SINGIROK: NEGOTIATIONS FOR PNG AUSTRALIA DEFENCE TREATY RAISES A LOT OF QUESTIONS

By Parker Tambua

Former Papua New Guinea’s Army General Jerry Singirok says PNG needs to question who the common enemy is before entering into a new defence treaty with Australia.

He said the national principle of PNG must be ‘friends to all enemy to none’ must take center stage before any defense deal.

“To say that Australia and New Zealand has a common enemy and Papua New Guinea is crooked into that, is wrong,” Singirok said.

“The biggest challenge PNG is facing right now is law and order and internal security issues. This is where Australian Defence should assist PNGDF in carrying out its constitutional role which is basically assisting civil power under the Defence Act.

”We all know that Australia, New Zealand and United States have the ANZUS alliance (treaty signed in 1951 to protect the security of the Pacific). Now you see the emergence of China as a super power in the Pacific basin. While that is happening, the presence of US military at Lombrum in Manus also raises that question, who is the real enemy?

“Is PNG prepared to take sides with US in the event that there is a cold war or treat against China? And how can PNG convince China that China is not our enemy?

”The other big issue is that Papua New Guinea and the people of Manus need to know that what is the naval base going to be used for? Is it a station point for nuclear submarines or will atomic warheads be housed at Manus?

“These are the things that is very silent and both the US and Australian governments are part of the construction of Lombrum. We don’t know their real intent of building that massive naval base in Manus and the fact that it is built on PNG soil raises that question on its alliance with US and Australia.

”So until Papua New Guineans are fully informed on the intent of naval base, these questions still remains.”