The Papua New Guinea media erratically spews out news products about land grabbing throughout this developing nation. It is an important matter but fights for space between the reports of violence and mayhem of petty crimes and paid for reports by politicians about the developing nation and how well the people must be doing and are so happy…Its people of 7 million plus who once owned 97% of the land are now being displaced from their land by various means, some cleverly structured scams and others just the plain brutal oppression expressed by those in power, inevitably those with money or access to it, directly or indirectly.
Substantial portions of Government land are already carved out and allocated to entities willing to pay the right price in a land stealing frenzy that initially started as covert clever well hidden schemes and have now just become “hand in the till” type efforts. Traditional land is also about to follow that trend. No longer are tribes in control but individuals who can exploit the ignorance of people or who access brutal power and who know of and exploit the weakness of or negligence or corruptibility of the State organs that have become mercenary like in their aggressive processing of fraudulent claims.
Increasing hostility throughout Papua New Guinea glows red hot as ambers in these dark and oppressive times. Initially the people are taken advantage of and are confused and shocked, turning to their Government but increasing instances of being sold out, being ignored by the very Government they elected will soon make them realize that to survive, they must take affirmative action and violence must be a reality they will have to consider and succumb to.
The increasing hoard of children who now throng the Port Moresby CBD seeking for handouts and forsaking free education are signals of times ahead for many of these tribes. For the first time, a generation of Papua New Guineans will no longer be able to have any tribal land to claim, even by indirect association as they did from settlements that sprouted up throughout PNG as many flocked to urban centers to access Government services increasingly unavailable in their tribal homes. They are seen sleeping on streets, not even able to find space in the numerous ghettoes that are themselves a shocking counter to the claims of prosperity preached by not a few politicians.
Tribes throughout Papua New Guinea will confront the bitter confrontation over land. Weaker tribes will succumb and disintegrate into families and those into nuclear units and those into individuals and those with no culture but survival. Stronger tribes will try to resist. And they may succeed. They become irrelevant if they do not.
History is filled with people who tried to quietly discuss and considerately mediate. They no longer are around many of these people. They are only read about in and pitied in books, documentaries and re-enactments.
The preview of this already experienced in Bougainville.
Interestingly, this autonomous province is soon to experience greater tension as they are confronted by those who see profit in PANGUNA and surrounding hills – despite the death of 20,000 people, many of them Bougainvillean. The people of Bougainville no longer have Francis ONA who climbed out of Bougainville Copper Limited Truck Number 36 grabbed a gun and fought for them and their land and never gave up until he too was removed from the equation by ingenious methods that most people were convinced to believe was death by malaria but was actually assassination. Sporadic outbursts of anger from tribes in resource rich provinces are fast brought under control with bags of money and clever promises, in efforts bringing corporate might and Government will together. Nothing has really jerked successive PNG governments awake to see the gloomy reality that looms ahead, a reality that threatens to disintegrate this land of 1000 tribes into a collection of autonomous provinces, semi criminal warlords and fierce rival ethnic rivalries.
The media reports continue to flow, giving accounts of instances of land grabbing, land theft and marginalization. The latest being the people of New Ireland who are now experiencing the harsh reality of decisions made by those they elected fantasizing that their rights and future would be protected but instead have turned on them and sold them for virtually nothing. Solwara 1, the first ever seabed mining project in the world, piloted here because the laws do not exist to prevent it nor does the State sufficiently care for its people, many of whom have succumbed to this terrible atrocity and have been convinced that the lack of any compensation they will receive because it is “not their land” is fine. In fact, research will reveal no real tangible economic benefits for the people, the province, the country and the world.
If one listens carefully above the roar that is the proclamation of politicians of an economy doing well, robust growth and all such great economic terms that make the elitist rich ruling classes squirm with joyful anticipation, one can hear a few who stand up and shout indignantly at the terrible events unfolding and rebuke those in power…but they are singular voices, too small, too insignificant it seems and the people, stirred somewhat but not sufficiently enough to rise up unless to move off the land they once owned and watch in despair and silent misery, cannot muster the necessary courage and energy to prevent their very own marginalization.
Yes, their voices cannot be heard above the chest beating and constant backslapping and applause of these leaders who boast of sustained economic growth and forecast bright financial future…not for the people of course…but crumbs for friends, cronies and the real meat, for those who truly control the purse strings, the minions of Corporatedom…that now rule the world, from no fixed location but operating where it is convenient, where they can control and do as they must because they can, with impunity…
It seems that the fate of this entire nation is to be sold – packaged and prepared by many of those elected originally to protect and promote…
So if even in the ghettos of one’s country if one is homeless, where does one go? A barefoot question, an empty stomach query, a teary faced ask behind the realm of the grimy begging bowl of reality facing Papua New Guinea…
Goilala's District Dev Blog 
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