Bougainville regional member of Parliament John Momis (a leading member of the Opposition), who was supposed to become governor of the province, twice in the New Year claimed that his opponents had threatened to kill him if he took up the governorship. He is contesting the provincial government suspension through the courts.

Although the administration pledged that prisoners freed in December before Christmas and again in the New Year were minor offenders, many Papua New Guineans traumatised by crime were alarmed by this gesture.

More prisoners were expected to be freed at Easter.

News media and community leaders condemned the Skate Government's move.

"The release of prisoners using the power of mercy must not be used arbitrarily by any government," scolded the churches-owned national weekly, The Independent.

"This provision in the constitution was put there to enable the Government to rectify injustices such as wrongful imprisonment or other serious miscarriage of justice.

"The power of mercy must be exercised in the spirit it was meant to be used. It must be done in a responsible and just manner, both acceptable to society while upholding the laws of the land."

The Independent called on the Skate Government to reactive the parole and probation system again rather than "fall into the trap of using a short term solution".

But the big current issue affecting business in the country is the Government's onslaught against police innovators like Chief Superintendent Wakon who were perceived to be making a determined "no nonsense" impression on PNG's notorious crime problem.

Skate said he supported the initiative by Police Minister Thomas Pelika and Commissioner Aigilo to shift the focus from "reactionary policing" to a more humanitarian and educational community-based program by soliciting community aid in maintaining law and order.

"Last year alone, statistics from the Department of Treasury and Corporate Affairs have shown that 67 legal suits were brought before the courts by citizens for redress and as a result a hefty K7, 798,228.43 was awarded against the State," said Skate.

He said from this amount, K6,373,731.94 had been paid in December last year.

"How on earth can we find such exorbitant sums of unbudgeted money to offset these bills and for how long can the country bear these illegal operations from its servants who are to protect the livelihood of its citizens?" he asked.

"This money should really go to education, health and infrastructure development and, even better, to build good houses for the police force.

"The things the police are doing, for instance, are harassing people without checking facts. They have laid complaints and gone to court and the court has made a decision that the State is responsible for the actions taken by police."

Skate said there was a need for the Government to impose exemplary damages whereby individual officers involved in illegal police operations are made to bear the full cost of damages awarded against the State.

But some observers pointed with scepticism at the timing of Skate's tough response towards the police. It came hard on the heels of police investigations into several of his cronies and colleagues ‹ and even himself.

Wakon summoned the Prime Minister for questioning over a reopened case involving allegations over an insurance fraud involving a vehicle belonging to the Skate. The case was first opened nine years ago.

"The stunt Mr Wakon tried on me at the end of his last day in the job was nothing short of a media political stunt," Skate complained to newspapers. "[His] removal has not involved any political intervention."

The Prime Minister claimed that Wakon had been dumped following an independent internal decision.

Wakon confirmed to news media that he had been informed by Commissioner Aigilo at lunchtime on Monday, January 18, that he was being recalled to police headquarters in Konedobu and his special task force was being disbanded.

However, administration sources claim he was first told about his removal on Saturday, January 16. Several hours earlier, he had requested through the commissioner that Skate present himself for questioning at Boroko Police Station the next day.

The Port Moresby police chief had also launched or reactivated a number of other investigations against prominent personalities and politicians. He was responsible for the "sex tapes" prosecution against Western Highlands Governor Fr Robert Lak, a suspended Catholic priest who is a key ally of Skate.

[Ironically, this case might also involve a state pay out. Late in January, the woman accused of being involved in the pornographic tapes, Regina Pera Gibolo, a mother of two, was set free by the National Court. Her counsel, human rights lawyer Powes Parkop, immediately declared he would file damage claims against the state for the "shame and humiliation" his client suffered in this high profile case.

Commissioner Agilio justified Wakon's sacking because of a "heavy handed and unwarranted" armed police raid on the family home of 27-year-old Justin Tkatchenko, an Australian citizen, on January 14. Tkatchenko is Port Moresby's Deputy Administrator and National Botanical Gardens curator, and also a close friend of Prime Minister Skate.

He was charged with sodomy, reportedly based on the allegations of a disgruntled former worker who was sacked from the Botanical Gardens.

Tkatchenko later described the impact of the "scary" raid on his wife, Catherine, and children, Jordan, four, and Jake, two, saying he thought it was a "set up". His wife later filed a lawsuit against the police for the seizure of their children's video tapes.

Saying that at least 20 police were involved, Tkatchenko added there were "three or four police vehicles full up of special squad armed to the max with sub-machineguns."

Police Minister Pelika said that there were clearly defined procedures on the use of force and firearms and it was not a policeman's job to take sides or become an aggressor.

"There is a law and I must warn that policemen must be professionals or otherwise they will be held accountable for their actions," he said.

The Prime Minister warned that police commanders, especially provincial and police station commanders must be held fully accountable for the actions of their men.

"Cabinet will have to seriously consider establishment of the Human Rights Commission which will then hear all complaints on violation of rights of citizens," Skate said. The commission would liaise with the police to introduce human rights training at Bomana Police Training College, on the outskirts of Port Moresby.

Skate alleged that half of the police were carrying out terrorist activities or activities that were not in line with policy guidelines and the Police Act.

He used the the burning down of the popular Club Germania in 1994 as examples of police acting unlawfully on duty.

Former deputy police commissioner Leo Dion called on Commissioner Aigilo to resign if he had bowed to political interference over Wakon. He said that resigning would safeguard the independence and integrity of the office of the police commissioner.

"If Commissioner Aigilo has allowed the office of the commissioner of police to be dictated to by self-interested people, then I call on him to resign," Dion said. "As a former deputy commissioner, I feel disgusted over the removal of Mr Wakon as commander for NCD.

"If this was done due to the tough stand by Mr Wakon in dealing with criminal investigations into certain politicians' activities in the National Capital District, then I call again for the commissioner of police to resign."

Dion also called on the Governor-General, Sir Silas Atopare, to intervene and "stop this madness'' in the country.