A Mother's Love

By Goslyn Robson
*Dedicated to Lovely MUM, the late Naomi Keruveto

A mother’s love is something that no one can explain.

It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain.

It is endless and unselfish and enduring,

Come what may! For nothing can destroy it or take that love away.

It is patient and forgiving, when all others are forsaking,

And it never fails or fatters, even though the heart is breaking.

It believes on believing,

When the world around condemns,

It glows with all the beauty of the rare, brightest gems.

It is far beyond defying.

It defies all explanation and it still remains a secret.

Like mysteries of creation,

And many splendour miracles that men cannot understand,

And another wondrous guidance of God’s guiding hand.

So Sweet!

I shall come to you at night,

But by sunrise, I’ll be gone.

I could also lure you in the daylight,

But you will be weak to the bone.

I shall give you the pleasure,

And make you long for me.

Worry not, ‘coz its part of nature,

That you should crave for me!

I shall begin fairly slow and shallow,

Oh! You won’t resist me when I go deep!

Just relax on your bed, and your pillow.

Submit to me like a sheep.

As you submit, I shall cast my spell.

From head to toe, hair to nail, it shall flow,

Until ring, ring goes the bell,

Or your face begins to glow.

When I am over you,

Or in my arms you get lost,

There is only one thing you can do,

No matter what the cost.

Dream, nice and sweet, dream!

That’s what you shall do!

So fabulously unreal some shall seem.

But every night, they are new.

With pleasure, you shall utter my name.

You are sweet, you will say!

You shall proclaim my fame,

As you go out for the day!

‘You are so sweet!’

‘It is so sweet!’

‘Sleep is so sweet!’

“I am so sweet!”

Yes!

My name is Sleep,

And Yes!

I am so sweet!

The P-Factors in Lahanis

*Dedicated to the Bintangor Goroka Lahanis Team, Management and Loyal Fans.

A very belated congratulation to the Bintangor Goroka Lahanis for victoriously lifting the last B-Mobile Cup, and a not-so-belated congratulation for triumphantly lifting the first Digicel Cup. They have made all rugby-crazed Eastern Highlanders proud.

 What is their secret ‘X’ factor, if there is one? Can it be exposed to the public? Obviously, it’s a no, no, no and no! No sane army general would reveal his attacking plans to the enemy, nor will the brilliant Peter Danga.

   Let me share my observational dissection of rugby league in PNG, particularly the factors that propel teams to victory each year. Since I am not a sports commentator a sports prophet, be hesitant to believe every word in my article. 

Home-crowd Advantage

For the Lahanis, most of their games in each round of the Digicel Cup this year were played at home soil, at the National Sports Institute. Critics and even sport commentators in the NRL say that there is the home-crowd advantage, which plays a major role in victory.

   Well, the Lahanis proved that wrong when they buried the Gurias in their own graveyard at Kalabong Oval. They also beat the Vipers at Lloyd Robson Oval in Port Moresby, though they lost to the Mioks, Warriors and Tigers in their respective home ground.

   The home-crowd factor carries negligible advantage when you consider the fact that the Kangaroos always win in PNG soil, not to mention the recent victory by the Fiji Batis over the  Kumuls in Hagen last week.  

Experience and Skills

What about having a team made up of very experienced and skilled players? Can it contribute to fuel the team into the finals, and eventual victory?

   Well the only experienced players in Gurias that I can think of are Togap and Hondole, but they led a bunch of young debutants into the Digicel Cup grand final against the Lahanis. Contrastingly, the Hela Wigmen had a bunch of skilled and experienced players in the likes of Larsen Marabe, Jessie Joe Parker, Richard Kambo, Michael Mark and Nixon Kolo, but they fail to taste even the sweetness of the semis.

   Experience and skills, therefore, are not major factors in victory. 

Coaching Staff

With Shane Morris, an NRL player, as the coach of Vipers, one would expect the Vipers to crawl into the finals and sting Lahanis. It didn’t happen. Gene failed to motivate Kumuls to perform well in the Four Nations last year, even with the assistance of Peter Danga. Michael Marum successfully coached the Gurias into the finals, and teams under Wayne Bennett always make it to the top eight.

   The coaching staff do play some role in making a team perform well, but only in combination with other factors, including mind-playing the players. 

The P Factors

   Instilled and installed in the Lahanis, and a few other teams, are the P Factors - Patriotism and Provincial Pride.

   All the players in Lahanis are picked from local rugby league competitions, and as such, most are Eastern Highlanders. Those that are not from EHP are residents of Eastern Highlands, who have been trained in the local leagues to find a spot in the Lahanis. Never has Lahanis ‘bought’ a player from other provinces. In fact, they produce for the other teams to buy.

   This practice has cemented in the players the P factors. With a patriotic spirit, they would play with the aim to raise the red, green and yellow flag. This has become the one strong motivation for their strong performances that are paid off with victory. The thought of playing for their province would subdue every thought of losing the game, and catapult them into giving their best to win the match. Chanting the 'Neneve' chants, backed up by the 'Tru Ave' chants from the loyal supporters, they would sacrifice their personal pride for the provincial pride.

   Such is also the spirit in the Gurias.

   Another P factor, however, still lacks in the Lahanis, and most of the other Digicel Cup teams. They have a weak Psyche. They lack a strong mind that can resist intimidation.

   A strong mind that endures intimidation from the home-crowd is a major factor that cripples a visiting team. Lahanis would have beat the Warriors and the Mioks had they been mentally strong to resist intimidation from the rival supporters. There wasn’t much intimidation from the well-behaved Gurias supporters in Kalabong so Lahanis returned victorious. Combined with a strong mind and excellent skills, the Kangaroos always snatch victory from the Kumuls on their home soil, as did the Batis. 

