Belated Happy Easter folks!

It seems the circus has begun but alas the Ringmaster seems to be out! All hell has broken loose! Cirque du Soleil you aint got NUTHIN on us!!!!

The ruckus started last week, things got so crazy that putting words together seemed so emotionally tasking. It seemed every time we blinked there was yet another animal let loose in the ring but thank goodness the elephants haven’t been allowed to stampede…yet. Rest assured- we are gathered this moment to witness together the latest craze in this circus.

Let’s begin with yesterday (Tue 10^th April). The ‘acts’ from that day were many and very entertaining! Parliament was SUPPOSED to be in session but due to lack of quorum it was postponed to 10 this morning. During that same period another two acts were happening making the ring seem way too small!

You see while the ‘clowns’ were inside the ‘Haus Tambaran’ and deciding what to do at what time; the elephants (Trade Unionists, Public Employers with the University of Papua New Guinea students and thousands of other patriotic Papua New Guineans) were marching to Sir John Guise Stadium to present petitions. Meanwhile the Sloth (Electoral Commissioner, Andrew Trawen) was in the process of announcing that the Issue of Writs had been officially postponed to May 18^th- all this happening almost simultaneously! Talk about HEAD SPIN! Eventually the Head Clown (O’Neil) with his troupe and his Gorilla (Namah) made it to the Sir John Guise stadium. Three petitions were presented, one to O’Neil, the other to Trawen and third was supposed to go to His Excellency, Governor General Sir Michael Ogio but unfortunately he wasn’t able to make the ring (wonder why? obstructed bowels maybe?) so Dr Allan Marat received it on his behalf. The clowns did an excellent job supporting their Head Clown by giggling, rolling their beady eyeballs and belittling Dr Nongorr while he was speaking, thus increasing the stupidity and hilarity of the troupe.

We will have to wait and see if the Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia and Justice Nicholas Kirriwom do in fact step down and allow the Judicial Conduct Act to be repealed as Mr O’Neil promised he would. At least we were given the assurance that only the Sloth has authority to delay or bring forth the National Elections and it was promised that the actual polling period will remain as scheduled with only the issue of writs being delayed by three weeks. That in itself was hilarious considering that the Gorilla has been talking as if he the troupe have control over 'that' too!

That ‘act’ ended with the royal wave from the Head Clown in his sparkling, silver, SUV type vehicle (sorry potential assassins couldn’t make out what model or make it was) with his windows all wound down (my guess is to show that he trusts he won’t get assassinated).

Last weeks acts included the revelation that there are two documents certified that are both supposed to be the Judicial Conduct Act 2012, the one that was so carefully altered and doctored, was certified on March 30^th and the other (which was what the clowns agreed to) certified on May 3^rd. When the Contortionist (talented Mr Nape) was questioned about it, he downplayed the significance of this irregularity and said rather nonchalantly “I certified two copies – disregard the first one! …Whichever is constitutionally the correct one…” If I were part of the entourage I would have wacked him over the head with my rhinoceros just for extra laughs.

The act last Wednesday (28^th March), aside from being the last real working day before the Easter lo-ong weekend for a lot of Papua New Guineans, also marked the end of a three-day workshop facilitated by Greenpeace, Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights (CELCOR) and supported by Act Now. At least twenty individuals from different parts of Papua New Guinea (PNG) with a common interest in protecting their land from being stolen in broad daylight, through the Special Agriculture and Business Lease (SABL) attended. They went away rejuvenated and encouraged with the knowledge that other Papua New Guineans are going through the same sh** that they’ve been going through and there’s support out there-no matter how small it is. Sadly most of their stories were of fellow Papua New Guineans, in fact some of their own relatives (not to mention POLICE MEN!) selling their souls for money and telling the landowners that "Mipla no kam lo rights or law nabaut, rights blo yupla em samting blo yupla!" So who's gonna uphold the rights of the average citizen?

Thing is that as Papua New Guineans their land is so meaningfully valuable to them that they’re willing to surrender their lives for it-I strongly doubt the alien thieves out there share the same sentiment, thus the battle continues.

By Friday the audience will be uproar if the ever elusive Ringmaster does not return to control and coordinate the animals and their acts.