Academia Nomad

Where are the parents, siblings, pastors, and the communities?

The only shop in Gerehu to have survived the 10th of February 2024 looting and burning was burnt down yesterday (Sunday), a week after the 10th of January.

The suspects were apprehended: four kids and one adult!

If you’ve been concerned about unemployment and its impact on PNG, or the rise in criminal activities, lawlessness, inflation, or tax cuts, you have something more serious to worry about.

That the kids, at a very young age, are the primary suspects for a million Kina loss to a business.

How did a country that professes to be 97% Christian burn and loot, and have its children not only follow but, in this case, become the primary actors in the crime of arson?

Where are the kids’ parents? Where are their older siblings? Where are the communities they belong to? Who are their wantoks?

The answer is simple:

The Christians they are supposed to look up to, the parents who are supposed to raise them right, the siblings who were supposed to be role models, the community which was supposed to set rules of the game… were involved in the 10th of January 2024 looting.

As much as we’d like to blame the government, PNG society is essentially decaying. A downward spiral that threatens to destroy the last of the values we hold.

This 10,000 years of civilization is headed for a very dark future if nothing is done.

10 Key Points In PNG’s Political Timeline: February 2024 and Beyond

The 18 months grace period will END on 9 February 2024
First Parliament Sitting of 2024 on 13 February
Vote of No Confidence (VONC) against James Marape is possible between February 2024 and June 2026
Because a successful VONC within the last 12 months can trigger a fresh election, MPs never push for a VONC 12 months before election. Therefore VONC is not likely after July 2026, which is 12 months before 2027 elections
If there is a successful VONC anytime after 13 February 2024, a fresh 18 months grace period will kick in.
This will mean another 18 months of political stability. After which a VONC can be moved
In close to 50 years, only two PNG prime ministers have ever completed their 5 year term as prime ministers (Somare 2002 – 2007; O’Neill 2012 – 2017). The odds are therefore against James Marape. Will he be the third PM to complete his term?
Yesterday’s cabinet shuffle is NOT the last one. We will see many more shuffle as PM attempts to buy loyalty.
DSIPs/PSIPs have been a key political tool used for buying political support and loyalty apart from ministerial portfolios and directing donor funding to projects in friendly MPs electorate. Marape has already hinted doubling the DSIP in 2023, but this will depend on 2024 revenues.
Brace for political instability after 9 February 2024!

Stuck Ones: Ministers Assisting the Prime Minister

In James Marape’s Pangu-led government, there’s a clear pattern: Ministers who say controversial things are replaced by the Prime Minister.

The removed Minister then becomes the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister, helping behind the scenes.

This happened with Justin Tketchenko and Ian Ling-Stucky, where Marape took over their ministries but kept them as assistants. The former called critics “primitive animals” whilst the latter said no Papua New Guineans are actually suffering.

It seems Marape does this to handle controversies, making him the public face while the real power stays with these controversial MPs assisting him. In essence, Marape is the face, but Ministers assisting him hold the real power.

Another coincidence is that both Justin Tkancheko and Ian Ling-Stucky have been nicknamed “Stuck One” in PNG.

No wonder these guys are sticky and cannot be easily removed.

Social media shutdown: a diversion from issues that matter

Social media shutdown: a diversion from issues that matter

A few years ago, the Black Lives Matter movement in the US faced worse carnage than the situation in Port Moresby on January 10, 2024. Despite this, even Trump didn’t contemplate a social media blackout.

The crucial focus should be on addressing key issues:

Police Discipline:

Whilst frustration over pay is understandable, abandoning posts over pay is unacceptable, considering the potential consequences in a city susceptible to exploitation during a vacuum. It’s not the first time this rampage occurred, and police would have foreseen this.

Human Error:

The system failure during the first pay day of 2024 was a result of human error in adjusting the payroll system on time, highlighting a failure in duty along the chain. Someone messed up along the chain, and needs to be held accountable.

Lawlessness:

Growing impunity in PNG reflects a lack of respect for law, fellow humans, and property. If the government continues to neglect investment in law and order, we will see this again and again. Every election is considered worse than the previous one. This will continue unless a serious effort is made to address a breakdown in nationwide law and order.

Government Decisions:

Government claims of no recent tax increases overlook the impact of previous raises, contributing to the ongoing economic challenges and rising inflation. If the tax threshold is increased to K20, 000 but inflation is 5%, your actual pay per annum is K15, 000. If you are taxed at around 40% in perious years, just because there was no increase in 2024 doesn’t mean you’re better off. You are still taxed at 40%, and then inflation takes away 5% of your money’s worth. But you will never hear that from the government.

Ignorance and Lack of Awareness:

Many Papua New Guineans lack understanding of the impacts of taxes and high inflation, partly due to a government communication gap.

Shutting down social media is not the solution; instead, the government should prioritize honesty, conduct awareness campaigns, or consider resigning if unable to address these issues effectively.

“Glitches in the Systems “

“Glitches in the Systems ” – (A Computer Programmers View)

By Melford Ipata via LinkedIn

Hey there! So, imagine you’re using a fancy computer system, like the Alesco Payroll System that the PNG Government uses. Some people might think there’s this magic thing called a “glitch in the system” that can automatically undo changes made by the people. Well, as a computer programmer, let me clear that up for you.

Computer systems, including Alesco, are super carefully designed software by smart programmers to follow specific instructions. Sure, sometimes there are bugs or glitches, but they’re not little ‘computer wizards’ undoing tax rates on their own. Usually, those glitches happen because of human mistakes during the coding process or when different parts of the system don’t get along. But on a commercial systems like Alesco, they have been fixed long before.

Now, the Alesco System is top-notch commercial software used worldwide. It’s been tested like crazy by expert programmers from all over the world for users. So, the idea that it can randomly undo changes all by itself doesn’t make sense as in the case of Finance Department & IRC. Computer programs don’t have brains; they just do what they’re told. If they are confused, they will generate an error message seeking additional information from the users but undoing changes on its own is out of concept.

In programming, being accountable is crucial. If something needs fixing or changing, it’s up to us programmers or someone authorized to do it on purpose. The thought that a system can magically change/undo things without a human is not possible. It overlooks the hard work and responsibility of programmers.

To sum it up, don’t buy into the idea that a “glitch in the system” can undo changes magically. Understanding computer programming is more complex than that. Alesco, being a worldwide-used commercial payroll software, is reliable and has minimal glitches. So, be careful what you say about it – making false claims can lead to legal trouble!