The Chairman of the Permanent Parliamentary committee on Foreign Affairs, International trade, Immigrations and Defence and the member for Vanimo Green Belden Namah is calling on the Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko to explain to the people of Papua New Guinea why he used the phrase “useless people” and “primitive animals” when responding to comments about his daughter’s Tiktok video that went viral.
“I am calling on Justin Tkatchenko to immediately resign as Foreign Affairs Minister and as Member of Parliament and further renounce his citizenship,” Namah said.
“Alternatively, I am calling on the Prime Minister to sack him immediately and withdraw his citizenship.”
“The “useless people and primitive animals” of this country have ensured he grew his business, gave him a wife, offered him citizenship, elected him into public office, made him a minister and sent him and his daughter to London,” he said.
Adding to that, PNG Think Tank Group’s Chief Executive Officer Samson Komati also supported the call to sack Justin Tkatchenko immediately.
“I take this time to categorically condemn, the wasteful overseas trip by 30 plus government officials to witness the coronation of King Charles the III last week in London, call upon the Prime Minister to immediately sack Justin Tkatchenko from the ministry of foreign affairs, revoke his citizenship and deport him to his place of origin, and call upon Minister Tkatchenko to immediately resign as member for Moresby South,” Komati said.
Mr Komati said these despicable words “useless people and primitive animals” came out on international media, it’s extremely offensive to the estimated 17 million people of Papua New Guinea including members of Parliament, Ministers and the Prime Minister.
Similar sentiments were echoed by the Opposition leader Joseph Lelang by calling on the Prime Minister to decommission foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko over insulting remarks and poor judgement.
He said Opposition will not remain silent about the trip fueled by the scandalous behavior of the minister Tkatchenko calling Papua New Guineans as primitive animals.
“We find these comments to be very insulting by a senior minister to fellow Papua New Guineans from the street to the top office, we are not animals and primitive,” Lelang said.
Mr Lelang said such comments used to describe us way back in the 1940’s and early by colonial rulers and is racist and discriminatory by law.
He said we are proud Papua New Guineans and we cannot accept such insults.
Opposition leader Lelang demanded Justin Tkatchenko to be referred to the ombudsman commission to investigate his comments and whether his daughter has legal standing to represent the country alongside him with the governor general and his spouse.
A female leader Michelle Hau’ofa also condemned the words by saying the language used by the Foreign Minister to describe the people of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea as “useless” and “primitive animals” should not come as a surprise.
“Let me repeat that – don’t act surprised. If a leader routinely uses derogatory, disrespectful language and sexually predatory behaviour in public, and if those around him accept it, laugh about it, applaud it, and never speak up against it, it is logical to assume the leader will continue because they are not being held accountable for their conduct. The fact that a leader can behave in this manner is another matter for another discussion,” Hau’ofa said.
She added that people should not bully Miss Tkatchenko about her Titktok video and the 31 strong delegations but turn their attention on other issues behind it.
“Miss Tkatchenko’s conduct was at best tone deaf, but is symptomatic of a systemic rot and breakdown of adherence to governance and due process; the style of leadership that contributes to this breakdown; the continued dismantling of the values we hold dear; and the complete lack of culpability.”
Majority of Papua New Guineans posted on their personal social media accounts after the Tiktok video of Savannah Tkatchenko went viral and the 30 plus delegation to London saying it is a misuse of Public Funds at this economic downtime as these funds should be used to build infrastructure, Health, Education and other vital services.
PNG Think Tank Group’s CEO Komati said the reckless and ignorant decision by minister Tkatchenko to lead 30 plus delegation to England which cost K6 million is defeating the governments “Take Back PNG” motto.
Meanwhile Prime Minister James Marape is yet to respond to this matter.
