Welcome to the amazing merry-go-round of PNG Politics! Be careful not blink because if you do BANG! the speed has increased but the security harness has been taken off.  This ride’s gotten scarier!

So far we have enjoyed an idyllic view…with a little bump every now and then but at a comfortable speed. We’ve enjoyed freedom of expression with a little constraint in deference to our cultural taboos. We’ve had the security of knowing that when things get too rough or fast, we can always step off the ride and go back to our village where we can plant kaukau, go hunting or fishing and not go hungry.

Now it seems that there’s a BIG scary Pangia Warrior with his gifted Sandaun Sniper that will take out anyone (at any range) that dares to even try to adjust the controls on this merry-go-round!

Jokes aside, take a moment to look the map attached. It shows (like the title clearly states) ‘The map of the World’s Dictators’.

You’ll notice that at the moment there’s nothing shaded in the Pacific, although Fiji’s Frank Bainimarama is listed as fourth on the list of the world’s current dictators with a rule of 11 years (a couple of months longer than Kagame of Rwanda and Wade of Senegal).

The question facing us Papua New Guineans now is whether or not we will see a little shade of green above Australia very VERY soon. The actions of Mr O’Neil and Mr Namah are speaking very loudly and they appear to be screaming that they want total control of the whole fun park.

To end the ride folks…(and add to the excitement!) here are some questions for you to mull over or maybe even the Warrior and the Sniper with the AK 47 can answer them.  Who can remove a judge or Chief Justice? Who can stay a decision of National Executive Council? Can a judge or Chief Justice accused of misconduct stay his or her own suspension? What is the role of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC)? Can the JLSC suspend a judge or Chief Justice? Who appoints the JLSC members? Aren't all these processes open to abuse at some point? How can the likelihood of abuse be lessened?

Finally the billion-dollar question that will earn you MANY free rides: How does the Judicial Conduct Bill prevent abuse? It appears that CERTAIN people have a huge amount of work cut out for them to convince us to buy that sh-- they’re selling.

 Last but not the least quote for today:

'Stick to the Principles and Leave Out the Politics'

*You can find the controversial Judicial Conduct Bill 2012 as a pdf*