may be forced to seek loans from abroad. The US$300 million that the government is negotiating with IFC is already under scrutiny. Eventually all these borrowings could quickly dry up if the nation’s credit rating is further downgraded by the international credit rating agency (Standard & Poor); an indication of our nation’s inability to repay its debt obligation whilst meeting its policy priorities. Recent reports of manipulation of economic statistics by the government should not come as a surprise especially for a country that has a chronic disorder in collating, maintaining and dispersing on a timely basis reliable data for planning and policing making purposes. A government that thrives on “populist” policy is sure to take full advantage of this “inefficiency” to prop up its credibility and ability to prudentially manage the economy while driving its popular policies. This is very frightening for our country if the government is using these “unauthenticated” data to justify further borrowings. The cash flow crisis that our country is facing at present may well portray a situation where the market is trying to “correct itself”. As a result a lot of pain now awaits the government and the nation as it works to pull this country out from a deepening economic crisis. The golden period has come to an end and it will be a while before we experience a similar period. Right now we are entering a new (but familiar) phase in our nation’s development. This is a period where the government will need to once again put in place policy measures to regain, rebuild and restore our economy.   

Out on the streets simple Papua New Guineans remain ignorant carrying on their normal lives as if nothing is wrong. Even when news of the past week have raised alarm bells of the state of our union all seems to be quiet. In this unpredictable environment we can only assume and ponder “what would have been”. What if last week’s ethnic tension in Gordon Market that caused the PMV operators to go on city-wide strike was instead over the removal of key members of the fraud squad and the eventual temporary closure of the Fraud Squad Office? What if the series of student led strikes in session in couple of campuses throughout the country was to demand the government and the PM to come clean on the corruption saga that is before us?

No one can deny that an under-current is building up (or is already underway by the look of things on social media) that may soon force the government to consider the nation’s interest over personal glory. Sooner or later if the current crisis is not brought under control the rumblings will get louder and eventually invade the airwaves, the footpaths and streets. The 2001 UPNG led nationwide strike[1] against the privatization of SOEs is a reminder of the enormous power the people of this country possess to demand and eventually bring about change. Coincidentally, this student led strike was in response to the last structural reform initiated by the Mekere Led Government to stop the then hemorrhaging economy caused by Skate’s government’s disastrous management of our economy. Privatization of state owned entities was the central pillar of that IMF led structural reforms at that time. 

At where we are now it is easy to draw parallels with that nation’s piece of history. History as is very well known has a neck for repeating itself. Before all hell breaks loose commonsense should prevail otherwise insanity will run amok en masse. The events in the last couple of weeks may well herald the reckoning of our nation.          

---

[1] https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2001/06/png-j29.html

Ignoring the informal economy - The absurdity of our urbanization planning

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo

City or town planning is now a matter of national importance as increased population puts pressure on the existing public infrastructure and amenities. Not able to penetrate into the formal economy most cities like Port Moresby and Lae are seeing an exponential rise in the number of squatter settlements and informal economic activities. Competing for limited space in big cities and centers have resulted in conflicts between informal economy participants and urban authorities that at times have become deadly. The NCDC Buai Ban is a classic example where Buai vendors and city rangers have confronted each other on numerous occasions in the city. This trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future if nothing urgent is done to curb it.

Ensuring that the formal sector and the large informal economy gel in order to address crucial development challenges of a fast growing Papua New Guinea is a major policy challenge for the government of Papua New Guinea. At present most government or municipal authorities’ urban development plans are bias towards the formal sector. Very little consideration is given to the informal economy. Although the intention could be to promote formal sector growth; the reality is that this strategy has not yield any tangible results. Contrary to the conventional wisdom informal economy has been found to be stubborn and at times poses a significant threat to the wellbeing of the formal sector. This is further aided by the government’s heavy focus on the highly capitalized extractive industry or non renewable sectors in the country. The result is a large segment of the population who have been left behind to fend for their survival in the informal economy. Therefore, bringing the informal economy into the planning process and subsequently the governance framework could be the “missing piece” when planning the development and expansion of towns and cities in PNG.

