Letters & Opinions

Welcome to the Letters & Opinions section. After reading them please don't forget to drop us comments on each of the opinions expressed.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter message lost to sport

I AM a born again Christian and write through this paper to express the significant truth established in the word of Almighty God about Easter that I believe is not properly observed, respected and honored by us.

It is abused without honour and respect maybe because of lack of faith in the word of God that the day is meaningless to us and most people would be seen doing non spiritual activities on Good Fridays and Sundays other than going to church. There is no fear of God in us on this day and the consequences will be faced by us at the time of judgment in His kingdom when our earthly days are over and we individually stand at His mighty throne and the revelations of our earthly doings/works accuse us and judgments is passed on us.

Easter is significant to Christians who in their act of faith in God understand the spiritual truth through the teachings of His Word fully observe it to be holy, become mindful of the sufferings, agonies and sorrows that the Lord Jesus went through during the last days of his earthly life before crucifixion in the hands of evil men of the world to fulfill the will of His Father for the sins of many to be crucified. He died, was buried and rose up victoriously from the grave and established the new covenant between man and God. The day has its purpose that we should understand and keep it holy from Good Friday to Sunday, the day of resurrection.

Easter has its activities on Good Fridays and Sundays involving church activities that differ from church to church with thanksgiving, Easter plays, etc. There are activities organized prior to the day by churches for their members as lead up activities in preparations. Those activities are acts of worship and service to Almighty God in the duty to His Will as declared in his word. It is a Kingdom Will and does have blessings in heaven and on earth. It is not a waste of time. God is glorified, worshipped, honored and blessed and becomes happy in the Kingdom and does right by pouring down abundant blessings upon us experienced in groups and individually. Easter has a spiritual purpose and must be observed accordingly.

It is not time to stage sporting tournaments and championships for these activities do not give glory, worship and honor to Almighty God. They are not His Will, purpose and service and are not gifts and talents from the Kingdom of Heaven rather they are gifts, talents and services of the world that man work hard to achieve the prize in winning the grand finals and are presented with money, shields, trophies, etc. They are earthly prizes. Sporting associations and movements must carefully consider the spiritual requirement of Easter and must hold sporting tournaments and championships at other times in the year.

The staging of sporting tournaments and championships at Easter are non-spiritual activities that man uses to promote himself and give service to himself and in an act of disobedience and lawlessness that contributes to his fall before the Almighty God. Sporting activities held in Easter have Christians involved who should carefully consider their relationship with their creator and should distinguish between Kingdom services that give honor, glory and worship to God and earthly service for personal prestige. Those who have ears will listen and consider the importance of Easter and its purposes, truth and service to keep it holy.

Kenneth Haro
Port Moresby

The reserved seats bill is unbiblical

This is an open letter to the Prime Minister, Members of Parliament and Christians in PNG in regard to the proposed draft bill to reserve seats in the National Parliament for women now approved by the recent Kimbe cabinet meeting.

It is very sad as our country is likely to go into the hands of the evil one. It is morally wrong for our existence on this planet earth according to the creator. These are very clear signs of the last days with the devil taking full control and influencing the government system and bureaucrats to come up with a foolish bill for women to be represented in our parliament in the name of gender equality.

Gender Equality was the most important agenda that the devil successfully developed and introduces into the United Nation's goal so that it can use its financial muscle to force countries around the world to implement his destructive agenda and it has now became normal for most countries today.

Now this agenda has slowly crept into the Papua New Guinea government system, NGOs and churches and finally it is now on its way to become law for this country. As far as this bill is concerned, we have not seen or heard any opposition from leaders from any Christian churches because their minds and eyes have been blind-folded by the evil one.

Satan is whispering to the church leaders and cabinet ministers that gender equality means that men and women are equal. Beware of the sweet whispers from the father of all lies who lied to the woman in the beginning of creation. Because there were the only people in the beginning, satan used the snake to lie to the woman and the woman accepted the devil's sweet talk and picked the fruit from the knowledge tree. Today there are thousands of people around that the devil finds it very easy to delegate his destructive duties.

Remember that man is the original head of God's happy family from the beginning of creation. The devil is the father of all lies so he is using the existing system and saying now that woman is also the head of the family too. We have to be very careful my good Christian friends.

As a real Christian (not Sunday or seasonal Christian), I want to tell those of you used your time, knowledge and skills influenced by the wicked one to come up with this controversial bill now to be debated by parliament.  You will face God sooner or later and be ready any time to explain to God by breaking the very fundamental law to mankind as stated very clearly in his book. Read Genesis 2, verses 7, and 21 through 24.

Remember, man and woman are not same or equal. Evil minded people talk too much about gender equality in all forms of trainings, workshops, sports, religious activities and in all form of media they conduct just to influence the minds of the general public, bureaucrats and politicians to believe it true. Please Christian leaders of all denominations and current politicians of this God blessed country, wake up from your deep sleep and make your stand on this issue as the devil is very desperately trying to distort the natural fundamental law set by God.

If the proposed bill passed by the Government (which I doubt), there will be a lot of social problems and family break ups. Women will be very busy competing for power, name and fame, leaving behind God given responsibilities resulting in increased social problems and a broken society. This is the main objective of the evil one, who wants to see broken families, societies and increased law and order problems. I am urging all good God appointed Christians of the current parliament to vigorously debate and vote against the devil orchestrated bill at all cost.

Also on leadership, Paul's first letter to the Corinthian at Chapter 11: verse 3 and again in verses 8 and 9, the apostle is very clear on the matter.

God has put marriage and family as a very important institution where the man is the head of the family, leader of tribes, clans, communities, LLGs and parliament to govern its people. Nowhere in the Holy Bible does it state anything about a woman becoming a leader whether in government or in God's churches.

