This morning I arrived at the office to find that my wireless mouse was missing. I seem to have had a string of things “taken” from me of late and it irks me no end. I shared a couple of weeks ago about “Papua New Guineans and trust” and the situation just seems to be going from bad to worse.
A wireless mouse is but a small thing you might say… and it is – however – it’s the principle here that concerns me!!
If there’s one thing and one thing only that will drive me to leave PNG and that is the issue of trust – or lack of. Truthfully, the longer I’m in this country the less trust I have for the people around me. All the things that have been “taken” from me over the past few years – and the list is slowly growing – have not been done at gun point by raskols nor by any of the street boys, nor have I had anything pinched by one of the local pick pockets.
No siree!
Every last item or cent that has been stolen from me has been done so by folks that I have known and trusted – I repeat… every single item!!
So – this morning after getting over the shock of having my precious little wireless mouse removed – I sat down and wrote a Memo which I circulated to the CEO and the three Directors. I also attached it to the three noticeboards around the Hospital.
This Memo read as follows:
A wireless mouse was stolen from my office some time between Monday, 10th of November and Friday, 14th of November. This item was removed whilst I was attending the “Induction Course for Public Servants” at NSI last week.
Had the IT Office been broken into by thieves during the night or had I been held up at gun point and had this item stolen from me, I could have easily accepted the situation. The fact is that this wireless mouse was more than likely stolen by a member of the Hospital staff, someone we both know, work with and refer to as a colleague and possibly a friend.
I suspect that my wireless mouse will never be seen again and have no expectations that it will be replaced or returned. However, as a visitor to your beautiful country and someone that has and continues to contribute to your people at many different levels, I would like to take this opportunity to let you know how disgusted, disappointed and sad I am to witness (yet again) this all too common behavior amongst Papua New Guineans of stealing from your own people, within your own communities, families and work place.
Yours sincerely,
“God grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference”.
What do you think?
Is this an acceptance job?
Or…
Worthy of some good old fashioned PNG instant justice?
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The act of stealing from your relative is very common, Even within extended family you can not trust everyone, my mother would always make sure one of her was in the house when other relatives were around. I never understood why till i grew up.
I say Name and Shame
You need to find the culprit and shame them, shame is the biggest punishment you can inflict on another PNG person…….
Robert,
I think you approached this situation the right way. I’m not saying it will solve the problem but it will have an effect.
Tavurvur
But Robert, you weren’t using it!! It was obviously a spare one. And it was attached to anything – hem barava loose something!!
The thing that is stupid about this sort of theft too is that the thief probably can’t even make use of the mouse. The sort of theft in the Solomons that used to really irk me was when things were stolen becuase they could be – I had two electric guitars in Honiara – an Ibanez and a Fender Telecaster. The pickup selector knob was stolen from both of them becuase they couldn’t steal the whole guitar – but they could take the plastic knob!!
I like the name and shame approach.
Just gotta catch the bastard!!
R
Robert,
It is all too familiar, although I have not been in PNG as long as you but have had numerous volunteer assignments where similar has happenned to me many times. The latest one being…. having my credit card numbers used to the tune of K13000 by a so called reputable Car Hire Company in Lae, not once but twice in succession a month after I had paid and left PNG. It is now in the hands of the Law. I am not expecting positive results though. It makes me sick to the stomach that good Aussie volunteers to PNG like us just get kicked in the teeth by people who do not deserve our aid. I’ve had enough!!!
You have done the right thing, a letter of shame.
Ray, that is disgusting what happened to you.
It’s things like your case that really really piss me off – it’s disgraceful behaviour.
It makes me sick to the stomach too.
Bel bilong mi em i bugerap pinis!!
R