AN urgent call has been made to the Marape – Basil government to deal with the recent spike in killings and serious crimes.
The call was made in a strong statement by a credible and elite group – the Catholic Professionals Society on Friday following the rise in violence and brutal killings in Port Moresby, Alotau , Rabaul, Goroka and around the country.
In Port Moresby this week a video circulating on social media shows two persons walking up to an unarmed man and chopping him up in a brutal premeditated murder scene.
“We are appalled at such disrespect for life and dignity of the human person. Today, we see Port Moresby the capital of our nation fed to murderers. We are lost for all senses as a nation.”
The other terrible news was out of Alotau, Milne Bay on Thursday night where thugs took over the police barracks after ransacking the town and shops, Criminals daring police in a gun battle is a movie story not known to the once peaceful Milne Bay province. About two weeks ago youths broke into Fr John Sinou’s house and attacked the priest and stole everything there including the kitchen ware.
There were also reports of a father raping his stepdaughter and the brutal double murder of sons by a father at Morata not to mention many senseless violence and killings ravaging the country with much disbelief, shame and horror.
In Rabaul town rival youths have clashed and forced shops and markets to close. No leaders have visited and addressed the two factions yet,
“We call on our leaders to wake up from slumber, from fear of SARS, Covd-19, from fear of losing position and power where perks and privilege are drawn and start serving the nation and its people,” the President of the Catholic Professionals Paul Harricknen said.
“We also call on the government to relieve Police Commissioner David Manning off the Covid-19 Pandemic Management duties as controller and allow him to concentrate on law and order in the country.
“Recently too much attention has been given to Covid-19 and less or no attention on the daily issues and challenges of the people and the nation.
“Our leaders must determine our own priorities and take full management and control of the affairs of the nation.
“Our forefathers provided us blue print for leadership and governance of statecraft in the fine national goals and directive principles embedded in our national constitution and the present leaders must not stray away from these goals.
“Many of the problems we face as a nation are direct reflections of lack of leadership and governance expected of our political leaders and civil servants. The situation demands our leaders to show leadership,” Mr Harricknen reiterated.