Commentary by CHRISTOPHER PAPIALI
THE Vote of No Confidence (VONC) will take place tomorrow and we will hear who has become the Prime Minister.
The past VONC cases have been different from this one. One of the differences is the temperament of political leaders.
A decision has to be made between ‘what the citizens want’ and ‘what each MP wants in this term of parliament’.
It would be hilarious and seen as ‘time misused’ if a politician has not gained in the party politics.
Previously, politicians stood on principles and we could ask what those principles were from veterans like Sir Julius Chan, Sir Chris Haiveta, Sir Peter Ipatas, Sir John Pundari, William Duma and others.
The current political climate that has developed as a result of iron fist rule from successive Prime Ministers, and to this respect, commencing from Peter O’Neill, has changed the worldview of most new MPs and those other MPs who continue to enter parliament after every national election.
It is now no longer the ideal view of what I can do but what I can get – a synthesis that is defining the new political landscape for Papua New Guinea.
If you are very much involved in the political life of PNG, the current political landscape is embedded in cargo, greed and dominance, a resemblance of political ideologies of certain countries in Africa.
But the African political theories point to usurping powers from the colonisers in those first 20 years of their self-rule and moved towards structural reforms that are not akin to PNG’s political landscape. So virtually, political landscapes and theoretical frameworks depart on different platforms much to do with cultural contextualisation and global influence.
In this instance, we do have a mixture of PNG politicians who resort to bigmanship, a perpetual cultural leadership style mixed with western thought while others resonate from religious tolerance and emancipation coupled with democratic principles.
Whatever direction one takes, their MP status has been given by the people and they are mandated to listen to what the people want. The people are hellbent, in retrospect, to really have a government that can improve the living conditions of everyone. These include fixing the rising cost of living, unemployment, rising law and order, and forex.
The question is do you think the VONC will address those agendas? Do you also think which Prime Minister will give us the proximity to the financial recovery package?
Some of us have the view that VONC is really a retribution to good governance and sustainability to government policy implementations. But at the height of VONC smoke in the next 24 hours, much of the rationality is blocked by the populous rage expressed by all peoples in the country.
This rage, so to speak, is taunted with social media lies and I am deeply in my fortress, feeling the Member for Tari Pori is unmoved by all that has been said.
He thinks he needs to complete his ‘unfinished businesses by 2027. With an unwavering support and alliance, Hon. James Marape, strolls on a canopy of conditioned loyal MPs, unbreakable as it seems, (although may be otherwise) and you wonder how he was able to fathom his leadership.
Many political commentators are in the lurking mode, and there is no better way than to be at that stage because supporting a political party or a candidate for the PM’s post would be viewed as ‘siding’ much to the joy of social media viral punters.
Let the VONC chess begin. In this piece of critique, I am not here to please anyone but to share with you the scramble for power, where the ideal candidate for PM’s post has become imbued on the other house, could be sassy I guess, as the bacons of hope are seemingly not elevated to play the chess game.
