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Pol I T Ical Reviews ‡ Melanesia 491 Papua New Guinea pol i t ical reviews melanesia 491 $LUNR3DSXDKWWSZZZSDSXDEDUDWQHZV swaps in ministerial portfolios, the FRP replacement of two deputy prime min- Pembebasan PapuaKWWSSHPEHEDVDQ isters, and a constitutional blunder in SDSXDEORJVSRWFRP the reelection of the governor-general. In spite of the political rollercoaster, 3ROLWLN,QGRQHVLDKWWSZZZ .politikindonesia.com the Somare government successfully thwarted numerous attempts by the Presiden Republik Indonesia. Opposition to remove Sir Michael KWWSZZZSUHVLGHQULJRLG Somare as prime minister, thus making Radio Republik Indonesia. the government more confident than KWWSZZZUULFRLG ever to assert its grip on power until Rakyat Merdeka. Daily. Jakarta. Online at the national elections in 2012. It was KWWSZZZUDN\DWPHUGHNDFRLG also a year of legal battles and protests on controversial constitutional amend- 5HSXEOLNDFRLGKWWSZZZUHSXEOLND FRLG ments and environmental issues. The concerned public, landowner groups, Sekretariat Kabinet Republik Indonesia. and nongovernmental organizations KWWSZZZVHWNDEJRLG have become a fortified mouthpiece of Suara Pembaruan. Daily. Jakarta. Online the people on issues of human rights, DWKWWSZZZVXDUDSHPEDUXDQFRP equality, environment, and the consti- Survival: The Movement for Tribal tutionality of amendments to laws that 3HRSOHVKWWSZZZVXUYLYDOLQWHUQDWLRQDO seem to favor politicians and multina- RUJ tional companies over people’s rights. Tabloid Jubi Online: An Alternative Media Unlike in previous years, these interest LQ7DQDK3DSXDKWWSWDEORLGMXELFRP groups showed the government and resource companies that they are a 7DQDKNX:HVW3DSXDKWWSZZZWDQDKNX force to be reckoned with concern- ZHVWSDSXDQO ing the legality of laws and decisions tempoLQWHUDNWLIKWWSZZZ made by the government that have the WHPSRLQWHUDNWLIFRP potential to affect the welfare of com- Vanuatu Daily Post.3RUW9LOD2QOLQHDW munities. KWWSZZZGDLO\SRVWYX The event that galvanized the vhrPHGLDFRPKWWSZZZYKUPHGLDFRP nation in the early part of the year was the prison “walkout” of the vivaQHZVFRPKWWSYLYDQHZVFRP country’s most-wanted bank robber, West Papua Media Alerts. William Kapris, on 12 January from KWWSZHVWSDSXDPHGLDLQIR the maximum-security unit of the country’s top prison, Bomana, outside of Port Moresby. Kapris was involved Papua New Guinea in a string of million-kina bank robberies in the Gulf and Madang It was another year of political drama provinces. (One kina equals approxi- for Papua New Guinea. The year mately us$0.39.) He was released by was dominated by shifts in political a woman pretending to be a human allegiances, changes in political camps, rights lawyer who entered the maxi- 492 the contemporary pacific 23:2 (2011) mum-security unit. He was recaptured August, Minister Aimo was consider- on 5 February in a Port Moresby ing the option of recruiting an expatri- guesthouse and claimed in a police DWHWRKHDGWKH&RUUHFWLRQDO6HUYLFH video interrogation to have close ties DV&RPPLVVLRQHU6LNDQLªVFRQWUDFW to certain politicians and the Asian was expiring. This proposition also triad in the country. He also claimed received criticism from the president to have links to Minister for Treasury of the Public Employees Association, and Finance Patrick Pruaitch, Minister Michael Malabag (Post Courier, 12 IRU&RUUHFWLRQDO6HUYLFH7RQ\$LPR Aug 2010). and Deputy Speaker of Parliament At the end of February, outspoken Francis Marus, all of whom are from 1DWLRQDO&DSLWDO'LVWULFW ncd) Gov- the same province as Kapris. ernor Powes Parkop launched his new With these insinuations, the pris- political party, the Social Democratic oner received high-level visits to his Party. About 1,000 people registered prison cell from the police commis- with K100 each as foundational sioner and the then minister for justice members. Parkop had run for election and attorney general, Dr Allan Marat. in 2007 as an independent candidate It was alleged that Kapris was the with no political party affiliation. most expensive prisoner, due to the The Maladina Bill, introduced costs involved in capturing him as well in May 2009 by Esa‘ala mp Moses as the security provided to prevent any Maladina for a constitutional amend- further escape attempts. His escape led ment to remove the powers of the WRWKHVXVSHQVLRQVRI&RUUHFWLRQDO6HU- 2PEXGVPDQ&RPPLVVLRQUHPDLQV YLFH&RPPLVVLRQHU5LFKDUG6LNDQLDQG one of the most controversial constitu- Minister Aimo. Both the commissioner tional amendments, attracting protests and the minister were later reinstated from wide segments of the community. after investigations cleared them of all Despite the outbursts, on the second allegations. reading of the bill on 9 March, Parlia- Frequent jailbreaks have become ment voted 83 to 0 to amend sec- an increasing public-safety concern