Caption:
Minister Duban being greeted by officers
By MATTHEW VARI
IN a low key ceremony the Royal Papua New Guinea
Constabulary (RPNGC) hierarchy welcomed back its Minister and recent winner of
the Madang Open by-election, Nixon Duban, who was reinstated as Minister for
Police, at the RPNGC Headquarters in Port Moresby, last week.
RPNGC Commissioner Tom Kulunga, hosted the welcome ceremony
at the officers mess in the presence of various members of the police hierarchy
including the AFP Assistant Commissioner Allan Scott.
He said that it was tradition when a minister was appointed
to formally welcome them as the organization’s political head, which, in the
case of Nixon Duban who was the Police Minister, prior to his 2012 election win
declared null and void by the Court of Disputed Returns in 2013.
Commissioner Kulunga congratulated the Minister in retaining
his seat in parliament and reappointment as Police Minister from Prime Minister
Peter O’Neill who was the acting minister.
“I would like to first congratulate the Minister for his
successful election win of the Madang Open Seat, which you won convincingly I
understand as you did in your previous win,” he said.
“The people of Madang have given you the mandate to
represent them, and as minister of police you represent us as well in parliament.”
“I also thank the Prime Minister for being the police
minister, though he is a very busy person, he supported us very well.”
In thanking the commissioner and everyone present for the
welcome, Minister Duban described the ordeal of going through a by-election as
one that was strange to him.
“Thank you for the welcome in coming back as your Minister-
it’s been a while for me coming back from a by-election, something I have
experienced for the first time.”
“It is something that I find strange, a few of us have gone
through bi-elections and for me it feels strange of being minister, going back
and being sworn in for the second time as an MP and minister again.”
He pledged to work with the commissioner- assuring the
command that he wanted stability.
“I understand where you have taken the force from the
impasse days to a new level which I would like to see continued,” the minister
said.
“I also understand there are minor changes that people are
politically motivated to interfere- I would like to discourage those.”
“The government is fully committed under the Modernization
Program to the RPNGC, and they have demonstrated this commitment with
resourcing the force.”
He, however, reminded the Commissioner along with his
deputies, not to allow political interference in performing of the
constabulary’s mandated duties.
“I know we have issues at the political level and I would
like to appeal to the members of the RPNGC that we must not bow down to the
pressure of the politicians who try to make us look like a cheap police force.”
“We must put our heads down look at those issues with a
degree of integrity. This is a culture that will be around for a while but we
must deal with it by being Strong and must make sure that we always do the
right thing.”
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