PNG faces biggest political crisis since 1975

PNG faces biggest political crisis since 1975

By Michael Perry

PORT MORESBY (Reuter): A military solution to the conflict on
Papua New Guinea's Bougainville island looked as far away as ever
this week as the country faces its biggest political crisis since
independence from Australia in 1975.

About 200 Papua New Guinea soldiers have been killed on
Bougainville since secessionist rebels began their offensive in
1989, a source of turmoil for a nation already beset by
widespread poverty, corruption and lawlessness.

Nobody really knows how many rebels, civilians or militia
members have died in the conflict but estimates run as high as
10,000, mostly from disease and malnutrition on the blockaded
island, 800 km (500 miles) north-east of Port Moresby.

Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan's latest efforts to solve the
crisis could hardly have backfired more.

His plan to hire 70 mercenaries to assist government troops
ended up with the army in revolt and the mercenaries kicked out
by the very soldiers they were supposed to fight alongside.

Brigadier-General Jerry Singirok, who led the army revolt
against the government and has called for dialogue with the
rebels, was sacked for disloyalty, but apparently remains in
control of the defense force.

As Chan's government wrestles with the latest crisis, some
question whether the battle for Bouganville is worth it.

When Lt. Michael Jim of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force was
killed in September while trying to rally his men against
Bougainville Revolutionary Army rebels, his family, like many
before, took out a condolence message in the local media.

"You have wasted your life," read the message in Port
Moresby's Post Courier newspaper. "And we have lost you to a lost
cause."

Singirok, with his allegations of corruption and his calls for
more government accountability, spoke to a general mood of
discontent and disillusionment in the country.

"What is happening out here on the streets and around the
country is the cries of millions of Papua New Guineans who do not
have services," he said as looters rampaged through Port Moresby
last week.

Central government is often more a notion than a reality in
this country where sorcery and cults co-exist with Christianity
and a Westminster political system, and where tribal and
political warfare have been a way of life for generations.

Adding to the challenge is Papua New Guinea's mix of more than
700 languages and ethnic groups among the country's 4.3 million
people.

Bougainville itself is geographically and ethnically part of
the Solomon Islands chain. Some say it could have ended up as
part of the Solomon Islands independent nation during a 19th
Century carve-up of colonies between Britain and Germany.

The main prize on the island is the giant Panguna copper mine,
owned by Anglo-Australian mining group RTZ-CRA, which was
generating a third of Papua New Guinea's foreign exchange before
it was closed by rebel activity in 1989.

Since independence, various PNG governments have struggled to
instill a national ethos that would unite the country.

But politicians themselves have failed to create a binding
party system. Political allegiances are often bought and sold,
sparking frequent votes of no confidence in parliament.

Since independence, none of the country's three main parties
has adopted a clear ideological position or attracted a dominant
membership. The parliament has one house and its 109 members
regularly cross the floor to join another party.

Chan has won the prime ministership twice, but never at the
ballot box. Both times he toppled rivals in no confidence votes.
Politicians also struggle to balance allegiances to people in
their constituencies with their political responsibilities,
leading to conflicts of interest and corruption.

The two most publicized disputes between villagers and the
state in recent years have been at the big Ok Tedi gold/copper
mine, controlled by The Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd of Australia, and
on Bougainville. In both cases, landowners rejected government
deals with mining companies.

In PNG's traditional society, leaders maintain power by
acquiring and distributing wealth.

Politicians have tried to emulate this system, using a
government-approved slush fund to buy votes during elections. But
political analysts say it has also resulted in corruption and
allowed some politicians to accumulate enormous wealth.

A 1989 inquiry into the forest industry, for example, found
bribes were widespread in the granting of timber leases.

The inquiry also found evidence that corrupt government
officials allowed firms to ignore environmental clauses in their
contracts. In 1991, deputy prime minister Ted Diro resigned
following corruption allegations linked to the inquiry.

Political analysts say corruption will be a major issue in the
upcoming election in June. Many feel voters will vent their anger
at Chan and his ministers for failing to ensure that their
resource-rich nation provided them with a better life.