It’s an absurd strategy when the informal economy being the elephant in the room is ignored in urban development plans. Ignoring it has seen the tax payers and the authorities spend money and resources without any real progress in combating its problems. Informal economy like the formal sector contribute to waste and litter as well as tax through GST. Subsequently municipal and urban authorities’ waste management and littering policies and laws should promote innovative ideas to get the informal economy actively engaged in beautifying the city. Furthermore, it should recognize its contribution interms of tax (GST) rather than preferring to act as if this is not the case. It should move away from this “hardline” approach that is clearly not working to their expectations.

While theoretically possible there is no illusion whatsoever that its practical application will be a very difficult task. The process will require the urban planners to drastically modify their planning model ensuring that the needs of those operating in the informal economy is captured in the urban development plans. Political will is a key driver in fueling these reforms. Without it there is very little hope to get this done. For their part the informal economy participants will have to operate their business in a more coordinated manner according to set rules and guidelines.

 Such ideas like the one proposed by Consultative Implementation & Monitoring Council (CIMC) to look into giving “voice” to the informal economy participants could facilitate dialogue between the informal economy and relevant authorities for the purpose of drawing up urban development plans. In this way informal economy representation is acknowledged in the planning process. This can lead to a win-win situation for all parties concern. The government should be willing to "embrace" and listen to the "voice" of the informal economy. In a democratic country like PNG the governed should have equal rights exercised in a way that they are seen as equal partners in development. Already through the review of the INFORMAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENT & CONTROL ACT 2004 provisions have already been made to ensure informal economic activities are carried out in compliance (through minimum standards) with such legislations as the Physical Planning Act and Buildings Act. The catch of course is that the “minimum standards” to be imposed should be agreed amicably by all parties concern. These "minimum standards" under these various legislations should be fair and equitable otherwise we will kill the informal economy. Bringing the informal economy more and more into the planning process will hopefully prevent this from happening.  

Too much hypocrisy in this Christian country of ours

BUSA JEREMIAH WENOGO Via PNG ATTITUDE

PAPUA New Guinea is regarded as a Christian country. Its constitution declares Christianity as a State religion, although our homeland also embraces freedom of religion.

Yet, given the influence of Christianity, Papua New Guineans who affiliate themselves with other religions such as Islam or Hinduism make up just a tiny minority of our people.

Papua New Guinea is also said to be one of the last frontiers of the great crusade to Christianise and subsequently civilise the uncivilised. These efforts have not been easy.

The early missionaries frequently shed blood to establish Christianity in this country. In terms of progress, the role of the churches cannot be ignored. In the absence of a government presence or even support, churches have had to carry the heavy burden of development in Papua New Guinea.

Our public institutions involved in the work of justice and governance, such as the courts and Parliament, are required to have reverence to God in carrying out their mandated duties and responsibilities.

By the same token, we the governed are expected to conduct ourselves in a manner that reflects high moral principles and aspirations. Even miscreants and convicts are required by law to take an oath on a Bible before they give their testimony to the court.

However, as a nation, it is fair to say that we have failed miserably to live up to the high ideals of Christianity. We are not alone, of course. Every nation is at fault in not living up to its Constitution or moral laws.

Yet, in Papua New Guinea, one almost gets the feeling that we deliberately allow this mischievous behavior to flourish even though we feel the pain that it inflicts upon us. Or worse, when it contradicts the Christian values our nation has adopted in its Constitution.

This is where calling ourselves a Christian nation becomes a form of hypocrisy. These days our Christian values and principles are muddled with the tide of ideas promoting a liberal and humanistic lifestyle. Yet, our government does not see the necessity of policing such behaviour to ensure we conform to the Constitution.

Take for instance, the way we celebrate Christmas and Easter. We tend to promote two contradictory messages. At Christmas there are Papua New Guineans who flock to the shopping malls to buy gifts for their loved ones. Kids go into shops hoping to shake Santa’s hands or wish that he would come by in his sleigh to drop off gifts. Papua New Guineans conduct vigils in churches to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

Then there are the young people who indulge themselves in binge drinking accompanied by loud music which is the new way of celebrating Christmas, sadly becoming the norm. Nobody cares about asking whether it is an acceptable practice or not.

