By Nou Fredrick Vada LL.B – Acting Executive Officer – Motu Koita The Way Forward Association
1. It was never supposed to be an agenda for the meeting of Monday 26/01/15
2. The police hierarchy never came to the meeting with news of arrests or even suspensions.
3. There was no resolution reached on what course of action ought to be taken.
4. The boys on the ground, manning the roadblocks were confused as to what the “mandated committee” had decided.
5. No-one among the thousands who attended the meeting objected to suggestions of a partial lifting of the roadblock or a complete lift as suggested by a roadblock leader.
6. Everyone in the meeting seemed to have accepted that it was important for hospitals and the airport to at least operate
7. As the Acting Executive Officer of MKTWFA, i asked Andy Bawa on when arrests, and if not then when suspensions could be made (as the identities of those involved are said to be known allegedly within police circles). Bawa and Vaki could not give me a straight answer.
8. Members of the “mandated committee”impliedly accused MKTWFA of trying to hijack the “mandated” authority of the committee. This disheartened some of us in the MKTWFA team who wanted to argue that the roadblocks should remain until suspects were apprehended.
*MKTWFA IS A DULY REGISTERED ASSOCIATION. OUR LEGAL STANDING UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION IS TO ACT ON ANY AFFAIRS AFFECTING MOTU-KOITABU AREAS AND PEOPLES. WE OPERATE AS AN NGO, AND OUR PHILOSOPHY IS THAT INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS CAN USE THE ORGANISATION AS A VEHICLE TO PERSONALLY CONTRIBUTE THEIR TECHNICAL SKILLS, EXPERTISE, AND MORAL SUPPORT TO ISSUES AFFECTING OUR MK BESENA.
The Way Forward is for all our resource people in this forum to consolidate our efforts to get the investigations on track. Police investigations are proceeding. At the same time, a Coroner’s inquest has been announced with me possibly joining the investigation team in one capacity or another. We hope the news of the inquest will cause the police to investigate diligently and without fear or favour. MKTWFA has the blessing and support of the Gaudi and Rarua families and all our initiatives and actions so far have been endorsed by them.
Lest we forget that this was never about starving the city of Port Moresby by stopping fuel, gas and logistics services with a roadblock. This was always about Justice; Justice for mothers who were bashed and teargassed in their own village market; Justice for Toka and Nick.
We at the MKTWFA team work for Justice; Justice for Nick’s unborn child; for Toka’s dad who’ll never get to see his son’s smile again. At the end and at the beginning of our efforts as the MKTWFA team, we’re fighting for Justice. We’ve sacrificed our time at work and time with family over the last six days to see Justice prevail, and in due time, we will.
#JUSTICE_FOR_NICK_AND_TOKA #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY #BANTHEBAN
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