The University of Papua New Guinea students have refused to hand over their petition to Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Malakai Tabar.
“We will only give this petition to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill,” UPNG president Kenneth Rapa said this afternoon in front of more than 5,000 students.
The students had waited for the Prime Minister since 10am this morning at the UPNG Forum Square, Waigani campus.
Around 3pm, the ministers convoyed with police escorts to the campus. Accompanying Tabar was Petroleum Minister Ben Micah, Finance Minister James Marape, Works and Implementation Minister Francis Awesa, chief secretary Isaac Lupari and OHE director general Professor David Kavanamur.
“I’ve come here to receive the petition on behalf of the Prime Minister,” Tabar told the students.
“I need to effectively go to court with the petition. I would like to go through the petition and whatever that is not before the court and can be discussed, will be discussed.”
That is basically my task as the mandated leader of these institutions, the minister stated.
UPNG SRC president Rapa, however, told the ministers to convey the message: “We want the Prime Minister of this country to come and receive our petition starting tomorrow.
“That’s why we are here. We will not do anything violent. We are simply asking the PM to come to us, his people, and take the petition.”
UPNG and Unitech will still continue their boycotting of classes.
Tabar was recently in Rabaul, East New Britain Province, to address the University of Natural Resources and Environment.
He was supposed to go to Lae after talking to UPNG but thankfully, four of the University of Technology’s SRC members were present at the Waigani campus as well.
Unitech SRC president David Kelma had flown in to Port Moresby with three of his colleagues this afternoon.