At Easter, the same trend is displayed where one group takes part in church activities to acknowledge the significance of Christ death on the cross while the others go looking for bunnies, chocolate eggs and beer. Is this how citizens of a self-professed Christian nation should behave?

Our nation’s hypocrisy was on display when Speaker Theo Zurenuoc replaced parliamentary carvings and totems and installed a 400-year old bible. This was his attempt to institute reforms in parliament. However even this noble idea was met with strong opposition from Papua New Guineans, including certain members of the “body of Christ”.

This was said to be part of the Speaker’s attempt to fight the corruption pervasive in PNG’s echelon of power. Perhaps by replacing these traditional totems with Christian symbols he was trying to reinforce the fact that we are a ‘Christian’ country; that Christianity and not PNG’s diverse cultures and traditions is the underlying commonality that is critical to our unity.

While some argued from a philosophical standpoint about the importance of maintaining some level of independence between the State and church others saw the move as anti-nationalism; a slap in the face for PNG’s culture and traditional values.

Regardless, in a Christian country, such a hostile reception towards an endeavour to promote Christianity is nothing short of an act of hypocrisy.

PNG’s founding Judeo-Christian principles should be the yardstick to help our leaders chart our course towards our destiny.

Our journey as a nation has been one of taking huge strides and great leap of faith. Sometimes we do so at our own expense and other times we find ourselves riding its waves of success. In moving forward we should confess that PNG is a Christian country. Faith without works is not faith at all.

A country is a lion when it leaves behind a lion’s footprints. Let us live up to what we profess to be - a Christian country – otherwise we show hypocrisy of the highest order

Make our informal economy accountable

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo

The chaotic scene yesterday afternoon in Port Moresby where buses were pulled off the road over an ethnic clash and public commuting back home on foot should be a wake-up call to NCDC and other relevant authorities to now seriously address the ethnic tensions in the city. Since this morning the bus stop at the infamous Gordon Market is closed while a massive clean-up campaign orchestrated by the Police has left the place totally deserted. It was almost like dejavu where the stabbing of a police officer last year saw a similar exercise carried out in the market. Once again the many poor mothers and fathers who resort to small informal economic activities in the market to sustain their livelihood were victimized as the Police closed up the market for an indefinite period. While no exact cause of the fiasco has been identified rumours has it that the problem started when a bus crew tried to rescue a woman who was being pursued by petty criminals.

The social media was once again swamped with frustrations and anger over the incident. Most users overwhelmingly called for harsher measures to be imposed to curb this problem like vagrancy. Yet at the end everyone of us have to be blamed for allowing the situation to escalate. NCDC while considerate of the interest of the informal economy vendors did not put effort into regulating the activities on a daily basis. This means putting trained inspectors on the ground. The police could only disperse the crowd often with the use of force to deter the conduct of illegal activities. On their part the informal market vendors showed a lack of willingness to cooperate with the authorities to address the ongoing law and order issues while the public could only watch as their freedom is usurped by willy nilly pick pocketers, drunkards and drug addicts.

Over the years measures have been taken to address these problems but they have been found to be wanting. Everytime the government reacts the magnitude of the problem increases by certain fold. At the heart of this “cat and mouse game” is an informal economy that is left to thrive without any form of control. The first step to finding a long lasting solution is to recognize and admit that the current strategy of “treating it as an enemy” is not working. Problems relating to an out of control informal economy will continue unabated so long as the city experiences continued influx of people. It is high time the government work with the informal economy as a “partner in development”. Certainly the National Informal Economy Policy 2011-2015 advocates the need for the government to recognize informal economy as a “grassroots enterprise” and a “legitimate” partner to the formal sector.

From the outset we all have to recognize and support the fact that informal economy contributes towards addressing some of our pressing development needs such as providing income to the unemployed and under-employed and affordable homes, mostly in settlements, to those plagued by the city’s ongoing housing crisis. Although it is blamed for littering and providing a safe haven for petty criminals to conduct their activities, this problem is allowed to flourish because of a lax in enforcement.        

