12/05/2023
10th.May 2023
Andy Bawa to lay a formal complaint and calls on Police and Ombudsman to investigate Minister Tkatchenko
Recently our (PNG) Foreign Minister Honorable Justin Tkatchenko's daughter namely Savannah Tkatchenko posted a video on Tiktok showing herself traveling in first class with her father to Singapore enroute to London as part of the Official PNG Government Delegation to King Charles III's Coronation.
In the Tiktok video she mentioned that she was proud of herself because she had so much stuff, eating expensive food, doing shopping at Hermes and Louis Vuitton which are very expensive world class brand at Singapore at airport.
Now who is paying the bills? Who is paying for this long, expensive trip, the expensive food, the lavish shopping and the stay in London?
The video has also shown Minister Tkatchenko's driver sitting on the table and eating expensive food as well.
A lot of Papua New Guineans are concerned and disgusted with this video and the trip itself where lots of money has been spent on taking family members and associates overseas on official government trips at the expense of our taxpayers. This is totally wrong.
When ordinary Papua New Guineans started raising the issue in Tiktok video, the Minister responded by saying that "Papua New Guineans are useless people and primitive animals".
This was reported by ABC Reporter Stephen Dziedzic for the whole world to see.
This Minister is making derogatory comments about our people. These are racist and discriminatory remarks that must not go unchallenged. In saying this, he is rubbishing every Papua New Guinean who is complaining about him and his daughter. This includes educated Papua New Guineans and leaders like myself and even includes the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader. This includes our country. These comments are very embarrassing, disgusting, and shameful indeed.
The Minister has absolutely no respect for our country, our people, and the system of our government. He has no respect for his own voters. He thinks he can use the state coffers at will to fund family trips to Europe for his family's joy and pleasure.
I must remind the Minister that he came to this country and started life here as a gardener. And he has been given a lot of privileges by this country. He must respect our people. He owes a lot to this country.
On behalf of the People of Papua New Guinea, I will be laying an official complaint against this so-called Foreign Minister with the Police and the Ombudsman Commission.
I want him and his daughter to be thoroughly investigated as to how they could bypass government protocols to get his daughter selected to go on an official government trip and claiming to represent the country. Is this a joke? On what capacity is she representing PNG? As a government official or as Justin's family member? She could be representing Justin's wife and family instead. What exactly is she representing PNG for? And what has this got to do with her being a lawyer and daughter of a Minister.
What hidden criteria was used to select her to represent PNG when everyone with the same qualifications or even better qualifications, experience, and standing than her are here back home who can represent the country better.
I want the Ombudsman Commission to investigate and refer this Minister to the leadership tribunal and dismiss him from being an MP. He is a disgrace and a source of embarrassment to the country. He is a racist and a hater of true Papua New Guineans.
Papua New Guineans want to know how much money was spent on this trip. How many people traveled. How much allowance was paid to each individual etc.... What was the official title or capacity and duty statement of every single individual on that trip.
We have problems with healthcare, law and order, education, roads and bridges, proper infrastructure, and so many other priorities that this money can be used for. Instead, we are paying for family trips to Europe.
Lastly, I call on the Prime Minister and the government to strip him of his Ministry and revoke his citizenship as he is not fit to be called a Papua New Guinean and to represent us as a Government Minister in our Parliament and anywhere in the world.
