Who is rich, Mr Prime Minister?

“We are rich enough” ...so says Michael Somare, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea on the 14th of April 2009. And he continues ... “the people of PNG will not be poorer by the decision to buy an executive jet worth millions of kina”. I have never had of such preposterous excuse from a prime minister of a sovereign nation anywhere!

The Prime minister is certainly suffering from delusion of grandeur in his decision to divert millions of kina to purchase this ludicrous flying object which only he and his stooges stand to benefit from at the expense of the tax payers.Further, he is in denials when he says that the people will not be poorer by his decision to use the people’s money for this extravaganza.Mr Prime Minister. You have been in politics for 40 years. You would probably know better than most about the political progress of the country so perhaps you will care to answer some of the following questions:

Michael Somare with two young ladies

1. When you say ... “We are rich”... who do you refer to? Are you referring to the government, the nation, the ordinary people or yourself?

2. When you say... “the people will not be poorer”... what exactly do you imply? It seems as if you are in denial of the fact that majority of Papua New Guineans whom you are suppose to represent earn a gross yearly income of less than K5.00.

Now if you had the common decency of asking these people of their opinion about expanding K180 million for your private jet using their money would you for one moment think they will agree at all? I don’t think so period.

3. You stated that ... “the people are not starving because they are living off their garden”... Do you and other successive governments in the last 40 years consider this to be just enough to systematically neglect basic human services and infrastructure development to the rural remote parts of Papua New Guinea?

4. Can you explain why, millions of your voters in the Sepik are suffering from tinea imbricate, hypersplenism, anaemia, mouth cancer, high infant and maternal mortality rates?

5. Why have my people in South Chimbu denied of any basic government services for as long as you have been in politics?

6. Can you outline to me how in the 40 years you have been in politics what you have done to improve literacy, roads, bridges, schools, health services, premiums on health insurances for all the citizens, provisions of pharmaceuticals, why HIV/AIDS out of control, why we have the highest infant mortality and maternal mortality in comparison, why law and order is still not addressed, why the public servants are living in abject poverty, why government institutions are falling apart, why millions of kina are stolen right under your nose, why there is rampant political corruption which every successive governments seem to be a part of and year after year there are commissions of inquiry, which are never addressed, why forty years on and there is still a dual education system in Papua New Guinea and why the so called District Services Grants which has never seen the light of day in terms of any tangible developments to the rural populace still in existence?

The buck stops with you so please do me a favour – do not blame others. I need you to convince me that you and other successive governments in the last 40 years of being in politics in Papua New Guinea have achieved any of the above in real terms. If you have achieved all of the above, then Papua New Guineans will probably forgive you for purchasing this expensive flying junk. If you haven’t you should have a guilty conscience and abort this preposterous idea.

Dr. Kristoffa Ninkama

Wikauma, South Chimbu

Source: Editorial from the Post Courier

*** It will be interesting to know what accomplishments Michael Somare achieved during his political journey for over 40 years. I keep my fingers crossed and doubt that, that will ever happen before he retires from politics. The people of Papua New Guinea are not that stupid of political gimmicks and nonsense insincere rhetoric each day from the so called leaders.