A POLICEMAN’S OATH IS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA, NOT THE PRIME MINISTER Media Release: 22nd October 2014 I wish to remind members of the disciplinary forces, and in particular, Members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, of the significance of the oath they took upon becoming police officers. The oath you all took is to uphold the Constitution and serve the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. The Independent State of Papua New Guinea means the people of Papua New Guinea and not the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea or the Opposition Leader or the Police Commissioner. The continuing stand-off between two factions of the police must be condemned in the strongest terms. Without doubt, one group represents the majority of the force and is committed to uphold and enforce the laws of Papua New Guinea, while the other, which is comprised of a bare minority have allowed themselves to be manipulated by powerful politicians. I must urge the police hierarchy, and in particular the Police Commissioner to immediately take control and diffuse what potentially is an explosive situation. The Commissioner cannot sit on the fence. As the chief law enforcement officer, he must uphold the rule of law and support his men and women who work tirelessly to maintain peace and order. I urge him to immediately suspend and charge those rogue officers who confronted and assaulted another police officer at his home for doing his job, and those that took siege of the Konedobu Fraud and Ant-Corruption Office yesterday. There is one law for all citizens including policemen and the Prime Minister. I must again warn those renegade policemen to immediately refrain from their rebellious behavior and to return to their normal duties and their barracks. I urge this band of Port Moresby based policemen to remind them-selves that Papua New Guinea is bigger than any one person. The Constitution and the laws of Papua New Guinea will always prevail and no one can escape. They must think about their future and that of their families. They may be well cared for now, but that won’t continue forever. Furthermore, they must remember that they belong to a police force that has been bestowed Her Majesty’s Royal Title, and as such, indiscipline and insubordination is intolerable. Their actions could also be treasonable. What we are witnessing is a direct result of the Prime Minister’s stubbornness in placing himself above the rule of law. The actions of this minority group of policemen is directly dictated or influenced by him and he cannot deny that. He must also take full responsibility for the complete break-down of discipline within the force resulting in rebellious and abusive behavior by members, especially in the last 7 months. The Prime Minister must now do the most honorable thing, and that is to leave these poor folks alone and surrender him-self. The Supreme Court has already ruled that the warrant obtained by police for his arrest is valid and enforceable and even the Police Commissioner cannot do anything about it. I call upon relevant arms of government to take note of the serious security situation that is developing and assist diffuse these tensions by speedily expediting matters which may be in their care. I must repeat my earlier statement that, the office of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea is the top most public office of this land and as such, it must not be kept under a cloud of public doubt for prolonged periods. GOD BLESS PAPUA NEW GUINEA Authorized by, Hon. Belden Norman Namah, MP Leader of Opposition opposition.gov.pg | Follow us on Facebook
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 07:41:44 +0000
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