Though the Lahanis have the home-crowd advantage, their victories were not wholly dependent on it.  Nor was it entirely on coach Danga, nor the skills and experience of the fully home-grown players. It was the P-factors that propelled them to many final appearances, and the two consecutive grand final victories. They are not just patriots, but true patrioteer. They played with provincial pride rather than their personal pride. And if they can strengthen their psyche, and train their minds to resist intimidation, they will emerge as one of the unbeatable. And if you bring up the Manly Sea Eagles against the Goroka Lahanis at NSI, you can be sure that the Lahanis will give them a tough competition!

   On that note, our beloved Kumuls will never defeat the Kangaroos if the players continue to wear the red, black and gold jerseys with personal pride rather than a national pride. I wish them well in tomorrow’s match against the Batis, and hope they will play with a patriotic spirit and a national pride! 

A patriotic spirit, provincial or national pride and a strong psyche – these are essential elements when combine with good skills and a good management team, that any rugby team in and from PNG need, if they are to perform, na stap long fom!

Angau under Threat!

Services at Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae came to an unofficial stand still this morning when many health workers refuse to work, in fear for their safety. Workers gathered together this morning to air their frustrations over certain separate incidents, allegedly linked, that happened over the weekend. 

The hospital bus, while dropping off shift workers at around 10 pm on Saturday night, was fired upon by unknown gunmen at two different locations in Lae city – Backroad and Ten City. The tyres were believed to be the target, but bullets instead shattered the windscreen and perforated the fuel tank. The nurses inside dived for cover under the seats, but the driver courageously drove them to safety. Fuel was pouring from the fuel tank when they arrived at the hospital.

   At Nawai, stones were hurled at the same vehicle prior to the above incidents. The bus is currently nursing wounds at a police station.

   That same night, gunmen were seen patrolling the corridors of the hospital, looking for any ‘doctors or nurses’ to shoot at. The Hospital Switch was alerted, and they immediately notified all workers to stay behind locked doors until the police arrive.

   Anonymous callers also called the wards and the emergency department, telling the workers not to come to work. The labour ward was without a health worker last night as workers fled following a threatening anonymous call.

   A medical officer who works in the labour ward was also assaulted physically.

   These happenings allegedly followed the death of a pregnant mother in the labour ward. The relatives claimed that both the mother and the baby died because they were not attended to early enough by the medical staff. Though the Labour ward staff rejected the claim, unconfirmed reports stated that a caller threatened to continue harassing the health workers until they end a life as revenge.

   At around 10:30 am this morning, there was a stop-work as all workers gathered together, and demanded the management to guarantee their security if they want them to continue to work. They asked that the current security firm at the hospital be replace with either Guard Dog or G4S Security personnel.

   If security will not be guaranteed, then all workers, especially Nursing Officers and Community Health Workers will work only the 8 am – 4 pm shifts.

  The CEO and the Hospital Board Chairman were present to receive their grievances. The Board Chairman promised that he will take the matter to the Provincial Administrator today, and will get back with an answer by 3:30 pm today.

   Workers were asked to go back to work but many refused, saying that they would start work as soon as their security is guaranteed.

   At 3 pm, the staff were re-addressed by the Board Chairman, this time with the police head. They were assured that a police vehicle will escort the hospital bus for drop-off and pick-up only of shift workers, as an immediate measure until a permanent one is found. The head cop also said that he had ordered his men to 'shoot-to-kill' anyone attemping to interfere with the hospital vehicle or staff at night.

   The health workers are now back at work, because their security is now theoritically guaranteed!

Surrendering Robber shot by Cops

In one of my articles, I expressed my frustrating view on how a cop shot a harmless, fleeing offender in the head, just to stop him from escaping. I argued that the cops should have shot him in the legs if they wish to stop the offender, or better still, to get out of the vehicle and chase the offender.

Another incident happened over the weekend, prompting me to express my views again. 

Augustine and some other boys help up a PMV in Lae, near Kamkumg. Some of the passengers recognised Augustine, and told him that they won’t report him to the police if he and his boys let them go. So Augustine attempted to stop the boys but he was too late. One of the boys had already shot a revolting passenger in the leg.

   Realising that his identity was known, Augustine returned home and confessed everything to his family and relatives. They responded by tying his hands and legs together, and belted him up. He sustained a left peri-orbital hematoma (black eye) in the process.

   Then the cops arrived. One trigger-happy cop went straight to him, put his ankles together and fired from the right side. The bullet went in through and through: into the right ankle, out again and into the left, eventually exiting the left side of the left ankle.

   Then they forced him to walk to the police car and climb into it. On the way to the hospital, they repeatedly bashed him. 

Don’t get me wrong. Augustine deserved to be punished for his wrongdoing, according to the laws of the land. Yet, I don’t understand why the cops should shoot him in the legs when they already know that his legs and hands are tied, and he cannot escape.

    Logic tells me that it is illegal to shoot a surrendering offender. During wars, soldiers are not allowed to shoot civilians, even if they are amongst the enemies. They shoot only the targets that pose a threat to their safety.

   In PNG, all offenders deserve a bullet from the cops. Especially when the cops see that the offender is unlikely to take them to court. Something is still not right in the heads of most of these cops.

   How will the escalating law and order situation in PNG be settled when the disciplinary force personnel themselves are not disciplined?

   I guess the attitudes need to be changed!

Grandpa's Water was Kerosine

By Maunori Esoke

My uncle bought a whole chicken and gave it to my grandfather to cook. My grandfather wanted to cook the chicken so he put the chicken in the pot and wanted to pour water into the pot before cooking. He got the nearest container and pour the content into the pot, closed the lid and he put the pot over the fire to be boiled.

   After a few minutes, my aunty didn’t hear the pot boiling so she asked my grandfather if he had poured water into the pot and my grandfather said that he had done that. My aunty asked where he got the water from. My grandfather pointed to a container nearby.

   Suddenly my aunty grabbed the pot and put it on the ground, saying that it was the kerosene container. When they opened the lid, they found out that the pot was about to go up in flames, so they removed it and washed the chicken several times.

   Then they boiled the chicken again.

*Maunori Esoke is a ten-year old from Famo Village in Kainantu, EHP. He is currently in Grade 4 at Ambarina Primary School, Madang. His writing appeared in The National's Young Life section.

