An Open Letter To The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape

A Call for Action in Papua New Guinea. Crime is rampant in PNG, and mere condemnations from Waigani are insufficient. The people demand decisive action to restore safety and justice.

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea by Scott Waide

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, by Scott Waide.

Dear Prime Minister, By Scott Waide Once again I write an open letter to you – this time, it is in relation to the recent events that have occurred in Port Moresby. On the outset, let me say that, like many, I do not possess the experience you have in running a complex collection of tribes called Papua New Guinea. However, on the outside, it gives me the opportunity to draw from the personal experiences of ordinary Papua New Guineans and express opinions that hopefully guide the decisions that are made in distant Waigani. At the end of the day, you are but a custodian of the office of the people. First, I am seriously concerned at the state at which we find ourselves as a country. Crime is rife. Foreign drug cartels have made PNG their home, tribesmen armed with high powered weapons kill with impunity. In the last 46 hours, we’ve seen one of the most horrific acts of violence in the heart of Port Moresby. While the attention is here in the Big City, many more women continue to be killed in rural areas. They are burned, their genitals mutilated and they’re slaughtered like animals. Sadly, they remain, out of sight and out of mind. Also in the last week, Constable Gorano, from MS11 died from his injuries after being in a coma for three weeks. His comrade and brother, Constable Noah Biape who died earlier. He was shot and killed. They are foot soldiers who did the state’s bidding. But when they take off the uniform at the end of the day, they are brother, uncle, son, husband, father. So far, up to 20 policemen have died in the line of duty since the 2017 election. I counted. How many of the killers have been arrested? I’ve seen a statement by the Police Minister, Peter Tsiamalili and I’ve seen your strongly worded statement on the Port Moresby killing. I searched for decisive words that would give comfort to me as a Papua New Guinean and the families who have contacted me privately asking if I can “say something.” In the comfort of Waigani, we cannot just CONDEMN. It is convenient. In the comfort of Waigani, we cannot call for the killers of policemen and citizens to surrender. The monopoly of violence is in the hands of the government. It is the job of the government to be decisive and to arrest the criminals. We have left it almost optional to the relatives to surrender them. Phrases like “I have directed,” or “I have instructed” or “I issued orders” need to be used more. Those words need to be accompanied with clear deadlines, so that your people are able to hold you to account. In the current state of the country, condolences are of little value. Condemnations must be accompanied with action. Otherwise, they mean little.