LAW AND ORDER CRISIS: WHO IS REALLY TO BLAME?

While freedom of movement is a constitutional right, it has become alarmingly clear that certain provinces are now shutting their doors to outsiders. This is not an attack on national unity, nor is it a random act of discrimination it is a direct response to the law and order crisis that has been ignored for far too long.

STOP BLAMING PROVINCES THAT ARE TRYING TO PROTECT THEMSELVES

Politicians and citizens alike are quick to condemn provinces that are taking drastic measures to protect their people. But before pointing fingers, let’s ask the hard questions:

●Why has law and order deteriorated to the point where people feel unsafe in their own country?

●Why are provinces resorting to shutting their borders?

●Why are some provinces peaceful while others are overrun with crime and violence?

It is easy to criticize these provinces for “discrimination,” but they are only reacting to a national crisis that politicians have failed to address. Instead of blaming them, we should be asking:

●Why is my province struggling with crime?

●Why are my people leaving for other provinces?

●Why is my government failing to provide safety and opportunities for its own citizens?

IF YOU WANT CHANGE, FIX YOUR OWN BACKYARD FIRST

Rather than shifting blame, politicians and citizens need to take responsibility and demand real solutions:

 Improve law and order in your own province.
 Create jobs and economic opportunities to reduce unnecessary migration.
 Strengthen border security to prevent criminals from moving freely.
 Reintroduce the Vagrancy Act to manage migration and lawlessness.
 Give provinces autonomy to control their security and development.

THE HARSH REALITY

If law and order continues to deteriorate, more provinces will take drastic measures to protect their people. National unity will not be saved by simply quoting constitutional rights it will only be restored when every province is safe, livable, and economically stable for its own people.

This is the time for all Members of Parliament to take responsibility and address the law and order crisis in their own provinces and districts. Improve security, create employment opportunities for your constituents, and repatriate unemployed vagrants who have migrated to other provinces. Strengthen border security, reintroduce the Vagrancy Act, and push for regional autonomy so provinces can control their borders, manage their economies, protect their land, safeguard their interests, and most importantly, ensure the safety of their people.

Instead of blaming provinces for reacting to crime, ask why crime is out of control in the first place. Fix that problem, and no one will have to shut their doors. Enough of excuses and stop blaming others. 

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— feeling sad in Port Moresby.

Lino Jeremaih Tom - Wabag MP & Peoples Party Leader

By Lino Jeremaih Tom - Wabag MP & Peoples Party Leader

Freedom of movement (section 52) is a fundamental human right but is qualified in our jurisdiction under section 38 of our Constituition. This qualification as stipulated in section 38 is subject to some restrictions and these are clearly articulated in section 38 amongst which, are public safety and order. Now these restrictions can only be imposed through parliament under special circumstances like a State of Emergency etc. Doing it without the parliament’s approval is illegal.

This event in Vanimo is a “watershed moment” in the short history of our nation when people decided to usurp the powers of Parliament and must not be taken lightly. This is a first of its kind. This event has transpired because people have risen to take preemptive and precautionary measures to protect themselves in a gross, uncivil and illegitimate way. Do we blame the people? Yes we do because they have taken law into their own hands because they feel the government and institutions of state will no longer protect their lives and properties and they, unlike the rest including leaders, can see the unprecedented rise in law and order issues and are distressed, very anxious, and afraid. They have now taken a precautionary but somewhat discriminatory and a much more unsavoury way to address this. This precedent maybe quite detrimental to our national unity and goodwill but when desperation sets in, unprecedented measures will be taken as demonstrated by these people.

I hear Governor Bird’s lamentations of unfair wealth distribution and rightly so. But, where are all the Ministers from the coast? They in fact, make up the entire Senior Economic Ministerial Portfolios in cabinet! Why should we blame PM Marape as he’s just one man amongst all these heavy weights from the coast? The last thing we would want is blaming the failures of our system on the ordinary people and taking it out on them. Such draconian discriminatory public measures incited by the good governor of WSP will only destroy our fragile union. Maybe, it’s about time the leaders in Cabinet should rise up and call for a more equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth! Maybe, they should demand more drastic measures to be taken in the fight against this law and order mess! Maybe, they should grow some balls and call a spade a spade and declare that PNG is in a “Law and Order Crisis” and declare a nationwide SOE. We can then vindicate our people in Vanimo for their stance and start curtailing all qualified rights such as the freedom of movement and deal with this mess that we’re in. Supporting illegal and divisive measures like this will only destroy our nation and its fragile union. One wrong doesn’t right another!

If the leaders fail, the people will always rise when they see overt injustice and take law into their own hands as in this case in point and a myriad of other grotesque examples we see daily in social media everyday! At the end of the day, the ordinary and innocent people will suffer as a result for our government’s failure. The majority of the highlanders are civilized and peace loving! The Governor of West Sepik who is in government should ask the Government to be more pragmatic and address these issues instead of fomenting regionalism and discriminatory segregation that may have devastating spillover effects in other parts of our country. Have we run out of ideas to resort to these low, cheap and despicable measures? It’s in times of crisis that the people must see the true essence and strength of Government!