Retributive justice or an eye for an eye as they call it is considered to be somewhat of a barbaric and uncivilised option for those that become unfortunate victims of a serious wrong-doing. To turn the other cheek and forgive thy enemy is fundamental to many spiritual teachings. All well and proper… in theory!
What if a gang of thugs one night decided to invade the home of your elderly mother and proceeded to rape and torture her until she was beaten to a pulp? What would you do? Would you turn the other cheek, forgive the bastards, brush it off, and just get on with your life?
Since coming to PNG I have met and interacted with many so called raskols. The trend for young males to engage in criminal activity is for most a matter of pure survival. The criminal issue in Papua New Guinea is IMHO a symptom of poor change management. By no means do I condone criminal activity however I do empathise with the casualties of a nation that has had change thrust upon them at an accelerated rate and in a very short time frame.
I have come to the realisation that my true calling in life is of a social nature rather than a technological one. If I could have my time again I would have studied Social Work instead of Computer Science. I strongly believe that if given an opportunity I would excel in a social and youth related field. Unfortunately, job postings come with a set of minimal requirements and little to no regard for experience or passion.
So, I do understand the motive behind armed hold-ups, pick-pocketing, bank robberies and road blocks. I can even understand the logic behind tribal fighting and the persecution of those accused of Sanguma and I certainly understand the frustration and despair experienced by the emerging “lost generations” in this country. What I fail to comprehend and will never understand in a million years is rape and torture – especially of an elderly woman.
(See story titled “Cruel Attack” and “Madang Anti-Violence Protest” below)
Such an attack – if it ever did happen to any of the female members my immediate family (old or young alike) – would totally turn my life upside down. I would instantly and without a 2nd thought brush aside all sense of mercy, all spiritual teachings would be tossed out the door and there would not be one snivel or ounce of pity or clemency left within my being.
I would arm up – gang up – hit the road like a bloodhound in search of the perpetrators. I would not rest until I had dished out my own “payback”. The initial rape and violation would end up looking like a Sunday stroll down the promenade compared to what I would inflict upon the assailants.
And in the event that the law caught with me (more than likely it would) and I was sentenced to the gallows, gas chamber, electric chair or garrotte, I would exit with my head high and without any regrets whatsoever. I would feel a deep privilege and honour for having been an instrument and servant for natural justice. I would die a satisfied and fulfilled man.
What has prompted me to write such strong and vicious words? The following story appeared in The National late last week together with a blog entry today by Ethnographer | Ecographer:
(the following stories are excerpts only – click on the link if you wish to read the full version…)
Cruel attack
The National (3rd of December, 2009)
THE Madang provincial government is holding an urgent provincial executive council (PEC) meeting this morning to discuss a serious breakdown in law and order in the town and in the province in recent weeks.
The urgent meeting follows the rape and bashing of an elderly expatriate woman by youths armed with guns in the early hours of yesterday, and a spate of killings, grievous bodily harm and criminal attacks on innocent people and property involving guns over the last few days….
Madang Anti-Violence Protest
Ethnographer (7th of December, 2009)
It has been a tense week in Madang town. The response to the brutal home invasion, rape and torture of a woman who has been a pillar of the community for decades has been shock, anger and deep sadness. One of the few women in PNG to receive an OBE, Madang’s only “Dame” has contributed so much to the people of Madang Province. From hospital beds to rural school supplies to children’s education to support for the fledgling Provincial AIDS Committee, she has been there for Papua New Guineans. Now a rather frail, yet feisty septuagenarian, the lady was an easy target for the hooligans known to be living in the Provincial Health Department’s compound near her home…
What ensues and re-percusses in the once sleepy and laid back north coastal town of Madang at this point in time is anyone’s guess. Two of the “dogs” alleged to have committed this heinous crime are supposedly in police custody with the rest of the “pack” due to be apprehended shortly.
The decision as to what happens now and how this is all gets dealt with sits directly with the people, township and community of Madang.
Robert, your sentiments echo mine exactly. Having known and respected this fine Honours List lady for nearly thirty years, I want to grab a gun and start blazing away. I know exactly where these guys came from. Believe me, there are plenty more of them in that compound.
I’d like to have a squad of a few of the guys that I used to work with in unmentionable places. The truth is, we’d leave our Glocks at home.
It would be much more satisfying bare-handed.
Jan,
The high level of tolerance that PNG’eans have developed for anti-social and psychotic behaviour is slowly but surely starting to back fire.
I say “developed” tolerance because this type of barbaric action was never tolerated in traditional society or custom – violence was reserved for the enemy and the enemy alone. Friends and contributors were treated with dignity and respect.
A sure sign that the PNG social fabric is rapidly in a process of collapse. Which in turn is a sure sign that leadership has and continues to fail the people.
R
Also see this post by Jan:
“The Shoes of Happiness and Some Scary Cops”
R
Just a technical question that failed on twitter:
I also use wordpress and would be interested to know how you formatted certain parts (e.g IMHO & raskols) so that when a reader hovers their cursor over it, a text explanation is offered. I’d find that function really useful.
I also enjoyed MadDog’s blod entry.
lukim yu.
DDS,
I originally was using a plugin called Acronyms (http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/acronyms/) – which is no longer supported and was starting to play up with the later versions of WP.
Recently, I phased out the above plugin and just embed the acronym tag within HTML. A lot more work but much better performing as far as CPU cycles. An example would be:
[sourcecode language="plain"]<acronym title="Hyper Text Markup Languag>HTML</acronym>[/sourcecode]
A new plugin was released recently that does the same thing called Explantory Dictionary (http://rubensargsyan.com/wordpress-plugin-explanatory-dictionary/) and is a much better performer than Acronyms.
Here’s an article by Lorelle that will give you some additional options:
http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/07/12/defining-abbreviations-acronyms-and-definitions-in-your-blog/
Hope that all helps,
R
Oh, I got a bit too smart for my boots and started playing with the code (this is like a kid with a toaster in a bathtub). Site down until further notice. I always learn the hard way! I need to get my provider to help me out!
But thanks for the help!!!! :D
Hey, have had a look at your site and the problem is easily fixed. Shoot me an email if you need me to help out. Happy to assist.
R