PNG High Commissioner: What's your agenda?
Most diplomats shy away from media
attention, not so Mr Brian Yombon-Copio, the PNG High Commissioner to the
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, who, with a highly partisan political diatribe in
Friday's Solomon Star has waded in
'boots an' all" in defence of the current controversial PNG political
regime.
Seemingly ill-equipped to avoid
controversy, notwithstanding his "extensive research" and "studies
in International Relations," he raised many an eyebrow in Port Vila last
year, where he formally presented not one wife but two.
Mr Brian Yombon-Copio states on his
facebook (social media) page:
"I enjoy life in eating, sleeping and
reproducing."
Quite!
It is in the social media pages, in
particular PNGs influential facebook site 'Sharp Talk', that Mr Yombon-Copio's
controversial outburst has been roundly condemned.
"Is this diplomat living on another
planet?" asked one commenter.
"The size of his ego is larger than
his brains," stated another.
In response to concerns raised by the UN
about the state of politics in PNG, Mr Yombon-Copio felt the need to educate
the region about the concerns in PNG.
He stated that the UN should confine
themselves to human rights' abuses of which there had been none in PNG.
That police officers from the National
Capital District were set upon and beaten up by police brought in from the
Highlands by the current PNG government seems to have escaped his attention.
Journalists having been threatened, some
with guns, also went unremarked. In
spite of Mr Yombon-Copio's assertion of "…freedom of speech as provided
for under the constitution" the reality is that the media has come in for
special attention from Prime Minister O'Neill's press secretary, Ben Micah, who
has warned (amongst other things) that media dissenters will be swiftly dealt
with. The statement was condemned by international media organisations.
That the High Commissioner subsequently
used the mass rally organised last month that attracted 10,000 – 15,000
protestors as evidence that free speech is still alive and well, is
particularly specious.
The protest was organised because PNGeans
had become increasingly concerned with the erosion of the constitution and
their constitutional rights since the current regime chose to ignore a Supreme
Court Order that declared them illegitimate.
Of particular concern was self-serving legislation bulldozed through the
parliament with little consultation and in indecent haste – in particular the
Judicial Conduct Act (JCA).
The JCA targeted the current Chief Justice,
Sir Salamo Injia, who was head of the Supreme Court bench that had found the
regime to be illegal under PNGs constitution.
While the Act, according to Mr Yombon-Copio,
is an instrument to "…ensure the integrity and impartiality of the public
office is maintained at all times," (and this certainly is the government
line) it gives the executive extraordinary powers over the judiciary – the people
were not fooled by its intention and expressed disapproval in the mass protest.
It smacks of gross hypocrisy because while
the Executive Government of PNG is concerning itself with the integrity of the
judiciary, egregious sins within their own ranks are ignored.
For example, in spite of an arrest warrant
being in place for the Speaker of the parliament, Jeffrey Nape, for an alleged
attempted fraud involving 30,000,000 kina since January 25th this
year, he has been passing laws and presiding over the PNG parliament
unchallenged. (Unconfirmed reports state that the Speaker was belatedly
arrested two days ago)
The current Deputy Prime Minister, Belden
Namah was recently on the front page of the Sydney
Morning Herald, exposed as the Minister from a foreign country thrown out
of Sydney's Star Casino for drunken and lewd behaviour. He harassed a male croupier for sexual
favours. His language was so offensive
that, in reporting, the Sydney Morning
Herald felt it wise to warn their readers.
What's happened to the Leadership Code
Commission in PNG? Does the need for
integrity only apply to the judiciary there?
That the JCA is specific to counter Sir
Salamo Injia's influence rather than a general law is further attested to by Prime
Minister, Peter O'Neill, who, addressing the crowd of protestors, stated that
he would repeal the law if the Chief Justice stepped down.
The other abiding concern of the protestors
(and the international community) was the mooted deferral of the upcoming
elections. In this matter, the Prime
Minister's credibility is in tatters.
So when Mr Yombon-Copio states that:
"There is no intention on the part of the Government to further delay the
General Elections this year," of this he can't be sure.
The Prime Minister voted in parliament to
delay the elections for 6 months n spite of assurances to the contrary. The recently-arrested Speaker of the
parliament claims this vote still stands.
Furthermore, DPM, Belden Namah, stated that if the elections go ahead as
planned he will sue the electoral commission to delay elections in his seat of
Vanimo/Green.
There is no authoritative single government
voice in PNG and to say that the electorate is confused is an understatement. Mr. Yombon-Copio's statement just adds to the
confusion.
Rose-coloured glasses are also gainfully
employed by the High Commissioner as he cites PNG's commitment to human rights
as a signatory to international conventions such as Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
But, PNG's record fulfilling their obligations under this convention is
appalling fully complying with only 29 out of the 113 requirements.
And while this new regime has painted
themselves as the champion of women's issues, vowing to right past wrongs, they've
failed abysmally. For although the Prime Minister and senior members of his
cabinet backed legislation of 22 reserved political seats for women the
legislation did not make it through. Clearly, government commitments are elastic.
As to PNG being a signatory to the UN
Convention of the Status of refugees, it seems that this Convention is also
honoured in the breach.
The poignancy of the High Commissioner's
statement will not be lost on Solomon Islanders as they reflect back to 2006
when Solomon Islands' appointee Attorney-General, Julian Moti, was seized by
PNG authorities without an arrest warrant and locked in police cells in an
operation resembling a kidnapping while the PNG courts decided whether to
comply with their duties under this charter.
In a country (PNG) where family ties and
tribal loyalties matter and where wantokism
is rife, I am finding it hard to discern why the High Commissioner should
make such erroneous and highly controversial statements.
With the political impasse in PNG being
between this new regime that came illegally into power in a political coup last
August, and the former regime led by Sir Michael Somare, backed by the
constitutional interpretation of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Sir
Salamo Injia, the PNG High Commissioner, if sacrificing his neutrality, should
be firmly within the latter camp.
Mr Yombon-Copio is related to the Chief
Justice and married his niece. He is also an Engan, as so too is the Chief
Justice.
One of High Commissioner's wives is a
sister of Sam Abel, so I'm told, who was the acting Prime Minister in the
Somare regime at the time of the political coup although, I have not been able
to confirm this on going to press. Mr Yombon-Copio was, however, a Somare-government
appointee.
Having now become an apologist for the
current PNG regime, it begs the question:
What's your agenda, Sir?
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