The Pain of Separation

*Dedicated to Elaine M Waine 

Oh, what a feeling! What a feeling!

The pain of separation!

It is not a script, to be read in a narration

Nor a voice, to be uttered in languages

Nor a word, to be printed on pages

Nor a view, to be painted as images

To my heart it adheres, and in my mind it appears

I won’t miss it, and I don’t cherish it!

It’s the pain of separation

Yes, it’s a feeling! It’s a feeling! 

Oh, I’m feeling! I’m feeling it!

The pain of separation.

It is beyond toleration!

As I watched him depart

I was torn apart,

And tears filled my heart.

To my heart so dear, and my mind so near

I will miss him, for I do cherish him!

But the pain of separation,

Yes, I’m feeling! I’m feeling it!

A Glimpse of Hami Yawari

The people of Southern Highlands Province are probably still mourning the loss of one of its humble leaders, Mr. Hami Yawari. To lose an inspiring and influential figure is like the Palestinians losing Goliath, and if that is the only Goliath, its people will be scattered like a flocks of sheep without a shepherd. Fortunately there is Mr. Agiru to lead the province. Sheep however, tend to know their shepherd.  

I had a very short, yet a treasured glimpse of Mr. Yawari when I became his attending doctor at Emergency Department at Port Moresby General Hospital. He was known to have chronic renal failure, a fatal complication of uncontrolled diabetes.

   Apart from costing your life, it is a very expensive disease, in terms of money. To give you an idea, it costs about five to seven grand to have a single haemodialysis session at PIH (Pacific International Hospital), where your blood is diverted into a machine that will purify it from wastes, and return it to your body. Essentially it performs the function of the kidney, so you need at least two sessions per week to keep you alive!

   When my boss assigned me to take care of Mr. Yawari, I was very nervous. I’ve always had a hard time managing highly educated citizens, because of two reasons.

   Firstly, most expect a senior doctor, or a consultant to examine and treat them. So when interns like me try to treat them, many will ask, ‘Where is your boss?’ On one occasion, a very prominent government executive told me when I went to collect his blood: ‘This is the body of a fifty year old man you are playing up with!’ For goodness sake, I was trying to collect his blood to do certain blood tests to help him.

   Secondly, they ask a lot of questions. Of course that is good, because they have the right to know the advantages and disadvantages of everything we do on their body. But when I cannot answer a question, I would tell them that I don’t know, and would get my boss to answer that. Yet they would do things, or make gestures that really hurt psychologically, such that those simple procedures like inserting a cannula into their veins will fail!

   Reluctantly, I approached Mr. Yawari and his wife, greeted them and introduced myself. I then took his history and proceeded on to examination. He cooperated very well. I expected him to ask me for my boss, but he didn’t.

   After I formulated what his problem was, I started explaining to him what I think his conditions were. He listened very attentively. Then I explained the procedures I planned to do as part of my diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. He objected to none, and in fact offered his arm to me so I can insert an IV cannula and collect some bloods.

   All the while, he never asked for the consultant or even the registrar (a level higher than me, but lower than a consultant). But being very sick, I decided to get my boss to review him, to which he did.

   Not a word of complain proceeded from his mouth, nor a gesture of lack of confidence in me. Consequently, I gave him all my best, as an intern, and even prayed for him. I suggested to him that if he wanted his life to prolong, he needed an urgent dialysis. The next day, they transferred him to PIH, where he remained for a month till his untimely death.

   I mourned silently in my heart at the news of his passing away. But I thank God that He led me to Mr. Yawari to use him to teach me one meaning of humbleness: accepting those that are ignored and rejected. This was the one educated ‘big man’ that stooped so low as to allow an intern to manage him.

   It was just a glimpse of him, but one that is worth remembering! It was a contagious glimpse that infected me with humbleness!

An Adventure with Potholes

The lone hostess hurried up the aisle to the front, and buckled herself to her seat. It was take-off time.

   Then there was a small push, as if a giant thumb has slightly tapped it, and the Airlines PNG Dash 8 moved forward, gradually gaining speed. Leaning comfortably back on his seat, Tunude peeped through the oval window and watched the buildings and parked planes moved past. He knew that the plane was speeding along the runway of Jackson’s airport.

   Suddenly, a wave of frightful, yet pleasant sensation conquered him. He thought his heart was sinking. He held his breath briefly, but let go in a sigh as the sensation disappeared. He looked out the widow again, and saw the runway dropping back, waving goodbye to the plane. Have a pleasant ride, it seemed to say.

   The sun smiled at the plane cruising through the cloudless sky. Trivial winds blew against the plane, vainly slowing its speed. For a moment, Tunude thought he was sitting on the sofa in a hotel room. Even the beautiful flight attendant serving him a glass of juice brought to memory the waitress who had served at the hotel a few days ago, though her face makeup reminded him of a human toy that he had once owned as a child.

   He took a sip from the juice, and was meditating the tasty orange flavour when a sudden jolt splashed some juice onto his trousers. He peeped out the window anxiously, but vast clouds of pure white stared back. He was inside a tiny blue capsule that is attempting to come out of thick white cotton.

   The plane jolted, jarred and jounced as it pierced through the huge ball of clouds. It swayed, shook, and slowed as it turbulently battled with the clouds for a clear sky. The engine even made strange, scary noises that propelled fear into Tunude’s heart. Not of clouds, or death but the fear of the unknown.

   After a good three minutes, the clouds disappeared, taking the turbulence with them. Tunude sighed relief, as blue sky reappeared. The cry of the engine was now soothing, but fear lingered in his heart. As if complementing the relief, the ‘Fasten Seatbelt’ sign illuminated and the plane dived towards Madang airport.

   Landing was smooth, but the plane vibrated as it taxied along the runway, and to a stop. Finally it was time to disembark, so Tunude unbuckled, picked up his hand luggage and walked out. He forced a smile at the attendant, who parted her painted lips into a beautiful smile that vaporized all traces of fear.

