​Shutdown of the University of Goroka Shows Marape Government's Weakness; UOG Administration Should Be Terminated.

Commentary by George Lemako

​Shutdown of the University of Goroka Shows Marape Government's Weakness; UOG Administration Should Be Terminated.

The closure of the University of Goroka is a clear sign that the government has failed to protect one of the country’s most important learning institutions. It is shocking that a small tribe could cause such fear and chaos that the university had to shut down. This shows that the government, police, and defence force have lost control and are no longer able to handle simple local conflicts before they become national problems.

The leaders in both the national and provincial governments have been too quiet and slow to act. When the situation started to get bad, instead of sending enough police to protect the students and staff, the government decided to move everyone out of the campus. That was a weak decision. If police could go in to rescue students, they should have been there in the first place to prevent the trouble from happening.

The University of Goroka management must also take responsibility. The University Council and the Vice-Chancellor made the wrong call when they shut the school down. Their job is to protect students and keep the university running, not to close it at the first sign of trouble. Their actions show poor leadership and weak decision-making. They should be replaced with people who can manage crises properly and keep the university safe and open.

The role of the police and army is also being questioned. Why weren’t they already stationed at the university to prevent the fight? The fact that they only acted after things got out of control shows a lack of planning and coordination. It seems like everyone was waiting for something to happen instead of stopping it from happening in the first place.

The government must now explain to the people what went wrong. Who made the decision to shut down the university? Why were students forced to leave instead of being protected on campus? These are serious questions that the public deserves answers to. Without accountability, such situations will continue to happen, and the public will keep losing trust in the government.

The shutdown also cost a lot of money. Instead of paying for transport and logistics to move hundreds of students back to their provinces, it would have been cheaper and smarter to deploy a few police units to control the situation. That decision shows poor planning and waste of public funds. Prevention is always cheaper and safer than reaction.

The fight at Goroka was not with the whole province but with a small group. That small group has now embarrassed the whole country. When a small tribe can force a national university to close, it means the government has lost its authority. This should be a big warning sign for those in power — they must act strongly and take control again.

In the end, Papua New Guinea needs leaders who can make firm and wise decisions. The government must fix this situation immediately, remove the current UOG administration, and appoint new management that can restore order and confidence. Education is too important to be held hostage by small groups or weak leadership. The shutdown of UOG should be the last time something like this ever happens in our country.

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