Democracy in Papua New Guinea is under strain. In a democracy, the military must obey civilian authorities. For the second time in a few months elements of the military have engaged in rebellious activity against civilian authority. The first time was against Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan because of his engagement of mercenaries employed by the company Sandline to help solve the Bougainville crisis. The second time flowed from the first. Elements of the military were concerned that PNG’s new Prime Minister, Bill Skate, might not live up to his previous stand against the Sandline venture. Mr Skate, after all, came to power in a coalition with the architects of the Sandline deal.
Sure, the chief architect, Sir Julius Chan, is gone, none the less anti-Sandline elements in the military were worried that there might be a whitewash of the Sandline affair under some deal Mr Skate entered into to attain power.
For now Mr Skate seems to have bought himself some time by ordering a new inquiry in the Sandline affair and postponing any prosecutions arising out of the first round of military rebelliousness. Of course, Sir Julius should never have engaged the mercenaries in the first place — an act of such dubious constitutionality and legality that it almost justified the first military objection. But the longer-term worry is that rebellious conduct will become habit-forming and Mr Skate will be seen to be at the mercy of the military — an unenviable position for any democratic leader.
Mr Skate for now has the advantage of having opposed Sandline from the outset and being a newly elected leader. He needs to set a short time frame for his inquiry; to get the military back in the barracks, even if it means one-off olive-branch treatment; and to send a firm message that military meddling is not to be part of the PNG political scene.