   Where was that wonderful smile when the plane jolted through the potholes in the sky, Tunude thought, to sedate my pounding heart and slow my speeding blood?

   A driver of a white bus was waiting for Tunude. He placed his two green bags and his blue umbrella into the bus and slid the door shut. Lutheran Guest House, which was painted on the side of the bus, was revealed as the door slid shut. A few minutes later, they arrived at the wharf, where LuHealth was waiting to take him across the ocean to the small island he was headed to.

   With Tunude now on board, LuHealth slowly pulled out of the wharf and headed for the open. The sky was empty, with only a few thin clouds scattered against the blue background. Straight above, but heading west was the lone sun, vaporizing the clouds that stood its way. Fixing the potholes in the sky, aren’t you? Tunude mused.

   The sea was also blue, but slightly darker than the sky. It was as serene as a child in the womb, but with the few low waves, not as smooth as a baby’s bottom. The boat cut through the waters, leaving waves and bubbles in its track. It looked as if the boat was creating clouds on the sea, where it traversed.

      It was an enjoyable ride, surrounded with magnificent views that Tunude’s camera cannot resist. About half an hour later, the silhouette of the destination island appeared on the horizon. It was a shade of green between two blues; the island sandwiched between the sky and the sea. In a few minutes, he would be it. The thought of stepping onto the island that he had heard about since childhood, made joy leaped in his heart.

   But joy was silenced by a sudden gush of sensation, like that which he felt when the plane lifted off the ground. He quickly realised that a big wave had forced the boat upwards, and the boat is now free-falling behind it. With a loud thud that shook his heart, the boat landed on the water. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed his fright, but everyone seemed as calm as before. Fright, fight or flight, he chose all.

   The sea was pregnant with waves as they neared the island. More army of waves met them, as if to prevent them from reaching the island, but they submitted to the boat as it glided over them. Some revolting waves however, sent the boat flying into the air, as if spitting it out of their mouth. Some splashed against the boat, forcing showers of sea water to rain over Tunude’s face. The waves rumbled under his feet, as they rocked the boat with their natural strength. Fear rose with the waves, and evaporated every pint of peace. It’s a seaquake to drown ya, fear told him.

   The boat finally reached the shore, triumphant.  Tunude was first to step off the boat and onto the sand. He was greeted by a local, named Sumerg, who had come to pick him up.

   “Welcome to Karkar Island,” smiled Sumerg. “I’m sure you had an enjoyable ride here!”

   “Sure, it was wonderful!” Truth fled. “But the potholes in the sea rumbled my heart to fear, and deprived my bladder of tears!” Truth returned.

An Independence Message

   The Independent State of Papua New Guinea just turned 36, and nationwide, proud citizens are celebrating 36 years of Independence.
   Being independent means that one is not dependant. But from what?
   Well, according to collective definitions of various dictionaries, being independent, in the case of a nation, means that the country is free from any outside control or influence. Essentially, the nations that had authority over Papua and New Guinea during the colonial era are no longer in the picture. PNG is now self-governing, enjoying freedom from exogenous influence.
   So when you celebrate today or on every September 16, enjoy it, knowing that no nation can have influence and control over you regarding governance.
   Freedom from exogenous control and influence does not mean an absence of endogenous control or influence.
   One particular internal influence is currently on the lips of many Papua New Guineans! It probably existed in the immediate pre-independence era and has matured with time. Like a spider, it has constructed web into every major sectors, trapping them in its influence. It celebrates with all independence celebrations, and graduates with the birth of all generations. Cherished by the successful, and nourished by the wealthy powerful, it has flourished in all places.
   It is the virus of corruption. Sad to say, PNG is not independent from its influence.
   Corruption is the willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain. It is a lack of integrity or honesty that makes one susceptible to bribery. It is the use of a position of trust for dishonest personal gain.
   Look around. There is not a government department in PNG where the presence and influence of corruption is not felt, beginning from the office of the highest public servant to that of the lowest. It is rooted in the heart, stemmed in the mind, branched to the limbs and fruited in words and deeds, often leafed in and protected by the court of law.
   My friend, the fight against corruption must be at a personal level. Cultivate a garden of integrity in your heart. Nourish the seed of honesty in your mind. Cherish it because that is all that is needed to root out corruption. Corruption is absent only in the presence of integrity, for the presence of integrity withers the influence of corruption.
   “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is perverse in his ways, and he is rich.”  Proverbs 28:6. It is better to be poor, but with integrity, than to be rich and without integrity.
   Do not be willing to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain. Do not use you positions of trust for dishonest personal gains. Do not liaise, nor coerce a person in a position of trust to act dishonestly for your personal gain. All such acts are essential nutrients for the virus of corruption to flourish.
   Since 16^th September 1975, Papua New Guinea is independent from outside control, but has never, and scaringly will never be independent from the virus of corruption.  
   Take your stand, make your choice! The fight against corruption can be stopped. It all starts with you and me…

Somare challenges Nape

When Speaker Jeffery Nape disqualified Sir Michael Somare on September 6, he stated that his actions are ‘non-justiceable, that is, they could not be challenged in a court of law.’ If no one can challenge his decision in a court of law, then is he, and his office above the law?
   It also brings into question whether or not the parliament, and thus the nation, is guided by the rule of law.
   Well, Somare has decided to challenge his disqualification in the court of law, saying that the disqualification is ‘null and void and of no effect. This implies that his legal advisers don’t agree with Nape’s statement that his actions are non-justiceable.
   If Sir Michael loses the case, that would mean that Nape is right. That would further mean that the National Court supports the fact that some actions of the speaker are non-justiceable. I would see it undemocratic, and frighteningly, rule of law is not in full existence in the parliament.
   If Nape loses, I’ll accept the invitation to rejoice with the rule of law, and I’ll allow my eyes to see Nape’s legal advisors sacked, or given refresher courses in legal advising.
   We have only to continue reading the pages of time.
   While Somare is challenging Nape at the national level, respective clansmen are taking the matter to the ethnic level.
   Ben Okoro, former MP for Sinesine-Yongomugl (current MP is Nape) who is running a construction company in East Sepik, was threatened by Sepiks in relation to Sir Michael’s dismissal by Nape. He was told to leave the province.
   I fear that I Simbus will retaliate by forcing the Sepiks out of Kundiawa or the problems might start and escalate in the nation’s capital. I just hope that nothing of that sort happen. Leave the fight to the politicians, to do it in a non-physical approach.
   The media should also be careful when reporting such sensitive issues, because they can act like fuel to a fire.
 Yet, it is a sure fact that an ethnic clash looms…be not a part of it!