tion 27(4 RIWKH31*&RQVWLWXWLRQ and questions have been raised as The passing of the amendment will WRWKHFDSDFLW\RIWKH&RUUHFWLRQDO effectively disallow the Ombudsman Service to manage the country’s prison &RPPLVVLRQIURPLVVXLQJGLUHFWLYHV system. In what was seen as a startling to prevent payment from public funds response to the situation, Minister to officeholders if it feels there are Aimo announced his decision to use improprieties. k9PLOOLRQWREX\JXQVIRUWKH&RUUHF- tipng and concerned individuals tional Service. The announcement was and organizations have gone on the immediately condemned by Trans- campaign trail to try and stop Parlia- parency International PNG (tipng), ment from voting for the amendment which argued that the community on the third and final reading. They must be satisfied that this expenditure say the changes will take away the will result in improvements in the per- watchdog’s ability to stop politicians IRUPDQFHRIWKH&RUUHFWLRQDO6HUYLFH and public officeholders from wasting (Post Courier, 8 Oct 2010). Earlier in public money and make it even harder pol i t ical reviews melanesia 493 to investigate leaders suspected of mis- office, schools, and the nearby mine conduct in office. On 4 May, tipng, resigned en masse in fear of their lives. WKURXJKWKH&RPPXQLW\&RDOLWLRQ There were also concerns about essen- $JDLQVW&RUUXSWLRQ ccac), delivered tial businesses closing down as Sepiks a petition to Parliament on these pro- were forced to leave (Islands Business posed changes, urging politicians to 2010). People from other provinces vote against the Maladina amendment and those married to Sepiks were also (The National, 26 April 2010). The caught in the crossfire of the unrest government decided to defer the final (Post Courier, 6 Sept 2010). reading and to give the Parliamen- To resolve the ethnic conflict, the WDU\&RPPLWWHHRQWKH2PEXGVPDQ government is planning to resettle &RPPLVVLRQWLPHWRUDLVHDZDUHQHVV some Sepiks in other parts of Morobe This was decided after protest marches Province, some in other provinces, and were held in Port Moresby and Lae. others in East Sepik Province. To date, However, Prime Minister Somare the government has not yet started the ODVKHGRXWDWWKH2PEXGVPDQ&RP- process of relocation, and concerns mission, nongovernmental organiza- are increasing for the safety of these tions, civil society groups, and the people. There are growing concerns, media for leading the public to believe particularly from nongovernmen- that the Parliament intends to overrule tal organizations and international the constitution and remove powers of organizations providing humanitarian WKH2PEXGVPDQ&RPPLVVLRQ6RPDUH aid, that the relocation of Sepiks is a said that the amendments will not in forced resettlement and against their any way remove the powers of the basic human rights. Most of these 2PEXGVPDQ&RPPLVVLRQEXWUDWKHU people are no longer from Sepik and will define the commission’s responsi- are descendants of intermarriages with bilities (The National, 5 May 2010). locals and people from other provinces The bill has yet to go through its third residing in the area. and final reading. &RXUWFDVHVRQHOHFWLRQSHWLWLRQV Hostility toward people of Sepik seem to have persisted, while the date origin in the township of Bulolo in for the next national elections is less Morobe Province in May left about than two years away. In April, the 4,000 people homeless and without 6XSUHPH&RXUWGHFODUHG7RP2OJD food and other basic needs (The as the duly elected member of the National, 19 May 2010). The Sepiks, Western Highlands regional seat after whose forebears initially migrated to a relentless court battle over the seat Bulolo in the 1950s to work at one with former Prime Minister Paias of the first gold mines in Papua New Wingti. Mr Olga appeared to be the Guinea, are now third- and fourth- winner after scoring the highest num- generation residents of the area. The ber of votes on three occasions: after conflict has resulted in a humanitar- the 2007 national general elections, ian crisis with serious threats to the after the first recount ordered by the health, security, and well-being of 1DWLRQDO&RXUWDQGDIWHUWKHIXUWKHU the people. More than 400 Sepiks UHFRXQWRUGHUHGE\WKH6XSUHPH&RXUW employed in the Bulolo bank, post (Post Courier, 20 April 2010). The 494 the contemporary pacific 23:2 (2011) court decision resolves the question need to be resources and political about who will represent Western support in place, a dedicated roll- Highlands Province in Parliament and management unit, and, in the long finally puts to rest the tussle for the term, a national identification card seat of governor, as provincial mem- system that would also facilitate vot- bers of Parliament also serve as gover- ing and significantly reduce electoral nors for their
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