Minister hits back at critics

Caption:  (R) Minister Tourism and Culture Boka Kondra and Dr Jacob Simet. 

By MATTHEW VARI

Wednesday, July 9, 2014 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)

IN response to critics of the organisation of the Melanesian Arts Festival in the nation’s capital Port Moresby- Minister for Culture and Tourism Boka Kondra has hit back at critics over social network sites like Facebook.

Some critics included both ordinary citizen and well known Papua New Guineans to even a Member of Parliament over the last few days.

The Minister made comparison to hosting of sporting events which he said had rules and structured regulations that were restricted to a few, whereas culture was a right of all those participating groups and countries. 

“If you compare culture and sports- sports are well structured like a basketball team if they say only 14 participants there will be 14 participants with no extras,” Minister Kondra compared.

“For cultural programs we cannot control because it’s beyond what you can think about and talk about.”

“Because everybody can dance, and this program belongs to simple people and educated people and everybody.”

He said that for sports once selected it is set, so if there were problems and people are trying to use that opportunity to undermine, let me appeal to everybody, let’s not compare cultural festival with sports and so forth.

“It belongs to all the people, they’ve come and I cannot stop it, so whatever problems we faced is a learning experience and we are managing them, as they are all manageable issue that can be addressed,” he said.

“I am sure we will successfully complete this festival, and send everyone back home.”

“If you want to control and elder that has picked up a kundu and has dress up traditionally, we cannot deny him the right.”

Supporting his minister Acting Director for the National Cultural Commission Dr Jacob Simet explained examples of scenarios faced by the organisers throughout the festivities.

“It is a very true scenario that we are facing and something all of us should learn from. There are situations here that we have seen occurring where a province has selected a group of 30, but for some reason everybody in the province don’t agree that the once will represent them adequately,” Dr Simet said.

“This is the reason why everybody feels that they have a right to come and represent themselves at the festival.”

“No matter how much you tell them that there is already a group representing them they will say no.”

He said it was hard for them to say you are not going to perform- they are saying we have a right to perform for people to see who we are, it’s an identity thing.

“Sports is time bound, whereas culture is timeless, hard for us to stop it, as it does not have criteria, sport has criteria,” Minister Kondra concluded.