Boy Shot as Target-Practice

On the night of 13^th August, 2011, I was at work at the Emergency department of the Port Moresby General Hospital, when an incident happened. The next morning, I reported it to my blog viewers, under the title Boy shot by Cops.

   A month passed, when the story hit the headlines in Post Courier in their 14^th September print. The front page article titled ‘Help our son’ featured the family of Lincoln Menda, and their plea for help for their son to get life-saving operation overseas where there are appropriate facilities.

   Allegedly, Lincoln became the victim of a police shooting on the night of August 13, at the 4 Mile bus stop. The bullet penetrated his skull and the brain, and a fragment is currently lodged in his skull, or possibly the brain since both his legs and the right arm are paralysed.

   The dilemma now is that the fragment cannot be removed here in PNG, not because of lack of human expertise but because of lack of sophisticated machines to support him during and after surgery. Though the cost will be high, it will be less than half, or even a quarter of what was spent on Sir. Michael during his stay in Singapore.

   If you ask for my opinion, I think the State should meet the necessary cost to remove the bullet fragments and save this young man, because that bullet fragment came from a state-owned rifle, which was fired by a state-employed personnel.

   The Post Courier reported that according to police reports, ‘Lincoln was shot while attempting to flee from the police vehicle.’ Well, I must say that the report is defective and full of flaws.

   Firstly, Lincoln’s punishment is too big for his crime. I don’t know what the relevant PNG law says, but I am fully confident that shooting a victim is not the right punishment for a victim that attempts to flee from the police vehicle. Biblically, all sins are punishable only by death, regardless of their seriousness as viewed by man. But it is not for humans to inflict the punishment of death; only a sinless God can allow such punishment.

   The police officers should have gotten their asses out of the vehicle and chase the fleeing offender. Instead, they just watched their trigger happy reservist target-practised on Lincoln. More logical, if they want to shoot, is to target the legs so that the offender will stop running. Guns should only be used against on offenders that also threaten cops with gun. I wonder why police personnel don’t shoot buai sellers that flee when they see police vehicle approaching.

   Secondly, the police reports contradicted what they verbally reported to the doctors on the night of the incident. I was one of the attending doctors that night, and I didn’t hear a police officer admitting that cops shot the boy. All they said was that they were called in to stop a street fight, but when they arrived, they saw the boy badly injured so they rushed him to the hospital.

   Because they lied at the first place, their official report is sure to be faulty. Two wrongs will never make a right: when one wrong shuts the front door, the other wrong will shut the back door, so that Mr. Right is trapped, and cannot come to your aid.

   It seems to me that some cops are shooting petty offenders as target-practice. Their uniforms are used as cloaks of power over the civilians, and the rifles as wand to control them. They cause fear and confusion to reign in the hearts of people, and even terror in the minds of innocent people that they are supposed to protect.

   If that is the truth, then I’m afraid I’ll have to call then terrorists!

Re-dialling 9/11

    In the movie The Little Rascals, 4-year olds Porkie and Buckwheat were sent on an errand to call the fire department when their club house caught fire. ‘Yes sir!’ they saluted their superior and took off. There was a queue at the phone booth so they stood in the line. Finally, Buckwheat picked up the phone, then asked Porkie: ‘Quick, what is the number for 911?’ ‘How do I know,’ Porkie replied. The two left, but the phone booth remained as always, opposite the local fire station!

    I wonder how many calls were made to 911 on 9/11?

Today marks the Tenth Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on United States in 2001, in which more than 3000 lives were lost when planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York. Google news reported that President Obama visited all the site of crash today.

    On Saturday afternoon (Yesterday), flight attendants of United Airlines joined hands in the dedication of the Wall of Names, which listed the forty passengers and crews who died on the hijacked flight. Bells tolled 40 times as the names were read from off the Wall.

    Meanwhile, Taliban forces in Afghanistan revived the pain of that tragic 9/11 when suicide bombers strike on Nato forces base in Afghanistan on the eve of 9/11 yesterday. About 50 US troops were injured.

    I have in my possession documentaries that provided astounding proof that the 9/11 attacks were incidents designed by the US government to achieve certain malicious intents. People were starting to see that everything was not right about the Twin Towers and Flight 93 that allegedly crashed outside Pennsylvania. That made President Bush to make the following statement, when he spoke to the United Nations Assembly, November 10, 2001: “We must speak the truth about terror. Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11^th. Malicious lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists themselves, away from the guilty.”

    It seems that there are no true terrorism in the United States of America. Really, I mean, apart from the 9/11 attacks, what other attacks are reported in the media of terrorist acts in the States? Not many, I guess. One that I can think of is the Oklahoma bombing in 19^thApril 1995. Like the 9/11 attacks, something smelt fishy around the particulars of that event. Eye-witnesses testimonies and news reports contradicted the official government explanation of what happened. Apart from these, I think there are no other major terrorist, or supposed terrorist attacks.

    An interesting observation was made in one of the documentaries. An anti-terrorism legislation in the United State would give the President the powers to suspend the Constitution. But since there was no real terrorism in the United States, they staged the Oklahoma bombing, in which a US national (called Timothy) blew up a federal building. In just five days, there was an anti-terrorism legislation in the US.

    But that legislation didn’t give US the power to unilaterally enter any nation as she pleases. What she needed was law against international terrorism, that of a war footing. So they staged the 9/11 events involving international terrorists, and within days, there was an anti-terrorism law that gave power to US to enter any country it wishes to occupy.

