‘Hela’va’ time in PNG: By Michelle N. Rooney Jun 23,2014 (summary) In my view there are 2 critical points about O’Neill’s power since he became PM. Whilst, like others, I have commented on his ‘regional processing centre’ deal with the Austn govt as a way of holding any critique by Australia of his govt at bay, I also think that its important only in so far as it boosts O’Neill’s public image in the region. I think O’Neill is less worried about international criticism of his role in corruption than he is about threats to his leadership that are far closer to home. The first of the 2 issues of pressing importance for O’Neill is keeping his brothers from the gas-rich, Hela prov happy. Indeed in the longer term, political power in PNG will be based on political compromises between the resource-rich provs & the rest of the country. Until such time as other provinces develop extractive industry resources equal to Hela prov, politics in PNG will be greatly influenced by the Hela leadership. The 2nd issue of importance for O’Neill is his rift with the senior ranks of PNG police, which cannot be taken lightly. Until now political leadership in PNG has been relatively safe from civic action, such as protests, because of legislation put in place to control (or one might conclude, suppress) public gatherings. Key to this success has been support from the troubled police force that, although weak in capacity & fraught with controversy, has willingly defended the govt of the day. At the heart of this is a basic, if tenuous, control by politicians over the police force–or in other words, the state’s monopoly over the police force. This control over civic action was tested in 2012 and resulted in the downfall of the Somare National Alliance govt. At that time there was no issue with the police force supporting the govt – they were just going about their ‘normal’ duties. O’Neill’s dismantling of the thus far effective anti-corruption agency, Taskforce Sweep, and the removal and suspension of several senior police personnel is a high-risk but calculated move to retain control. It will be interesting to see how the police force respond & who replaces the outgoing police personnel. If the police decide to remain loyal to their outgoing colleagues then it is likely that O’Neill’s hold on power will crumble. It will also be interesting to see how other political actors in PNG respond in the coming days & weeks. While international stakeholders (multinational corporations & bilateral partners) might be assured of O’Neill’s support for their various investments & interests, in PNG the determination & consolidation of O’Neill’s hold on power will come from a political compromise between the police rank-and-file & the Hela & Southern Highlands faction of politics. Author Michelle Nayahamui Rooney is a PhD candidate with SSGM at the ANU. Full article sight: devpolicy.org/its-a-helava-time-in-png/
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 07:10:16 +0000
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