Uni students warned against protesting

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By JASON GIMA WURI

THE Students Representative Council at the University of Papua New Guinea has warned students against organising or taking part in any public demonstrations and protest marches.
SRC president Rainbo Piari issued the warning during a forum yesterday in view of the current political situation in Port Moresby.
“As intellectuals, we will not take part in any protest march.”
There were rumours yesterday of students from UPNG joining a protest march organised by non-governmental and civil society organisations to parliament.
However, this did not eventuate following a public ban on demonstrations by police.
“There was no formal agreement with NGOs or civil society groups to join a protest march and, therefore, UPNG will not stage anything of that sort.
“Rather, we have called for a forum so that students can air their views,” Piari said.
“Those students caught trying to instigate something in the manner of a protest march will be dealt with severely by the administration and police,” he warned.
“Over the years, UPNG has been known for holding protest marches every time there are political sagas but, this time, we want to take a more intellectual approach.
“We are not politicians but, as leaders of tomorrow, we call for a change in power and in direction because we have that right to exercise our freedom of speech,” Piari said.
“We want a change for the better, because we have had enough of corruption in parliament,” he added.
Classes were suspended for the day as students gathered at the forum square to air their views.
Uni-force security personnel were also deployed around campus to maintain peace and order.

National Newspaper 21 July 2010

CHINA PROHIBITS DEEPSEA TAILINGS PLACEMENT (DSTP) IN ITS WATERS; WHY PNG?

Why is the Ramu Nickel Mine (RNM) a Chinese State owned company allowed by the government of PNG to dump its waste into the sea when it is ILLEGAL in China? Are the people of Raicoast where RNM plans to dump it’s waste not humans? Are they second class citizens?

Any country that bans dumping of waste into the sea KNOWS it will cause ecological disaster. If China is one of them then there is no point in using DSTP in PNG. The RNM should look at other options of waste disposal mechanisms. Land based option is the way to go; if not shift the waste to China and dump it there, not in PNG. If RNM argues that it can not build a dam because of frequent seismic activity in PNG then why is Morobe Mines building dams in its operation sites in Bulolo and Wau? Is it simply an excuse by RNM to give as it will coast a lot of money for building a dam?

The government of PNG should also consider its marine pollution laws by the PNG National Maritime Safety Authority. These laws protect MARINE LIFE and the PEOPLE from dumping waste into the sea. Regardless of these laws, the government of PNG amends the Environmental Act 2000 to allow companies to do whatever they want to do without consultation, approval and interference by resource-owners. What kind of government do we have?

Who is in control?

The government of Papua New Guinea made amendment to the Environmental Act on May 27 2010. We citizens of this country can no longer sit back and watch what is happening before our eyes. The changes in this Act basically means the government has taken away peoples’ traditional, constitutional and legal rights over land away from them. Landowners will no longer be in a position to interfere with operations of multinational corporations such has logging, mining, commercial fishing and so forth. They will not have the power to prevent any possible environment damages by these large scale developers before actual operations begin. They are also prevented from taking legal actions against operations of these companies.

This is a very sad story for our people. Do we continue to let this happen to our people? What does this really mean for our people? Most of these people do not know about this amendment. Are they still principle landowners? This is now very critical question to ask as the amendment classifies them as third party. Is this in-line with the people’s traditional landowning systems? Is this another breach to peoples’ constitutional right to freedom of speech? Is this now the start of what we expect more from our government in future?

In the first place, why do we even have the government? Has the role of the government shifted over time? Who is it serving, is it the people of this country or foreign multinational corporations? If it is serving the interests of foreigners then why do we need to have one? The recent amendment shows clearly that the power of the landowners have been stripped and given to multinational corporations. If this is the situation then who is controlling this country? Is it our people or outsiders?

I thought the days of being colonized, administered and controlled by outsiders was over many years ago but the current trends in the country totally proves me wrong. Are we going to continue to let this happen to our people?