    Suppose this is true. Just imagine how easy it is for the United State to occupy any country it wishes to occupy! Some big guns can stage attacks or incidents that will see US forces entering the nations responsible.

    9/11 could be a birthday of tyranny! US could be an evolving tyrant. It’s now ten years old. Just wait and see when it matures, for when it does, the whole world will be dialling 911!

Speaker Nape is above the Law

If I am seated at a round table to discuss certain topics of interest, politics is sure to take the last place on the list. I am not a fan of politics, especially PNG politics because it’s mingled with corruption. But I’d like to say and share my views.

   Sir Michael was happy when doctors discharged him from hospital in Singapore, but certainly not when Nape discharged him from parliament on September 6. He was able to leave the hospital bed and sit on his seat at home, but there is no longer a seat for him in parliament as of 4 pm, September 6.

   Now, that is not the kind of parliamentary welcome you would want to give the ‘founding father’ of the nation, or the longest serving politician, and especially when he hasn’t fully recovered from his illness.

   I am not his examining doctor to say that he has not fully recovered, but I think he hasn’t. He walked out of the country but was wheel-chaired in. Obviously other important agendas were on his mind, ones that surpass his health in their importance.

   When sacking Sir Michael, Nape also declared the East Sepik regional seat vacant. Since 1968, the people of East Sepik have decided to let only one MP in the person of Sir Michael to occupy that seat. Now that it is vacant, I understand that Sir Michael is no longer a member of parliament, and will remain thus until the next general election, or a by-election if seemed appropriate by the Electoral Commission.

   Obviously it is shocking to MPs and citizens who have great respect for Sir Michael. What is shocking to me is that Mr. Nape stated it clearly that his actions are ‘non-justiceable, that is, they could not be challenged in a court of law.’ (The National, September 7). You don’t have to be a genius to know that if an action is non-justiceable, then the actor is above the law. It seems to me that the office of the Speaker of Parliament is above the law, in certain parliamentary matters.

   Legal contradictions are never absent in courts. That is why we have prosecuting lawyers and defending lawyers in any court case. One lawyer thinks he is right, and advises his clients as thus, sometimes contradicting the ‘right’ views of the other lawyer. Sir Michael’s lawyers advised him differently and contradictorily to that given to Nape by his lawyers.

   Persuant to the requirement of Section 104(2) d) of the Constitution, Sir Michael will be automatically disqualified as MP for East Sepik regional seat if he misses the September 6 session, because he would have missed three consecutive meetings of parliament, the others being June and August sessions.

   He did miss the May 2011 session, but is understood as one granted a leave by parliament for it.

   However, the Speaker disregarded the granted leave, giving his reason that the absences were ‘without excuse.’ That means that Sir Michael had already missed three consecutive parliamentary meetings (May, June and August 2011), hence his disqualification despite his attempt to prevent that by attending the September 6 session.

   If being sick, and undergoing three different heart operations, is not a good excuse to miss parliament sessions, then what is? Unless Sir Michael has other undisclosed intent for his absence, Nape’s reason as ‘without excuse’ is too shallow and without weight. Whether he was officially notified or not about Sir Michael’s absence, I don’t wish to know. What I know is that Sir Michael was absent because he was sick.

   Rumours had it that when Polye and Duma were removed of their portfolios this year by Abal, the two men teamed up with the opposition and confronted the speaker. They asked him to declare a vacancy in the PM’s seat and accept the opposition’s move to nominate a new PM.

   But Nape gave them conditions that he would comply only if Namah or O’Neill is nominated. Polye and Duma were not to be candidates for PM. Nape saw Polye and Duma as a threat to his role a speaker.  When they agreed to his terms, he easily facilitated the removal of the NA led government. As long as he remains speaker of parliament, he will allow through his powers only the government that is compatible with his position.

   This is an un-researched, undocumented rumour I grabbed from the streets so don’t believe it. But if it is true, then Nape is corrupt, and they must have paid him a lot facilitate corruption!

   A Simbu lad said that Nape is a ‘Sanguma’ from Sinesine-Yongomugl. He has the voice that can sack the founding father of the nation, while pronouncing his act as ‘unjusticeable’. If no one can challenge him in a court of law, he is, in subtle practicability, a dictator decorated with democracy – a ‘democraciated’ dictator!

  

Where Rabi Gamenu Walked

Imuti. Have you heard this word anywhere, anytime in your life? Maybe not.

What about Rabi Gamenu? Sounds familiar? Yes, she is the Papuan female singing sensation!

   Well, I am about to make the connection for you. Imuti is the name of the little village that Rabi emerged from…

   By chance (or is it by fate?), I went to Imuti, and spent almost a week there.  I was inspired by many things, but decided to write about only a few.

  In fact, I’m lost for words so I’d rather post pictures, since a single picture says more than a thousand words. Hope the pictures below will say more than I can write.

Clear as Crystal

Depending on the circumstances surrounding the use of the phrase, clear as crystal has different meaning. Commonly, it is used to describe pearls or gems or clean, clear water. At times, it is used to affirm that something is clearly understood.

   The word crystal was derived from the Greek word krustallos, which mean ice or any mineral resembling it. Scientifically, crystal is any solid mineral that has its atoms or molecule arranged symmetrically into three-dimensional aggregation. Modified definition of the word, accepted by the Oxford University, means highly transparent and clear. I think this is the definition that many people, knowingly or unknowingly, use every day.

   Take a look at the photos below. The waters of the river are so clear and transparent that you can unmistakably see the pebbles. There are also fishes in each of the photos. Can you spot a fish in each of the pictures?

The Being who designed the waters knew that the waters are clear as crystal, so He painted the fish with the colour of the pebbles to camouflage them!

  The tadpoles below are not camouflaged, but can be seen clearly because the waters are highly transparent and clear. If there were no tadpoles in this photo, you might not be able to guess that it is a picture of water!

