In a heated session on the floor of parliament this morning, Belden Namah, the Member for Vanimo-Green in Papua New Guinea, voiced serious concerns about the country's security forces' readiness in the face of ongoing law and order challenges. Namah specifically referenced the recent February 18th Massacre as a stark example of the breakdown in law and order. Namah recalled a bold statement he made before the current Prime Minister assumed office, where he had called for the roundup of individuals responsible for heinous crimes. Expressing disappointment, Namah noted that this commitment has yet to materialize. One of Namah's primary concerns was the state of operational readiness, morale, and discipline within the Papua New Guinea Defense Force and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. He asserted that if the morale and discipline of these entities are compromised, it could significantly impact the combat readiness and effectiveness of the armed forces. Highlighting the critical nature of such assessments, Namah stressed that they provide insight into how well the country's armed forces can function when called upon.
Furthermore, Namah raised questions about the capabilities of the National Intelligence Agencies, expressing doubt about their ability to identify the movement of illegal armaments into volatile areas of the country. He also expressed worry about the apparent inactivity of the intelligence agencies over the past decade. In response to Namah's probing questions, the Prime Minister carefully navigated the concerns, emphasizing that the government has increased support for the security forces in the last two years. He mentioned a financial injection of over K400 million to enhance the country's capabilities in addressing law and order issues. The Prime Minister also acknowledged challenges within the Police force, citing leadership struggles as a contributing factor hindering the development of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Douglas Tomuriesa has expressed his shock and horror after seeing gruesome images being circulated on social media of dead bodies being piled up on the back of a police truck in Wapendamanda, Enga Province yesterday. "As news of the increasing death toll is being recorded, this has to be one of the darkest instances of violence in our country’s modern history. It is just shocking, deplorable, and absolutely disgusting to think this level of violence exists in the country,” Mr. Tomuriesa said. The Opposition Leader added: “The writing has been on the wall since Prime Minister James Marape came into office in 2019. One of his big announcements that never became reality was his proclamation that he would come for Hela warlords in 2019, and ironically the instances and deadliness of tribal violence has increased significantly ever since. "James Marape should hang his head in shame for not taking tribal violence in the Highlands seriously, and the country’s general law and order situation as a trivial matter. Any leader in the democratic world would resign if over 50 people were slaughtered with illegal firearms, but to James Marape, it is simply another day in office. "Why does the Police Minister think this is normal? Why does the Police Commissioner think this is normal? And most importantly, why does the Prime Minister think this is normal? "If these three men, and leaders in our Government are unbothered by yesterday and today’s developments, then they must be removed immediately before their incompetence results in greater death tolls. "This animalistic behaviour should NOT be regarded as normal. Piling dead bodies on top of each other should NOT be regarded as normal. And seeing a Prime Minister not handle this situation seriously should NOT BE REGARDED AS NORMAL!” Also read
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