May 14, 2023 8:01 am
It all started with the videos posted by his daughter on social media: Justin Tkatchenko defended himself by calling his compatriots “primitive and useless animals” and ended up having to resign the mandate
From videos
The Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea, Justin Tkatchenko, has traveled to London for the coronation of King Charles III. paid dearly: The “journey” to the British capital cost him his job. The reason is the controversy that was sparked in the Commonwealth country by the videos posted on TikTok by the daughter of the now ex-minister, in which the luxury of travel was shown. Nor did Tkatchenko’s outraged reaction, who gave his country’s citizens “primitive and useless animals” for the attacks they suffered: insults that broke the camel’s back and led to his resignation as minister.
Photo gallery – The pictures cost the job of the foreign minister of Papua New Guinea
The release of the videos of the minister’s 25-year-old daughter, Savannah Tkatchenko, on social media immediately sparked controversy in Papua New Guinea, a country that is certainly not wealthy (it ranks mid-way in the world in terms of GDP). , but at the bottom end, GDP per capita is $2,752 per year each versus a world average of $11,183. In fact, the young woman in the pictures shows the first-class flight, shopping in the luxury shops at Singapore Airport, the delegation’s celebrations between cocktails, food and sweets.
The minister’s daughter, overwhelmed by the criticism, deleted the posts and also the account, but by now the damage was done: the video spread even more in the country and the opposition took the opportunity to blame the minister, the prime minister ministers and the majority. According to local media, the equivalent of 3 million euros was spent on the London trip, while according to ABC Australia the amount is slightly less, around 1.8 million euros, to send the 31 members of the delegation and also to celebrate the coronation at home. In short, the “journey” and the parties would have cost around 58,000 euros each for each member of the Papuan delegation.
The situation was made worse by the minister’s reaction to the attacks on his daughter, who was accused of being a publicly-funded “state influencer”: The Australian-born, who only acquired Papuan citizenship in 2006, responded with allegations told her countrymen that they were “primitive and useless animals” who had “traumatized” her daughter. A response that also angered and provoked even more opposition from Prime Minister James Marape, who not only demanded the minister’s head, but also called for him to be “sent back to where he came from” by stripping him of his citizenship.
Tkatchenko tried to apologize at the extreme, saying he had been misunderstood and his crimes weren’t directed against all citizens, just the haters who were targeting his daughter, but by now the omelette was ready. And the foreign minister resigned his mandate just days before two important visits to the country by foreign heads of state: on May 21, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present himself, on the 22nd American President Joe Biden, who will sign a bilateral agreement. But he won’t find a foreign minister waiting for him.
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