Violence in an important country

Papua New Guinea is a neglected or unknown island country; yet, it is also considered very important in the Pacific Ocean. The population of the country is over 10 million. On 10^th January 2024, the country’s Police went on strike in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Angry Policemen staged demonstrations outside the Parliament, because instead of increasing their salaries, they were cut by 50%. Police personnel, prison staff, soldiers and civil servants quit their jobs.

As the Police went on strike, there was no control over citizens, who took law into their hands. People became violent and started rioting. The situation in the city went out of control and looting started. People broke into and ransacked big shops. A large amount of food and furniture was also stolen. Some people even set fire to vehicles and small shops parked on the roads. Vehicles parked in the premises of the Prime Minister’s office were also set on fire. Some people even tried to enter the Parliament. All this was horrible and disturbing. It is alarming that this kind of chaos should arise in a very important and sensitive place like the capital of a country.

In all, 15 people died in the violence. Prime Minister James Marape apologized to his countrymen for the incident. He said, “This has never happened before. The public took advantage of the absence of the Police and created violence. Action will be taken against them”. About the Police going on strike due to a 50% cut in their salaries, the Prime Minister said that this happened due to a technical fault in the computers and an administrative error. Actually, the salary of the Policemen has not reduced. The technical glitch will be rectified soon and everyone will get their next month’s salary along with the previous arrears. Army has been deployed in Papua New Guinea after a 14-day national emergency to prevent rioting. However, the situation continues to be tense.

Prevent internal violence

People taking law into their own hands, wreaking havoc is harmful for any country. If there is such a large-scale chaos in a country that leads to declaring of a national emergency, it only points towards the failure of the Government. The Government should take this up seriously and implement remedial measures. Measures should also be taken to prevent a repetition.

China has meanwhile proposed massive investment in Papua New Guinea in the name of development. However, realizing China’s machinations in time, Papua New Guinea has rejected the proposal. Although it is a small island Nation, this boldness of a country that adopts a foreign policy without going into the clutches of China is definitely commendable. Papua New Guinea knows how to be careful of enemy countries, and who should be its friend. This is why, it considers Bharat as a leader and expects a friendship hand from it. Vigilant Papua New Guineans should therefore find out an appropriate method to stop the internal deterioration in law & order, strife, and rampant anarchy.

Law and order deteriorated

Rising unemployment and inflation has weakened Papua New Guinea’s economy. Poverty, lack of education, on the other hand, are adding to rising unemployment. Health facilities in this country are also limited. Shortage of medicines is frequent. Chinese communities were established in Papua New Guinea some decades ago. As a result, Chinese population there began to grow. Due to anti-China sentiments, riots started in May 2009. Growing number of Chinese employees in businesses led to Chinese monopoly. This angered the native workers and led to riots. Now, even the number of Catholics here is more.

The crime rate is also said to be high in Papua New Guinea. The country is plagued by political interference and corruption in many fields. Since the country’s Independence, only the National Police Force has been functioning here. How can the Police Force single-handedly maintain law and order in the country ? It certainly has many limitations.

There should be other administrative bodies at the local level that should also be functional. Absence of such bodies has made the environment unstable. Besides, the existing Police Force is also weak. The quality of their work has deteriorated.

Meanwhile, senior officers at the Police Headquarters in Port Moresby were found to be embezzling the pension fund of their own retired officers. They were also involved in crimes such as smuggling of drugs and guns, stealing fuel, committing insurance scams and misappropriating Police allowances. In a nutshell, they were thieves in Police uniform. How can such Police be aware of their duties ? Only those who are aware of their national duties do not indulge in anti-social activities such as going on strikes or collective leave or wreak havoc through similar activities. They keep working while being conscious of their responsibilities and fully use their abilities to overcome difficulties, demands or problems. Papua New Guinea expects Bharat to talk about and solve its problems. Bharat will help no doubt; but considering the intensity of these problems, it would be advisable for Papua New Guinea to first try and improve the situation on its own.

Bharat’s role

The volume of trade between Bharat and Papua New Guinea is quite large. Narendra Modi became the first Prime Minister of Bharat to visit it. Considering this background and the current situation, Bharat should also take cautious steps. Bharat is now on its way to becoming the third largest economy. However, there are going to be many obstacles on the way; yet, Bharat should skillfully navigate and preserve purity of national-international relations. If this is achieved, Bharat will for sure become a superpower soon !