Now, here is a competition. Spot the fish, or fishes, and descriptively give their exact location in the picture below. The first five (5) people to correctly spot the fish or fishes, and describe their location, will receive K1 direct top-up on their Digicel phones! Answers must be posted in this blog as comments so that I get to see them first before publishing them. Answers from anonymous persons or those using nicknames will not be accepted. The competition immediately ends when;

1.      Soon after the fifth correct answer is posted

2.      A correct answer is posted on Facebook (that means you should not post answers in facebook, because others might copy your answer)

   Is that clear? I hope your answer was, ‘clear as crystal!’

Have fun!

Moses Tau got by Mosquitoes!

Pacific gay singing sensation, Moses Tau, is nursing wounds at the emergency department of Port Moresby General Hospital after anopheles mosquitoes successfully injected malarial parasites into his bloodstreams yesterday.

   Though blood test to detect the parasites is still pending, attending doctors said he had classical signs and symptoms of malaria, so they are going to treat him for malaria. They said test for malaria parasite is never 100% sensitive, so they are treating him based on their clinical findings.

   Eyewitnesses at the emergency department confirmed that the singing sensation was attended to by doctors. He was surrounded by more than five ladies, but all where his sisters.

   A nursing officer who went to give him a pain injection said that Moses Tau was quick to tell her that all the ladies with him were his sisters! A male was seen with him among the ladies, but no one knows how they are related.

   Mr. Tau was kept overnight at ED. He is expected to be discharged this morning.

Boy shot by cops

   A relative of a medical doctor is fighting for his life at the ICU at Port Moresby General Hospital after being allegedly shot by police officers.

   Eye witnesses said that the shooting occurred at Boroko between 7-8 pm yesterday. The 17 year old boy was waiting with some friends to return home to Gerehu when confronted by police and shot in the head at about a range of 10 meters. His friends fled and reported the incident to the victim’s families.

   Doctors on duty at the emergency department confirmed the incident, saying that the prognosis of the patient is very poor at the moment, because part of the skull had been chipped off, and the brains exposed. They confirmed that an urgent CT scan taken showed clear cut evidence of bullet wounds.

    However, the policemen said that the boy sustained the injury during a street fight. They found him unconscious on the ground so they rushed him to the hospital.

   The police officers were not available to comment on the scan findings. However, health workers at the Emergency Department said that the police officers hung around for a good while, and inquired a lot about the outcome of the patient, which was quite unusual for them.

   The specifics of the confrontation with the police and the boy is yet to be determined, but it is understood that relative of the boy are planning to take the matter to court.

The Price of a Bride in the Bride Market

There is always a price tag attached to every item, or commodities on the markets and the prices vary depending on quality, quantity and rarity.

   Take this comment with you the next time you go marketing, and prove me wrong! Note the number of items displayed on the shelves in the supermarket, or the mats in a fresh produce market, that are for free. I guarantee you that there won’t be nine but none.

   Of course there are specials and discounts, but there is ALWAYS a price to pay. It is neither free when the ad says ‘75% off!!’ nor is it free when advertised as ‘Buy one, and get one FREE!!’ Every item is valuable, worthy to be price-tagged with monetary value.

   Valuing an item, or attaching a price tag to it, is practically saying that the item is equal or the same as the money, or whatever it is valued with. The item is the value. For instance, a K3 flex card (the item) is K3 in monetary terms (value) when dealing with a flex seller.

   We are doing the same with our PNG beauties, aren’t we? You may not have noticed, but there is a market in PNG, which I call the Bride Market. It is one where every young, unmarried girl has a price tagged to her. On their foreheads are engraved or embossed the words, “FOR SALE!’ and the payment to make is called the bride price, which vary depending on quality, quantity and rarity. I kind of see it as an auction, where the highest bidder grabs the ‘item’. Scarily, many girls allow themselves to be auctioned, accepting the man with the biggest wealth and fame. They think that the higher someone is willing to pay as their bride price, the more valuable they are worth.

    The fact, however, is that the more we monetarily value a girl, the more we devalue her actual worth. A bride price of twenty pigs suggests that the bride is fit to be valued with pigs, or with money as is usually the case today. Culturally, it seemed appropriate to pay the bride price. But since this is the 21^st century, let’s align our perspective on its horizon. In that view, we could be subconsciously or even knowingly saying that the bride is a pig, couldn’t we? I leave it to your reasoning.

   Now, if humans value women as such, how does the Creator of women value them? I tell you, He values them above the most precious and valuable material things in the world. ‘Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.’ Proverbs 31:10. Notice that it is not just above, but far above rubies!

   May our women folk be valued as such. They are worth more than silver and gold, or rubies and diamonds and thus, shouldn’t allow themselves to be priced, or be valued with material things of this country. They cannot, and must not allow themselves to be valued with pigs, and cows, and money and all these useless earthly things of temporal value. In God’s eyes, they are invaluable. They cannot allow themselves to be seen as another commodity in the Bride Market.

   May the parents understand that their daughters, whom they profess to love, are not pigs or cars, or money, to be valued as such. They should refrain from pricing their daughters, or allowing relatives to value them with material things. They should allow them to marry out of love for the man. Invaluable things in life like air and sun are free, so should all girls, for they are invaluable. If their daughters do not want to be bride priced, that choice must be respected.

   Uncles and kandres, or husait ba kaikai pe, should back off, and let the girl and the parent make the choice of whether to be commodities in the Bride Market or not. As the flex card seller gives away the card, and doesn’t care what happens next, they are most likely to do that to the girl. Pricing the girl is usually for their own benefit, that they can kaikai bikpla pe.

   The groom and his family should understand that even all their life’s income will never equal the value of his bride. The best thing, then, is for the groom to pledge lifelong love and care, to nourish and cherish the bride till death do them part.

The price of a bride in the bride market is too high to be valued with material things! Say NO to bride-pricing our invaluable women!

Pink for Boys!

