1. 8 PNG Weekend, Friday,April 4, 2014
PNG WEEKEND centrespread www.postcourier.com.pg
Reaffirmation
within the PNGDF
is the key secret
that can guide
both sides
of the house
to generate
an effective
workforce ...
– Secretary
John Porti
Defence stands togethe
VITAL is a multi-language project taking place in Milne Bay. Its
primary purpose is to train and equip members of different
language groups to do Bible translation in their own languages.
By ALEXANDER NARA
Defence Media Unit
It was two years ago, November 2,
2012.
The sun setting behind Brigadier
Hill at Two-Mile cast its last rays
through the thick line of rain trees
that stand alongside the football field
just a short distance away from the
Papua New Guinea Defence Force
head office, Murray Barracks, in
Port Moresby.
Strong, sweet-smelling fragrance
of crushed coconut oil and spurted
yellow ginger mixed with tradition-
al leaves filled the air as groups of
elderly men and women swayed in
a timely manner to the rattling of
sea shells and the rhythmic beats of
bamboos and kundus.
Huge pigs grunted hungrily from
under a long table that was filled
with bananas, taros, other vegeta-
bles, greens and freshly butchered
pork.
It was on that day that the Depart-
ment of Defence stamped out its past
differences in a true Melanesian
way and exchanged symbolic items
among themselves, witnessed by the
PNGDF in a significant move to es-
tablish a harmonious working rela-
tionship as one solid defence organi-
sation.
The day that went down into the
history books of the Defence Force.
Just last Wednesday, sweaty de-
partmental staff struggled under the
hot afternoon sun to calm the squeal-
ing pigs again that were tied up to
stakes beside fresh bananas and oth-
er vegetables as a recur of that day
two years ago materialised outside
the freshly cut lawn of the PNGDF
Officers Mess.
The squeals continued to abruptly
disturb the speeches but unmistak-
ably added humour to the unfolding
traditional haus boi style of ceremo-
ny that customarily reaffirmed the
friendship and strong bond of rela-
tionship between the two sides of the
house.
In the place of rattling sea shells
and rhythmic traditional drums that
captured the day back in 2012 were
colourfully dressed young Bougain-
ville girls who bent low and swayed
skillfully to their own original is-
land’s bamboo beats.
Defence Secretary John Porti – who
initiated the ceremony – confirmed
that the event is to reiterate to new-
ly appointed Commander PNGDF
Brigadier Gilbert Toropo that the
Defence Department is still in focus
as the underlying workforce and life-
time friend that swore to make sure
PNGDF meet all its constitutionally
mandated requirements.
The ceremony also stood out as the
department’s welcome gestures to
Brigadier General Toropo as well
as an appreciative goodbye to the
former PNGDF Commander and
current PNG High Commissioner to
New Zealand His Excellency Francis
Agwi.
Secretary Porti said Defence is the
only organisation which has two
heads serving under the Ministry of
Defence as stipulated under the De-
fence Act where the PNGDF is head-
ed by Brigadier General Toropo and
the Department of Defence is headed
by him.
He said the Department of Defence
is there for the PNGDF and work-
place differences as well as the at-
titude of working in isolation would
always be the gravel on the pathway
to a failed organisation.
However, the trust and working re-
lationship that prevailed in the last
two years, including last week’s re-
Commander Toropo (right) His Excellency Francis Agwi (centre) and Secretary Porti
posing for a photograph after exchanging gifts at the Officers Mess during the ceremony.
Pictures: Alexander Nara
PNG now stands on the
verge of high-end change
andeconomicopportunity
as its huge LNG project
begins exporting its first
shipment by mid this
year.
With it comes the complex
security challenges that
have emerged.
Thisnowcallsforaneedfor
the Defence Force to work
togethertobuildtheforce’s
capabilities in defending
PNG’s prosperity.
The Defence Force has
done just that ... to begin
strengthening the in-
house workings of the
Defence organisation.

2. 9PNG Weekend, Friday,April 4, 2014
PNG WEEKEND centrespread www.postcourier.com.pg
er as band of brothers
affirmation within the organisation,
is the key secret that can guide both
sides of the house to generate a more
effective and competitive workforce
to meet the demands of the Govern-
ment and the people of PNG.
Mr Porti highlighted that the De-
fence organisation has been heav-
ily criticised over many years in
what had been described as internal
administrative impasses that has
widely generated negative images to
the general public and stakeholders
on its normal conduct.
Commander Toropo also shared the
same sentiments saying it is also one
of his many priorities to establish
unity within the PNGDF and linking
it up with the Department to estab-
lish one single Defence organisation
to generate tangible change for the
betterment of the Force.
He said PNG now stands at the
verge of national change and eco-
nomic opportunity in the light of the
huge LNG rollout and complex secu-
rity challenges have and are emerg-
ing that generated the crucial need
to work together to build the Force
capabilities in defending Papua New
Guinea’s prosperity.
Secretary Porti, Commander Toro-
po and His Excellency Francis Agwi
shared long private moments to-
gether during the ceremony shaking
hands, exchanging gifts and words
as well as jokes and even jovially
whispering into each other’s ears in
an unexpected gesture clearly indi-
cating the friendly relationship.
The non-stop squealing of the hun-
gry pigs still tied to the stakes on the
lawn drowned out the laughs and
happy conversations as the clatter
of plates around the long table full of
food and the last reddish glow of the
setting sun behind the Brigadier Hill
signaled the end of the ceremony.
The Department of Defence staff keeping close watch over one of the three pigs.
Secretary Porti tra-
ditionally tying the
head dress on Defence
Force Commander
Toropo, to show that
he is the Chief of the
PNG Defence Force.
The two heads shaking hands. PIictures: Alexander Nara