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It’s almost a month now since the Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed with the United States of America.
Last week in the National Parliament, the DCA was debated for over three hours by our politicians with many for it due to the promise of untold developments that would benefit their provinces.
The DCA will not take effect until the Parliament ratifies it. And this may take a while.
This brings us to a few observations that our pollies may have missed in their debate and, which, they might want to consider at the next debate.
The United States, since the end of WWII, has some endearing and enduring legacies in PNG.
Even before WWII, the most famous American female pilot Amelia Earhart considered New Guinea good enough for a stopover in her little Lockheed Electra plane during her famous and ill-fated circumnavigation of the globe.
It was from Lae on July 2, 1937 – 86 years ago – that Amelia and her navigator Fred Noonan took off heading for Howland Island. They have never been found since.
In Lae, there is a small park named the Amelia Earhart Memorial Park. Even the distinguished Songan, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge failed to mention this during the debate on the DCA.
Mr Wenge should now call on the American Government to establish, as part of an extension of the DCA, the establishment of the Amelia Earhart Flying School in Lae to train as many PNG female pilots.
This training school should not only be for commercial pilots but for military female pilots. If the USA wants to come and use PNG for target practice, they need to build a military training facility for our female pilots.
Yes, America is the most militarily powerful nation in the world. It is the most unshakeable democracy.
And Amelia Earhart remains an icon of flying fame and powerful reminder of the freedom of the American women.
Governor Wenge, your province and people are still some of the most isolated and remotely located citizens in PNG.
They rely on small aircraft to travel. There are no roads in Morobe. You need to seriously consider investing in pilots for your huge province.
The legacy of Amelia must live on in Morobe. Sadly, as history records, she spent her last night in Lae, ate her last breakfast among the natives of Morobe, and she departed into the Huon Gulf.
By starting a flight school in her name, built by Americans, staffed by the best American female aviators, Songan, you will give hope to the many young girls who dream of becoming a pilot.
Meanwhile, the search for our honorary ‘meri Morobe’ Amelia continues, with countless speculations and theories around the world.
In Morobe and as far as the Gulf of Papua, there are whispers of Amelia’s plane trapped in a time warp in a jungle.
It’s time to do away with the myth and ask America to honor a woman of legacy with some justice – build a flight school and train PNG’s elite female pilots.
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