Finally, I strongly believe that this message is very crystal clearl and I urge all our good members of the current parliament to vote against this bill out so that we do not get to hear it again in parliament or in any form of media.

Real Christian
National Capital District
     

Tribute to Australian Kiaps and Patrol Officers

THIS year as we focus on the National Census, I am reminded of some unsung heroes who have contributed so much to the development of our country and who formed the basis of our census. 

They were called the 'kiaps'. Kiap is a word originating in PNG in pidgin, it largely means captain. The Kiaps undertook their service in Papua New Guinea between 1949 and 1974, after the end of the Second World War when Papua New Guinea was then an Australian managed territory known as the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. The best estimate of how many men served in these roles is around 2,000.

The kiaps were noted for going on patrols. Every village in Papua New Guinea was to be visited at least once per year for annual census. So it was that the kiaps and medical staff who saw more or less every person in

Papua New Guinea at least once per year. At those times, the census was rural Papua New Guinea's registry of births marriages and deaths. Time and again the kiaps were made aware of how much the people appreciated the annual census revision. Typically, following the census the kiap would arbitrate a spectrum of disputes, ranging from compensation for pigs damaging gardens to lovers' quarrels and so their duties were not limited. Their duty statement contained the traditional bureaucratic proviso at the end that said that on top of all those other duties they were required to carry out 'any other duties that may be directed to be carried out from time to time'.

Our country, as known to outsiders, is a country of large impenetrable jungles, high mountain ranges and wide and wild rivers. The rough terrain makes it extremely difficult to move between places, resulting in the isolation of tribal groups and more than 700 languages among those tribes. It still remains.

"The kiaps were an extraordinary group of young Australians who performed a remarkable service of our country. "They were some of the Australia's finest", said one former kiap. Their adventurous spirit was matched only by their commitment to the wellbeing of the people of Papua New Guinea. If you do not know or if your parents never told you, then the story of the Australian Kiaps remains largely untold to many Australians and Papua New Guineans today especially those born in post-independence.

The kiaps were usually representative of all arms of government in frontier areas and they often brought the first trickle of European civilization to any unreachable places. The extraordinary efforts of these Australian men and a small number of women make up a valuable chapter in Australia and Papua New Guinea's history but are still untold. I say thank you to those Aussies and their families. These great Australians and of course with the aiding of few energetic Papua New Guineans have achieved amazing results with limited resources and in the most inhospitable conditions.

 "The kiaps lived a dangerous existence," another former kiap said. "There was an ever-present threat of attack from hostile tribes and locals, and many kiaps were murdered on patrol. The harsh conditions on the frontier also proved to be very dangerous, with accidents and illness claiming the lives of kiaps. The list of kiaps killed in boating and aircrafts accidents are extensive and many are unrecorded".

They kept our primitive and hostile communities together in the formative years of PNG. They kept our tribes together and kept our villages and districts functioning. In Philip Fitzpatrick's book he describes the kiaps as men with dogged perseverance who helped bring the emerging nation of Papua New Guinea to independence. During their patrols kiaps could have been killed by poison tipped arrows or spears or axed to death. They could have suffered from accidents or sicknesses like malaria or been exposed to snakes, crocodiles, large bush pigs and millions of mosquitoes. Patrols were certainly not glamorous; rather, they were hard, dirty uncomfortable work compared to conditions those Aussies now working under AusAID funded projects.

They went where others feared to tread and did so without unnecessary bloodsheds or disruptions of the lives of the people, frequently to the detriment of their own health and well being. Some died in drowning accidents. Others were murdered while on official police business, such as the East New Britain District Commissioner Jack Emmanuel, who was killed by disaffected landowners on the Gazelle Peninsula when he attempted to intervene in a land ownership dispute.

They made PNG in a state of constant fear and predation, village upon village, to one of free travel, cooperation across language groups and peace between long standing tribal combatants. When one compare their duties at that time to the US and Australian armies no serving in Iraq or Afghanistan today, I believe both are at par.

Without these Australians and few Papua New Guineans in those days, PNG would not have come this far. Indeed all ex-kiaps deserve some kind of recognitions from both Papua New Guinea and Australian governments.
 
Jacob Sekewa,
Port Moresby.

Witch hunt on for East Pangia FMA project

ANOTHER interesting development in the East Pangia saga is looming in Port Moresby. This time a group of disgruntled leaders from the resource area are going around work places and houses in the city to have signatures of the resource owners to support their witch hunt.
 

The group is also spreading unsubstantiated allegations against the leaders who have supported the logging project.

Those spearheading the witch hunt are from the area where most of their forest is inaccessible mountainous landscape. Their deliberate attempt is to jeopardize the project and let everybody suffer. The resource owners are expecting this group of desperados to come up to the resource areas and promote their agendas, where the actual activities are going to take place.

However, resource owners are wondering; whose interest they are pursuing and what alternative do they have to offer in the absence of logging? The worst case scenario that could arise is all out war against each other. Illiterates at home don't know much about sophisticated management and technical aspect of the process. All they worry about is someone who can turn their trees in to money.

The message from the Forest Department was clear enough on the issues of human errors and technical blunders and even resource owners were told that, administrative matters can be rectified during a supplementary period. And those that thought they have missed out shall be included  during supplementary exercise or at any time during the period of logging. No resource owner is going to be a spectator even if you think otherwise.

Once again core resources owners are calling on those disgruntle resource owners to respect the innocent ones at home and support the project. Unless you have an alternative idea, which shall better serve the interest of everybody in the area.   

JACK NOAH YAMAHA
Port Moresby