What big win for PNG?

What big win for PNG?

by David Lepi - Former Progam Coordinator at Law and Justice Sector, Papua New Guinea.

Foreign advisory group within the government must provide adequate advise to Prime Minister James Marape.

PNG joined the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) group of states in 1993 and is a member since. The NAM was created in 1961 and it is explicit about its role in global politics. The NAM seeks to create an independent path in world politics that would not result in member States becoming pawns in the struggles between the major powers.

The Defence Cooperation Agreement will certainly tip PNG away from its critical non-aligned balance in the Pacific. And this is something PM Marape needs to be enlightened.

PNG is a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We joined many other Pacific countries and pledged to the world that we will keep the South Pacific region free from the risk of nuclear proliferation, testing and alliance that may pose threat. 

And there are many other bilateral and multilateral agreements on security, trade and defence that PNG is a signatory to which of course the Attorney General would be in a position to advise. 

A military alliance with the United States means the great nuclear power will access our land, air and waters anytime it pleases. Nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, fighters and bombers and other equipment and machineries with nuclear capability will access our sovereign territory and make it their staging point. 

Of course this will be done in the pretext of seemingly civil and friendly ways like boarder surveillance, coast guard, illegal fishing and poaching surveillance, military training and exercises, support in natural disaster etc. 

All in all there is no big gain for PNG but we the people whom Justin Tkachenko calls us the 'primitive animals and useless' are bending in to the best interest of a foreign power and the extention of her foreign policy. 

If Marape is so adamant to make Papua New Guinea a US satellite state in the Pacific then at least he should give our people the benefit to understand and appreciate what is contained in the Defence Cooperation Agreement and our leaders to debate in parliament on a matter that is very critical to the nation.