FRANCIS NII
An entry in the Crocodile Prize
PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum
Award for Essays & Journalism
IN my walk of life I come across people who sometimes confuse me with their personality, particularly those who have crossed over from the dark side.
Many times I have met up with this guy who once wilfully murdered a man, was imprisoned, served his time, got his freedom back, married a beautiful wife, joined the police force as a reservist and is currently one of the top officers.
Every time I meet him, I am confounded as to what kind of personality tag to confer on him.
And there is this public servant who was accused of stealing state funds while he was a district manager. He appeared in court, was found guilty and sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour.
He served his time, came out, somehow got back into the public service and is now occupying one of the senior positions in his department. I hear that he is considered one of the most hard working and honest officers.
Each time I see him on the road in his government white Toyota LandCruiser, I feel muddled as to what kind of personality he might have.
Then there is this other guy who was accused of raping a teenager. He was arrested, appeared in court and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to two and half year imprisonment with hard labour.
While in prison, he joined a Christian denomination and was converted. Straight after he got out of prison, he attended bible college and became a pastor of the church, preaching the word of God.
Whenever I see him, I am confused as to what kind of personality he really has.
Another case. A politician who was accused of misappropriation. He appeared in court and was found guilty. He paid the penalty imposed on him and sometime later was awarded an ambassadorial post in a prestigious foreign mission.
Every time I read about him, I get myself confused about his personality.
There are many others, not only men but women in this society, who have gone through a similar experience in life.
Maybe I am suffering from some sort of vacillation complex which bewilders me when trying to confer a personality tag to each of them.
I guess I’ll leave it up to others.