Two bullets and Balakau was dead

DEATH was always so close to Malipu Balakau, Papua New Guinea s Communication Mimster. As a highlander he witnessed people being brutally hacked to death in tribal conflicts that often rage throughout the

highlands, but particularly m hig Enga

province. But death and particularly violent death of the kinds he witnessed as farthest from him when he became a big man , a Member of Parliament in June 1987. Highlanders respect big men. l wo years later, last June 30, two bullets rom an unknown gunman broke the le K d thr^ w l L he vola J lle highlands and PNG into further confusion.

A gang surrounded Balakau’s home at Newtown Mt Hagen, between 7 and ~p m ? n . F u nday ’ J une 30> Apparently, there had been a domestic argument be- W f Cr \!f WO ° 1S Wlves - The first wife, Monica was in his car outside the house. Balakau sent one of his security Doys to fetch his briefcase from the car. l he gang moved m and held a gun to the security s mouth and told both the wile and boy to shut up. When the security boy tailed to return, Balakau

went to investigate. He was shot at point blank range by a masked man. The first bullet entered his neck and the second hit him in the forehead. He died instant ly. The gang took off in his car.

His untimely death caused wholesale destruction in his home town Wabag, the headquarters of Enga province and Mt Hagen. Very early on the Saturday, friends and relatives set alight a wholesale shop owned by Bromley and Manton company in Wabag, and later damaged and looted two of the com pany’s retail outlets. The PNG Banking Corporation was stoned and nearly set on fire but police moved in to disperse the crowd. At dawn the Engans set off in 15 truck loads for Mt Hagen, three hours drive away.

In Mt Hagen the Engans met at the Pope John Paul Oval for a mourning ceremony but that did not last long, Angry relatives rampaged through

shops, stoning buildings and grabbing

anything they could lay their hands on.

Bromley and Menton Co again became a victim when its supermarket was broken into and looted, local company, Wamp

Nga had most of its glass windows broken. Police prevented further trouble The Government of Prime Minister Rabbie Namaliu, facing a vote of no con fidence motion five days away at the time the Minister was shot, was caught flat footed. Most of the nation’s riot squads were on Bougainville conducting a state of emergency operation to flush out militants there.

Gingerly, the Government faked some announcements about the body being shipped to Port Moresby for the state funeral and when nothing happened

finally brought it on Sunday.

Namaliu wept as the coffin was taken off the plane. A small group of Engans gathered at the Jackson Airport and mourned without incident, except two women flung themselves at the moving ambulance carrying the late Minister’s body. At time of writing, however, one relative said: “It is quiet now but the underlying passions are there. The sym pathy is coming out now, but after they talk we will know. They are curious as to why he was killed.” □