Turbulence in Kundiawa town

I can feel the tension in Kundiawa. Tuesday morning there were riots. In PNG fighting is most of the time very volatile with bush knives and guns. Police shot in the air to stop the fights. The guards restrained the recently fired public servants from entering the office. More encouragement wasn’t necessary to get a big fight going.

I’m safe, but keep away from the office as much as possible. However, life in town just continues, like nothing ever happened. Tuesday afternoon I walked right through the dense crowd in front of the office to get to the bank. I had to, I’d ran out of cash. In the crowd I saw quite a lot familiar faces, but to avoid being catched up in a sudden fight, I walked straight on. The ‘wrong place, wrong time’ principle seems to match reality in PNG more than anywhere I have ever been.

Everybody is waiting for a decision from Port Moresby. Who will be acting provincial administrator? Two years already, the battle between Joe Bal and Joseph Kunda lasts. Most of the time it was a court battle. Unfortunately, it shifted to Kundiawa, to real life. Tension is rising, negative writing on Simbu in national newspapers increasing. Which private investor or international organisation would spend his money in Simbu? I would not, to be honest. The people of Simbu are the victims of these battle of power.

Thursday, the old and new people in charge at the province came to an temporary agreement. The governor, the recently fired managers and the newly appointed managers: it must have been a huge gathering indeed. The compromise is remarkable: Nobody is allowed to enter the office until a decision has been made in Port Moresby. That means no government services for some time. How much time? I have no clue. Only the department of education remains in office. They have to, the new school year is about to begin.

It can always be worse. In Kenya, all VSO volunteers have been evacuated due to the political unrest. Their safety can’t be guaranteed. What a huge difference and shift of mindset. From two years Kenya back to home. Hopefully for the people of Kenya and the volunteers, the violence won’t take as long as in Simbu!