5/5/2023 THE THRILLS OF PNG FROM POM TO BUKA

INTRODUCTION:

I had made many oversea trips since I was in the Sarawak state public service from 1986-2011. I had visited the whole of ASEAN except Myanmar, Australia, USA, Canada, China and India. I had travelled full breadth of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Hopefully soon I would set my foot to Egypt and Mali. By virtue that now I have pretty good internet access from my Kampung in Sadong Jaya, herewith I would like to make short writeup on those trips. My idea, one day in the near future, I would revisit all these places and come up with my Travelog and or Youtube. At my younger age, I love photographic. I had tons of photos kept in digital format that would now facilitate me to write. 

(2) Among my most interesting oversea trips was to the Papua New Guinea (PNG). Why PNG? This reason might make people laugh, but such is the truth: "Visiting PNG to me is something not as yet things written in the in text books". I began my journey to PNG in April 2007. If not mistaken, I made 7-9 trips to the PNG. I did also covered almost the full breath of PNG.  The idea going down to Papuan New Guinea (PNG) was mooted by a friend in Mukah whom was operating a sago mill. He indeed had brought Prime Minister Sir Micheal Somare privately to his factory and thereon he was giving some consultancy services to a private group there in setting up a sago factory. Social and land issues were the key hinderance to his success.  Indeed the group later becoming blocking stone for me to proceed smoothly in organizing the sago processing thereon. Nonetheless my mission was then not limited to sago processing investment such I slowed down on the matter. 

(3) The key mission then was to scout for best sago varieties world wide. PNG and far East Indonesia are among the world best sago species distribution. To get to PNG, we need to board Air NewGuniea from Singapore. The attached photo was my first encounter with the PNG ladies, their stewardess. Look nice indeed comparatively from the CIA report that I read at my data gathering prior leaving for Port Moresby (POM) the PNG capital city. Ladies, my attitude normally I search for uniqueness feature. For this PNG lady, she sort of made me unsatisfying to glaze at her. That unsatisfaction is always the reason why I like a lady. May be my artistic instinct drive me to have such thought when I encounter a lady. Just like looking at the Monalisa painting, what is there to appreciate, to me is the feeling of unsatisfactory is what makes Monalisa so worthless. In Kelantanese Malays', they termed this as "muka tak sudah".  The flight from Singapore took about six hours. Leaving around 12:00 midnight and moving eastward, thus landing in POM around 06:00 in the morning.  I didn't satay long at POM on my first trip.

(4) Without experience, I didn't book my flight seat number. I left to the Flight to freely located me, and such was really interesting. After sometimes in the plane, then I noticed all the "whites" were on the front seats. Asian mostly on the middle seats. I was seated on the middle seat but close to the back. The PNGs seem love to be on the back seats. Why? In such a long haul journey, I frequent the washroom quite often which then made me noticed that the PNGs they love to takeoff their shoes, and well I would leave that to people to wander what its means then.

(5) My connection in PNG was through a Sarawakian Timber Operator. Basically he has his connection way up to the highest echelon of PNG. He then introduced me to Sana Somare the eldest son of Sir Michael Somare, the PNG independent fighter whom was also the Prime Minister at the time. April 2007 was not really a good timing to visit PNG. They were very busy organizing themselves for  their coming General Election soon. But on the other hand it was also a blessing since politic was my favourite subject. I did helped the BN to wrastle Bintulu back to BN in 1999. Thus, I offered Sana my hands to indirectly campaign for his father Sir Micheal Somare. For this reason, I flew from POM to Wewak a city to the north of POM where Sir Micheal Somare was the representative Member of Parliament. I was then ashured to Angoram the very village of Sir Micheal Somare. Purposely I enlarged the above photo to present my very first amazed of the PNG. Look at the kids sitting in the front. Then look closely at those adults standing at the back. You should notice most of them are looked alike. Why? I really got confused by their similar facial features. John seem to look like Willy or nancy look like Mary. Were they twins? No. Then why most are alike? All is about close marriage. For Muslim indeed this is the very reason why Islam encourages the followers to go for distance marriage, not a close relative intermarriage. PNG due to tribal nature of the population, close intermarriage is very convinient and most preferred.

ENCOUNTERING SIR MICHEAL SOMARE:

This photo was taken in Wewak at time of Somare 2007 Campaign. This probably among my best momentary shot: "white among the black". I should had sent this photo to the National Geography for some entries. When the idea to help Somare to win back the election crossed into my mind, I was in a real limbo. What could I do especially as foreigner and very new to the place? One thing for sure, Allah had given me lots of talents and fast observing abilities. In few days I start to pickup the PNG English speaking lingo. Indeed Pigin as their English was called is a combination of Malay and Javanese style of conversation directly translated. For example "Jumpa lagi di lain hari" in Malay, in English should sound "See you again next time". In Javanese, normally they will say "Ketemu meneh mengko mburi-mburi" which could be directly translated as "See you again at the back" which in Pigin if both the Malay n Javanese style be combined would form: "See you from behind". Sound interesting and unique though. I love those unique things. How to help Somare. Allah hinted me to deal with the kids. In Rafizi of PKR style what he called as IMBUK ie opinion gathering among the voters and be chosen randomly but representative. I don't go to the voters but I went to the voters' kids. Kids are sincere and they talk to their heart and mind. Thus I started to be friends the kids wherever I go.

