Comments

A very informative and accurate analysis. Justice will be served even if delayed for the sake of the poor and those who are deprived of the basic services. Thanks Countryman for speaking out.

Hi John, thank you for reinforcing the point that these setbacks are not only for the ITFS but the People of PNG. This was an important point the courts were invited to consider in their deliberation.

Thank you Dorothy. I agree with your thoughts re Police Commissioner. The very institution of justice hangs on an impartial police force. Any political interference poses the greatest threat to a functioning society under rule of law.

Thanks Mark. It is a big question whether or not ICAC will be as effective as the Task Force Sweep. Justice Ellis hopefully understands the expectation.

Thanks Bal Your account of the PM case is very informative that even a lay man can draw his/her own conclusion. It was a case unprecedented in the history of PNG. It can be well explained in the context of traditional PNG way how problem is created and how one goes to the extreme of protecting him/herself and their clan or tribes. Relating to your commentary: The setbacks faced not only by ITFS team but also the owners of the public offices (PNGans) would very much like the court to consider: (1) national interest; (2) make decisions not only within the confine of the letter of law but beyond within the spirit of the law; (3) seriously consider prevailing circumstances of the events that unfold in the spirit of neutrality vs apprehension of biasness and (4) public institutions are for everyone’s benefit and not for one or a few individuals. All in all, justice should prevail in all courses. What is known in the public domain with regard to your account are; 1. Police Commissioners-the preceding and current were purposely appointed to disrupt and dismantle the Police Fraud Squad Office which was working directly with ITFS 2. The former AG was suspended and a new one appointed purposely to protect the NEC Chairman and the question of brief out to private lawyers by ITFS would not succeed 3. The NEC decision to disband ITFS and not to be reviewed by court was not for communal/national interest but to serve one or few individuals 4. In the public institutions those officers trying to serve or contribute to justice are seen to be given marching orders and where instances of biasness arose they tended to be getting permanent stay While we respect all court decisions on the case with PM, we would like to see the honorable court of this lands fully exercise its inherent power to do justice in circumstances where injustice would otherwise arise.

Bal, very good analytical paper. Well done. Legislative and institutional reforms are required, as you rightly pointed out, if PNG is serious in fighting against corruption and rid it to make way for genuine development . Police Commissioner's terms, for instance, should be legislated properly so that he/she serves without fear or favor. The police force's constitutional mandate is to preserve peace & good order in the country and enforce the laws in an impartial and objective manner. The Commissioner is the head of this force and as such, his term of employment ought to protected. Only then can he be able to perform his role impartially (ethics, integrity and principles aside), and not serve a certain group of people. Appointment process and committee perhaps also needs review.

A fair and accurate summary. There is now almost no light at the end of the tunnel, and I doubt that ICAC will change that.

Hi Charlie, You raised the important social issue which the present government of Peter O'Neill and Leo Dion and are very un-precise in their political dealing with this national's future especially in regard to the land in Papua New Guinea which the indigenous peoples of this nation owns.

Camilla, that’s a very interesting pieces of interview. Others may share their views on the interview but one important concern that we can raise on RJIA project into community in Pogera or elsewhere is “sustainability” of such community project. Even if there are women volunteers breaking the barriers to promote, advocate and bring to justice the social issues, how long it can be sustained and built on is the concern. Hope Everlyne and her RJIA gets support from Laiagam Pogera DDA and the District Administration with funding and other formal support to continue their community project. Barrick Gold funding support cannot be seen as sustainable.

Hi Somandin, Thanks for your comment. You raise an important point - as more students enter primary school and then progress into secondary school, what can students expect to do once they finish grade 12? As you say, these reforms should also provide students with pathways for continued development beyond secondary school. The TFF does fund vocational education and training but as a policy it does not connect with the higher education sector. Is this "access cliff", where large numbers of secondary school leavers cannot get into university, the best approach? Open distance education will help to a degree but it is not a close substitute to direct university education as far as I can tell. Perhaps a better approach is to not completely do away with academic standards for entry to secondary school, thereby limiting numbers until the capacity of the entire education system (including universities) can handle higher growth in student numbers. There are important trade-offs that are implicitly being made in PNG's education policy. These trade-offs should be more openly acknowledged and discussed, and broad agreement reached on what is the best approach to take. Tony

in the early 1990s there were also some changes to the lower education sector. these changes includes the reform from non-formal tokples pre-school to elementary school, community school to primary school and provincial high school to secondary school. whilst the GoPNG concentrates on these reforms we forgot that the actual out put of this reforms will be the input to the tertiary education sector. after 10 years and on-wards we are seeing the effects of this reforms by having the number of our grade twelves increasing and many missing out on spaces in the tertiary education sector. with the current TFF policy and the removal of grades 8 and 10 exam will only make it more challenging for us to absorb ever increasing number of students. these reforms are not bad for the country but are things we want and planned for, but we have failed to strike a balance in reforming our tertiary education sector to match the expected outcome of our reforms. recommendation. the GoPNG should now concentrate on providing quality to the lower education sector and improve excess and quality in the higher education sector.

The highway to hell starts from paradise... Bri has a point of contention with what happened out there, but going back to PNG, we have this "block voting" active and alive, opposed to party line. Tribal, marriage, and customary alliance is still active.. minus the anticipated party manifesto. This election might go with the latter.... We hope for changes, but the current government has 'institutionalised' itself like nothing seen before. If the fraud court cases, task force sweep, student protests.... all fell shot of achieving an outcome. The chances of this government returning to form the 10th Parliament is looming.