KEITH JACKSON
THE Administration of the University of Papua New Guinea has continued to disgrace itself by abandoning classes for the remainder on 2016 and ignoring the real culprits behind violence at the university – police who shot live rounds into a crowd of unarmed students.
In a response that defies reason and intellectual integrity, the university’s bosses have conflated student protests with student violence with no hard evidence adduced about who was responsible and no condemnation of the police shootings that transformed a peaceful protest into something far worse.
This was typified earlier in an emotional comment on PNG Attitude by lecturer John Kamasua who blamed student leader Kenneth Rapa for all the violence without once mentioning the police shootings or the failure of the university administration to effectively manage the issue.
And instead of upholding the finest traditions of universities by holding classes irrespective of student numbers in an effort to restore normalcy, the university bosses have abandoned their duties and shut down the campus for the rest of the year.
It also seems they have behaved prejudicially and undemocratically by acting to dissolve the student representative council and ordering all students to vacate the campus by Saturday irrespective of what contingent problems this may cause.
Speaking without a shred of tested evidence, UPNG chancellor Nicholas Mann said the organisers of the protest had broken the law.
"The rule of law has been replaced by mob rule, intimidation, harassment and violence," he said, conflating peaceful protest with subsequent events and announcing the suspension of the constitution of the student council which organised the boycott, asserting that its activities were “illegal”.
In a statement, prime minister Peter O’Neill, whose own failings triggered the original protest, expressed “sadness” over the suspension of classes, adding that the government was “doing all it can” to ensure the academic year is saved.
Student leader Gerald Peni said the students had done the right thing.
"As a patriotic citizen I still feel that it's the right thing to do," he told Radio New Zealand International.
"This was the last defence, the last voice of the country against corruption."
In a related development at Lae’s University of Technology, chancellor Sir Nagora Bogan said it was “sickening” to see political leaders blaming vice chancellor Dr Albert Schram and Lae police commander Anthony Wagambie Junior over the death of a student on campus.
Sir Nagora said national leaders from politics, public service, civil society and churches collectively bore responsibility.
The Unitech administration and Lae police had taken a more conciliatory and managed approach to student protests but were blind-sided by what seemed to be an Enga-Southern Highlands dispute that led to the death of a student and the torching of university buildings.
Meanwhile PNG opposition leader Don Polye said there must be a competent and open inquiry into the recent unrest. Mr Polye said the government’s commission of inquiry was set up to be expensive, biased and unproductive.
He said the opposition had tried to discuss the issue as a matter of urgent public interest in parliament but “O’Neill did not want an open discussion and closed the Parliament sitting quickly.”
“That commission of inquiry appointed by O’Neill needs to be made balanced and open enquiry,” he said.