(2) These kids look matured yet they were just 5-8 years old. They were cute, intelligent and very friendly. I used to buy lots of tip bit and shared with them. There then I will asked them lots of "stupid question" say: "Is an old Somare good in playing football?" The answer from them shocked me "Somare is not good in football but he is our chief". My questions were just leading questions and their answers were  signals of their parents and or people supports for Somare. Kids supports indeed are reflection of their parents best opinion. My two kids when they were very young, they loved Mahathir so much in view of my liking of him. This is what the Malays saying "kuah ke mana tumpahnya jika tidak ke nasi" - the soup always goes with the rice. 

(3) Comparative to POM, I love Wewak more. Firstly it is a very small and peaceful city. Wewak I would say was very safe compare to P{OM and Lae. I could easily mingled with the kids and locals. Food were also cheaper and easily available. I used the Wewak Inn as my operational base. The full white paint of the hotel indeed inspired me to build my White House in my Kampong.  The hotel served nice beef and tuna-based dishes. I love their fresh tuna and Australian beef steak. Mouthful juicy. The hotel is built close to sealine. Every morning I would glare far into the pacific ocean and watched "painfully" the Taiwanese fishing fleets harvesting their tunas. The poor PNG knowing nothing were so proud over the presence of these international "pirates". Interestingly to them, these people are not  traits. They still have more fish than they could take. 

(4) Sure on top of all these, there was a nice young waitress whom never can stop smiling every time I look upon her. In every visit to Wewak, I would be looking forward to see her at the hotel. I love teasing her. Joking to have our hair exchange. She loves my dark soft hair while I said I will look much handsome with her copper colored hair. I can't recalled her name which indeed is the very bad part of me. I always having problem of remembering names despite as botanist it is a must to memorize plants scientific names. Frankly I was having a crush on her, but due to her age and my limited time for every visit, we never met out of her working hours. I was also strict with my work ethic bringing. Thus nothing went beyond just as client - waitress relationship. Indeed on my third trip to Weewak in 2009, she had left for Lae to work in a factory. She did took betel nuts, daily after or before work. She informed me that the betel nuts are good for the teeth health which indeed was true since my grand mum did so as well and she sustained her teeth to her death at 80s. 

(5) I did followed some of Somare's meet the people sessions. There were time they put me on stage to say few words and mostly were about on how to unlocked their land asset. Thereon I'll go round among the crowd and have words with as much kids as possible. I was gathering all the needed information which later I shared with Sana for him to discuss with his political boys to strategize and act on. The guy with the pale brown "skirt" behind the dancing lady was Sir Micheal Somare. Look at how simple was he. Even when I met him at his residence and office, he was indeed "too simple" probably equal to our late Nik Abdul Aziz of Kelantan. He was also a joker. I never forget his reasoning why PNG has no durian. He said, PNG has no durian because they are Christians. Durian is only for Muslims. Let see :" durian is found in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, South Thailand, South Philippines which are all Muslim entities". Indeed I have lots of interesting discussion with him especially on PNG socio-economic development. In 2009, he get Sana and his other son Arthur, the Minister of Economic Development to talk to me if I would like to help them to establish a proper Economic Planning Unit mirror imaging our Prime Minister's EPU setup. I was very delighted subject he should talk first to our Taib Mahmud which he did in his visit to Sarawak in 2010 (?). But in view Taib needed me more for the Federal and State election in 2010 and 2011, such idea was put on hold. Nonetheless once I had left the Sarawak state service in 2012, PNG was hit with a very bad political turmoil. 

SEPIK BASIN - HOME TO WORLD SAGO HEAVEN:

Sepik river runs into the Sepik Valley stretching hundreds of kilometers if not thousands starting from the hinterland mountainous PNG opening to the pacific ocean to the east. PNG is a subtropical region. The monsoon season is just like in Malaysia with lots of down pour. At this point in time, the Sepik river will swell 4-5 times of its dry season period. This large water bodies indeed forms the large marshland of the PNG whom people used to be confused as peatland area. Indeed this marshlands are not peat but good clay soil just that they are a bit wet and or inundated.  From this judgement and also those earlier observation in the Far East Indonesia such as Kendari, Lombok and Seram gave me a firm thought that sago is best on alluvial land with good drainage and irrigation system.

(2) If one ever visited the Mekong River at times of monsoon season, it is very similar to Sepik. The Mekong river swells and forms huge lake that stretches from China in the North, through the Laos and Cambodia midway then to Vietnam in the South. The scene looks real pleasant but I bet, for those landless dwellers of the Ton Le Sap Lake, the pains of poverty living and probably stateless identities I would believe is beyond one could comprehend. I may In Shaa Allah write on this later. 

(3) With Sana, Sir Micheal eldest son was always with me, I have the privilege of going into all those villages in the Sepik region.  The photo to the left was my visit to Kaup, a village by the mangrove seaside. See the kids, they were my informants on whether Somare was popular or not. These kids they love Somare, for Somare brought Kong Kong  to PNG to create jobs for their parents and roads to their villages. Kong Kong was their term for Asian. Indeed the word was mooted by the Hong Kong film stars Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan. Instead of calling Hong Kong, they created a very intersenting acronym as Kong Kong. I was indeed being called Kong Kong as well. But since my mission was on sago, then they changed my name to Sak Sak Man ie sago man.  

.... to be continue In Shaa Allah.