[One mistep after another now causes the story of the naked selfie to become a topic of common conversation and begin spilling over into the international media]
By BENJAMIN NGAL KERA
Most urban Papua New Guineans with access to newspapers or internet probably now know that Chairman of the PNG Border Development Authority (BDA), Fred Konga, is taking The National and its reporter to court for defamation for republishing the story of Fred Konga's naked selfie. None of the probable thousands who have e-mailed Konga's selfie photos or reposted on other facebook sites have been taken to court.
Fred Konga, Charman, Boarder Authority |
No one associated with the Facebook site Caught In the Act https://www.facebook.com/caughtintheactpng) site has been summoned, despite that being one of the original entry points into the greater PNG social media. Only one lone internet poster who hardly ever writes and posts blog articles and sticks mostly to Facebook has been accused and summoned by Konga. Those other hundreds (if not more) internet users who have e-mailed and facebook posted his naked selfie everywhere have been ignored. Who is the unlikely person who has been charged in civil court by Mr Konga for defamation?
It is Sonja Barry Ramoi, a well known social media personality. Why is she being targeted? It's probably because she's one of the few people who Konga can attach a real name to on the social media, and who has, in fact, posted about Mr Konga. Konga's job, plus the position Mrs. Ramoi's close friend, Belden Namah, has and the insight it gives him on what is really going on at the international border and how Mr Konga actually functions in his job, are undoubtedly all factors that cause Mr Konga to go specifically after Mrs Ramoi.