THE BUKA GIRL & THE US PRESIDENT

 

GK MET THE FUTURE US PRESIDENT BIDEN

 

 

UNITED STATES president Joe Biden has a deep connection to Papua New Guinea - his uncle Ambrose Jnr was a pilot in World War II in our country.

His uncle was shot down and his airplane and  body have never been recovered.

Another uncle also fought in PNG, survived the war but went home badly scarred by malaria.

Whether President Biden ever visits PNG on a pilgrimage to honor his missing uncle, we don't know.

What we do know is that 20 years ago, our very own senior journalist Gorethy Kenneth met Biden while on a Third World Countries media tour of the USA.

By some strange coincidence, GK asked Biden a question about the US Presidency.

Lo and behold, fast forward to 2021, Biden is now the 56th President of the US as of yesterday.

Here is GK's story in her own words: "In 2002 the former US Ambassador to PNG Susan Jacobs awarded me an International Visitors Program Scholarship to the United States.

"Jacobs was touring Bougainville in 2002 and was impressed with the work I was doing on the island amidst the hardship the island was going through.

"In early 2003 I travelled to the United States for the IVP 2003 tour, which was for a six weeks program which led to my travel to at least 15 States in America. There were 23 of us from the least developed or Third world nations – Nepal, Taiwan, African countries, Madagascar, the Middle East, and a few other Asian countries.

"I was the only one from PNG representing the Pacific nations. Among the list of the visits was a trip to Delaware where our team of international journalists was to meet the US State Senator then – which was – now – the US President Elect Joe Robinnette Biden Jnr!

"Because I could speak fluent English among my colleagues, I was chosen to ask one question.

"I remember asking him 'one day Senator Biden, if you become the President of America, what will be the first thing you will do?' and Mr Biden said in his response that among others, he would declare 'religious democracy' in America!”

According to Wikipedia, 'Religious democracy is a form of government where the values of a particular religion affect laws and rules. The term applies to all countries in which religion is incorporated into the form of government. Democracies are characterized as secular or religious.'

Ambassador Susan Jacobs has long since returned to the States and we have kept in touch over the years.

On November 08, 2020, GK sent a message to Jacobs when the world was advised Biden had won.

“Ambassador Jacobs, I have watched you and your campaigns on US President elect Joe Robinnette Biden Jnr... I know you are so relieved today with the Democrats winning the presidency.

"I congratulate you and your America. This morning, as I write this, I give you all my commendations, and I can't thank you enough for having chosen me, the bush and island girl from Tegese, for a scholarship across that nation 17 years ago, where in one of the programs, as a junior journo, I met Biden in Delaware, where he was the US State Senator for that State.

“I remember asking him that question during one of the meets with third world nation journos, "One day Senator Biden, if you become the President of America, what will be the first thing you will do?"

"I am forever grateful waking up happy this morning that I had met your now US President Elect, the Robinnette (in fact I loved that name)!”

"Now that he is President I don’t mind a plan to one day ask him again – 'now that you are president……' if that opportunity to meet him again arise."

Remember back then, there was no internet or FB in PNG. Flash cameras were the in-thing and so GK's pictures of her USA trip are all in blurry prints.

During a visit to Australia in 2016, Biden, then Vice President, said three of his maternal uncles joined the US forces in WII.

Biden’s mother, Jean Finnegan Biden, from Scranton in Pennsylvania, Biden’s birthplace, had four brothers, all of whom tried to enroll in the Army the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in December 1941.

“Papua New Guinea, that's where my two uncles, ended up, in the Army Air Corps of the United States Army,” Biden said.

“Both in New Guinea, one killed and one went home badly injured.

“My mother's number two brother, Ambrose Finnegan, is still remembered in Scranton as a leader. He was shot down, and his body was never found, in Papua New Guinea.

“And the other came home with malaria and was sick, off and on, for the better part of his life.”

“My uncle Ambrose Jr was a flier killed in New Guinea. Jack and Gerry did their part. But the army wouldn't take Blewitt.”

“We forged the foundations of our alliance in iron and baptised it in blood”, he says. “Our shared home is the Asia-Pacific”.