If today was sometime between the 1920 and 1940, the above title would be appropriate, and taken with pride by the seemingly superior masculine group in the human race. In the 21^st century, pink is for girls, and is accepted by most, if not, all as such.

   A week ago, I took a ride to down town Port Moresby. This small part of Port Moresby, located between Paga and Togoba Hills, probably contained most of the few tall skyscrapers in the country. Walking along the streets, amidst their towering heights, I felt like an ant. Yet I walked into the ground floor of one of the towers, the Mogoru Motu building along Champion Parade.

   I made my purchases at Meddent, the company that sells medical and dental equipments. The beautiful girl that served me placed my items in a small shopping bag, and handed it over to me. I smiled a word of thanks to her and walked out. As soon as the door closed behind me, I quickly forced the shopping bag into the bilum that I was carrying. I’d rather be seen without the bag, because it’s coloured pink!

  An article published in 1918 stated that "The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl." (From Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia). After 1940, the norm changed, and remained thus into the 21^st century.

   Today, the color pink is symbolically used to promote, or represent ideas that are generally feminine.  A pink ribbon is used as an international symbol for breast cancer awareness. In the West, a pink-collar worker is someone who does the job conventionally regarded as women’s job. Code Pink is an American activist women’s group, who use pink as their main colour.

   Pink is also the colour used more often in sexuality than any other field. Pink News is a leading gay newspaper and online news service. Pink TV is a French cable channel for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community, whose spending power is also call pink dollar or Pink Money. Prisoners accused of homosexuality under the Nazi rule were forced to wear a pink triangle. The Pink Pistols are a gay gun rights organisation. Pink Movies refer to Japanese porn films.

   Apart from representing femininity, it is used in other aspects too. It is referred to as the ‘colour of love’, being used for Valentine’s Day and Easter. Traditionally in academics, pink is used to represent Medicine and other health-related field. Student from the School of Medicine and Health Science in UPNG will find themselves wearing a gown with pink stripe or ribbon on graduation day.

   Come to think of it, seriously, it’s just a colour, yet one that distinguishes, if not, segregates gender. Is it possible that the way the colour pink is perceived also contribute to gender inequality issues in PNG? Maybe, or maybe not, I leave it to your speculation. I just find it interesting that males are scared to hell to walk around with anything that is coloured pink.

   Hopefully, one day the attitude will change such that pink will be seen truly as the colour of love for women. Males will wear pink every day, making each day a special Valentine’s Day to their lady spouse. Violence against Women will find a place to exist in the society as it is replace by Love for Women.

   Maybe, let’s think about pink as the colour of uniting love, and not a segregating colour for gender. Not Pink for Girls, or Pink for Boys, but Pink for Love!

A Crush on You

Cobra was supine on his bed, scared to hell. He could feel his heart beating against his chest, as if to break through and jump out of his chest. In fact, he thought he could hear his heart beating. The normal lub dub of the heart, for a moment, sounded like a knock on his heart, as if fear was knocking to enter. He was determined not to open the door, but it seems that fear has crept in through the window and into his heart. His whole body now began to tremble slowly, as the fear escaped the heart and circulated around the body. His mind wasn’t spared, for it now throbbed with fear, and was in deep anxious thought.

   He picked up the little note and read through the words again, hoping they would change miraculously. But they did not. There they remained, neatly hand-written in just one line, in blue ink against a white background, carrying the same implication that he had understood earlier.

   He wiped his eyes, and looked again, but the six-worded sentence stared back at him as before. They now seemed to have glowed as he noticed tiny spots of coloured inks all around the white paper. Clearly the writer has used special technique to spray the inks, probable from coloured highlighters onto the page.

   Grabbing his troubled heart, and his distressed mind, he jump off his bed and walked out of Scrotch, the male dorm he has been living in. He needed someone to share his trouble thoughts with, and right now, he thought only of his lady friend from Kerema, called Mori. He folded the note, and placed it in his shirt pocket as he walked towards the girls’ dorm.

   On the way he heard his name called. He turned around and saw that it was Mori, sitting on the lawn buy herself. He ran up, and tossed the note to her. As Mori opened the note to read, Cobra was already pouring out his troubled thoughts, without explaining what has happened.

   “Up to this moment, I have tried to recall every insulting word I spoke to her, or about her. Maybe I’ve done something wrong that she is furious about, or gestured inappropriately to her. I don’t know, and I can’t think of anything against this lady called Lisa.” He spoke so fast, pacing back and forth and to the sides that he was out of breath.

   Mori tried to calm him down, but Cobra continued. “Yet, this lady sends me this scary note. She is going to kill me the next time she sees me. I’m scared. Mori, I’m scared. What shall I do?” Lisa was in the same class as Cobra, and they go to the same church meetings. To imagine the unimaginable, is not what Cobra was pleased to do that very moment!

   When he finally looked at Mori’s face, she was smiling. She had completed reading the note in just three seconds, and interestingly watched Cobra pacing up and down, and breathlessly wording out his fear. There was no look of concern for his troubled thoughts, but she understood why Cobra was behaving thus. As someone in the eleventh grade, she didn’t expect him to understand the note.

  “Listen, my little brother,” she said, and Cobra could see that she was trying to hold back a burst of laughter. “Here’s what you do. Take your little note here, and go back to Scrotch. Sit down on your bed, and with a dictionary on your side, read the note over again!”

   Confused, Cobra walked back to the dorm with the note in his grit. It was a note that sparked fear in him, yet one that was taken lightly by Mori.

   Once in the dorm, he borrowed his friend’s dictionary and sat down on his bed. Most words in the sentence carry simple meaning, yet he read them again, as instructed. A faint smile crossed his lips, as his understanding dawned on the note. Fear vanished, and his heart chilled. He looked at the note again, and couldn’t believe his understanding. He could feel his head going light.

   There in his hand, in a blue ink on a white paper, neatly written by a lady’s hand, was the six-worded note: I have a crush on you!

 Nothing but the meaning, and implication changed. Initially, he was scared for he felt that Lisa was mad at him. Now he understood that Lisa was in love with him!