    

In moving forward the government should now seriously consider supporting the review of the Informal Sector Development & Control Act 2004. The revised law will empower respective provincial and LLGs to control the conduct of informal economic activities within their respective jurisdictions. The act of controlling the informal economy is critical for revenue raising purposes as well as consumer protections. The gist of the law will be the need to build a robust and responsive well-trained inspectorate functions that is able to administer the law within its ambit; something that the review process has found to be lacking. Supporting the work of the inspectors should be a “voice” mechanism” in the form of an association representing the interest of the informal economy participants. This group should comprise of influential informal economy vendors whose role will be to facilitate dialogue between informal economy vendors and the relevant city authorities. This lot or group will also be responsible for ensuring that informal economy vendors conduct their activities within the confines of the law. They should also be called upon in the event disputes or conflicts arise within the premises of the informal economy. Such an approach would herald a new strategy; one that aims to embrace the informal economy as a partner in development. Most importantly; it will mean that the government is trying to make informal economy accountable something that at present is missing in the midst of this turmoil.   

Corruption: When silence speaks the people can live again

By BUSA JEREMIAH WENOGO via PNG ATTITUDE 

MOST Papua New Guineans like me, who dream of a transparent, fair and equitable nation were wondering if the recent Police fraud squad’s arrests of high profile individuals was the light at the end of this abyss called corruption.

The events of this recent weekend – with the head of the Police fraud directorate being suspended and his forced to step aside – may mean what appeared as a light was only a shadow.

Considering the magnitude of corruption in PNG, honest hardworking Papua New Guineans across both rural and urban areas feel entrapped in a system that sucks the life out of honesty and leaves behind hopelessness and frustration. We are under siege.

It is common knowledge that the 10% commission fee is a way of “getting things done” in PNG. If we choose to go through the proper processes it is “a walk to no way”.

Both government and private sectors are littered with the 10% cowboys. A humble taxi driver can’t get a permit to operate without going through the back door. Government contracts increasingly fall victim to what is euphemistically termed a “self-imposed inflated price”. Police are being bribed to smuggle the green gold of betel nut into Port Moresby.

Meanwhile, on the streets, thousands of impoverished mothers and fathers braving the harsh tropical heat to earn a few kina must be on constant look-out for pickpockets and other petty thieves who care nothing about their wellbeing.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Things have become atrocious in our country. We’re a people who have earned all sorts of titles, good and bad. “Land of the Unexpected” was always a fitting description of the chameleon life in PNG. And now we have a corruption, in the words of Sir Mekere Morauta, so pervasive that it would take a miracle to extricate PNG from its tentacles.

Of late I have noticed that many educated Papua New Guineans are losing interest in issues of national interest. They don’t bother buying newspapers or watching the evening news. Even on social media only a handful of are making noise about issues of national importance. Most prefer to lie low, opting to suffer in silence with the rest of the kanakas.

We all see corruption everywhere and the logic is simple and sickening. Don’t worry about something you can’t stop.

I have friends who think that way. They are part of a growing number of Papua New Guineans who operate in mute mode. PNG to them is Gotham in real life where chaos and lawlessness are the rule of law.

While corrupt groupies may delight in this orgiastic reality, concerned people need to wake from their hibernation before it’s too late and peaceful recovery is impossible. Ignorance of evil is not an option. We have a nation to save.

Yet we should listen to their silence and understand that it is a symptom of institutions falling apart due to rampant corruption; it is a sign of a system that is skewed towards pursuing the interests of the few at the expense of the majority.

Our judiciary, seen as one of the last bastions holding out against the oppressors, is constantly bombarded by desperados hell bent on preserving their positions only at the cost of what is truly a silent majority of Papua New Guineans. Yet the silent majority cops the full force of the law even if a can of tin fish or one kilo bag of rice is pilfered because it is needed.

Most of us remain silent in our own world of powerlessness against a corrupted system that is entrenched into the core of our nation. It is no solace that our friends, wantoks, relatives and families may be part of it. Our silence also makes us part of the problem.

This nation needs one good conviction to raise its hopes; one good judgment to bring it back from oblivion. When silence finally speaks, its voice will herald a new era and a new dawn for our beloved Papua New Guinea.

All our eyes are now on the courts. Make us live again for a great Papua New Guinea.

Source: http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2016/04/corruption-when-silence-speaks-the-people-can-live-again.html#more