Peter O’Neill must act to stamp out sorcery killings

KEITH JACKSON

THE IMAGE HERE is so shocking as to be almost indescribable. That it has gone around the world with such speed is unsurprising.

In the eyes of many people, it is set to become a metaphor for today’s Papua New Guinea.

Brutal, mindless, out of control.

After being accused of sorcery, Kepari Leniata, 20, was stripped, tortured, bound, doused in petrol and burned alive on a rubbish heap in Mount Hagen on Wednesday.

Police said Kepari was attacked by relatives of a boy aged 6, who had died in Mount Hagen hospital the day before.

Of course police say the people responsible for the horrendous killing will be caught and punished, one would expect no less.

But the real problem lies with the PNG government. Successive administrations have seen sorcery-related murders increase on their watch without taking any substantive action to eliminate the practice.

Such mindless brutality is a sign of significant social breakdown at the nation’s grassroots.

The neglect by central government of the areas where the bulk of its people live is well known.

It has been manifested by a degrading infrastructure, outbreaks of diseases previously been brought under control, an appalling track record in health and education, and by people taking the law into their own hands.

We await an immediate statement by Peter O’Neill on what his government, in conjunction with provincial governments, will be doing to stamp out such practices.

Papua New Guinea and its people should not have to tolerate this bloodthirsty behaviour for one moment longer.

Comments

[Annsli Kabekabe]

PNG must end sorcery! Fellow Papua New Guineans are you not ashamed of what is going on in your country? Are you proud of your tradition that contribute to the negative stereotyping of women and widespread discrimination in your society.

Wake up Papua New Guineans and make a move on stopping sorcery, it's right there under you nose, theres no need to look far.

If your tired of watching and hearing of sorcery do something now.

However, our corrupt government is responsible to investigate and take urgent action to prevent sorcery related killing.

Prosecute those who have murdered, with no mercy shown on them. They need to suffer. If our government cares so deeply for its people then it should start sooner rather than later.

PNG citizens, if our government cannot make a move, let's protect our people especially women wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

[David Kitchnoge]

Thanks Phil for bringing this out.

Those mischievous (for want of a better word) animals up there who keep acting on animal instincts must be rounded up and discarded from our society.

They must be put behind their styes where they belong and they can dig up and eat worms for supper until they fully evolve into Homo Sapiens.

Bloody disgusting behaviour!!!!

If the government doesn't put its foot down and deal with this issue swiftly and firmly, then I conclude that we are a country of Neanderthals.

[Phil Fitzpatrick]

In the latest incident, also in Mount Hagen, an attempt was made to burn two old ladies who were blamed for the death of an eight year old girl.

The little girl was, in fact, pack raped and killed.

Two of the men involved in the rape were in the crowd getting ready to burn the old ladies. Also involved was a sorcerer who had 'fingered' the two women.

It seems that the rapists paid the sorcerer to deflect attention from themselves and were complicit in stirring up the girl's relatives.

This suggests something even more sinister than simple sorcery.

Criminals using sorcery to cover up their crimes and the bribery of dishonest sorcerers.

These disgusting animals are well beyond the bounds of traditional sanguma or vada.

The corruption of tradition for perverse reasons now seems to be widespread.

The cult of the beneficent bigman was once a positive aspect of Melanesian culture but it became corrupted by greedy politicians.

The original idea was to distribute wealth, not monopolise and hoard it.

In the same way many aspects of sorcery were beneficial. It provided a means of social control and a way of heading off excesses. It also had good practitioners who helped heal people.

If PNG continues to follow these aberrations of its culture it can go nowhere but downhill.

It's time they were abandoned.

As for the rapists of the little girl I'd suggest that a suitable punishment might be taking them down to the rubbish dump, stripping them, cutting off their offending organs, dousing them in petrol and setting fire to them.

[Mrs Barbara Short]

After reading John Fowke's comment, then Emma Wakpi's poem on "Love", this morning, one must have Hope for PNG's future.

The seed has been sown, the message of Truth has been planted. Love can overcome all evil.

The Power of God's Love is much greater than the powers of the evil spirits of PNG. They are obviously fighting for their lives! But Love will win.

God bless PNG. May the Christians of PNG spread the message of Love. May the evil spirits flee away and drown in the sea.

[John Fowke]

Note that whilst the public immolation of a young girl as an act of revenge is an unusually spectacular modus operandi, it is no less disgusting and reprehensible than the revenge murders which are carried out at least weekly in PNG .

One I remember near Goroka ten years ago was where the unfortunate person who was judged to be the "sanguma" agency in the death of a woman had his hands and feet chopped off, then his heart was cut out whilst he writhed on the ground.

The heart was cut into small pieces which were eaten by every clan-member including children so that they would all posess a part of the "sanguma"s" evil power and thus be proof against its future malevolence in their midst.

I know of several similar cases, in one instance the elderly lady killed having been the mother of an old friend .

The outrage I describe above occurred in a village next door to a very large protestant mission station. So far as I know no investigation or legal action of any sort was carried out.

This is just one killing the details of which I am personally privy to. For PNG to show itself to the rest of the world as a self-confident and fair and humane modern society is a far bigger job than most Australian commentators, or PNG intellectuals, or its political leaders seem able to contemplate or articulate with any profundity.

Let alone to articulate and execute simple, logically-attainable solutions and timeframes.

One has to ask the question - is PNG up to the task, or is it doomed to become an undercover colony for the money-hungry entrepreneur?

[Warren Hennessy]

Visit to Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane today. Lots of Oz students listened to the teachers explaining PNG art all with the intro 'cannible'...

[Joe Wasia]

To those Papua New Guineans usat i putim displa kain piksa long facebook, newspaper na kainkain website em ino gutpla tumas long ai bilong international komuniti.

Sampla lain tasol i mekim na yumi olgeta PNG i kisim nem nogut.

Usait i olim na wokim displa kain sanguma pasin mas stopim nao. Yumi mas sanisim displa kain pasin bilong tumbuna na ino gutpla.

[David Wall]

"It has been manifested by a degrading infrastructure, outbreaks of diseases previously been brought under control, an appalling track record in health and education, and by people taking the law into their own hands."

Keith, I couldn't agree more!

[Michael Dom]

A colleague in class at UofA asked me about the news he'd seen on Yahoo!.

I offered no excuses.

[Peter Kranz]

Kevin - I sympathise. I am too disgusted to comment, but I wanted to explode when I first read this story in yesterday's PC. Why did no one help? Why did the police not intervene? Can you imagine the damage done to the schoolkids watching this?

Cry, the Beloved Country.

[Kevin O'Regan]

Only 3 comments since posting... Can only assume everyone else is also too disgusted to comment. Having lived here the past 29 years and having defended PNG vigorously for various controversial incidents to family back in NZ and friends in Australia after this how can I defend any more ? A country I have been proud to call "home"... you have shamed me.

[David Kitchnoge]

Despicable indeed!

Another photograph of the incident circulated via electronic media shows a Z plate Toyota Landcruiser parked less than five metres away from the charred corpse.

Not sure if this was a police vehicle. If it was, then I don’t know how to call the uniformed occupants of that car out for duty. Did they not have the faintest chance to intervene?

I agree that O’Neill and co must take whatever action is required to stamp out this horrendous and medieval act for good.

And those Neanderthals who caused this must be rounded up and locked in a sty where they belong.

[Don Tapio]

A step down the evolution tree. Despicable.

[Michael Dom]

Thanks a lot to someone I know putting an image of the corpse on fb. Good job desensitising people; nut.

We may gasp in horror at where society is heading but do we dare hold our breaths for the government coming?

I said I'd give them ten years. Still on track.