by Michael Joseph Passingan
Dr. Billy Joseph, the former Defence Minister and MP for Nipa-Kutubu, is nothing short of a national disgrace. This man, who somehow emerged as a “medical doctor” despite widespread doubts about his competence, has built his entire political career on family connections, electoral manipulation, and brazen abuse of state power. Facebook groups dedicated to exposing PNG corruption are flooded with damning stories that paint a clear picture of a crook who treats public office as his personal playground.
The most explosive scandal right now is the PNGDF recruitment fiasco. Viral videos circulating on Facebook show new recruits openly admitting they got into the Defence Force through direct intervention by “Minister Billy Joseph.” Dozens of recruits reportedly came from the same Nipa-Kutubu wards and villages linked to him. Instead of merit, it was blatant nepotism and political favouritism. The public outcry forced Joseph to step aside on 8 April 2026, allowing an investigation into allegations that he interfered in recruitment and even used Defence Force personnel for personal purposes. In his own words, he stepped down “to preserve the integrity of the Defence organisation,” but everyone knows it’s damage control after the videos exposed the rot. Opposition leaders and ordinary citizens on Facebook are demanding he be sacked outright.
Even worse is the family cartel that delivered him the Nipa-Kutubu seat. Social media posts repeatedly identify Grace Wong, the disgraced Southern Highlands Provincial Election Manager, as his blood cousin. Her brother Jessy Wong is District Treasurer. Critics call it the “family triangle” controlling elections, district funds, and now national security. Grace Wong was arrested at Jacksons Airport over a “shadow election system” and alleged manipulation of the electoral roll. Multiple Facebook accounts claim she and Billy Joseph created new wards, tampered with voter lists, and stole the seat from legitimate candidate Febik Simon Kilip. An election petition by Kilip is now headed to trial, but the damage is done: Joseph stole the people’s mandate through cousinly corruption.
On social media, the anger is raw. Posts label him a “liar and corrupt,” accuse him of lying to Parliament about recruit ages and processes, and demand the Ombudsman Commission launch a full investigation. One video shows recruits being intimidated while Joseph’s name is repeatedly dropped. Another exposes how he allegedly travels with at least 10 soldiers as personal security, using PNGDF personnel at will for his own ends. Citizens are furious that a man with such a track record controls the nation’s defence forces while Australia signs security treaties with him.
Joseph’s defenders point to his UPNG medical degree and past work as a surgeon, but the public has every right to question how someone of such questionable character and alleged low capability rose so far. The pattern is clear: rig the election with cousin Grace, pack the Defence Force with loyalists from Nipa, and use soldiers as private muscle. This is not leadership; it is state capture.
Papua New Guineans deserve better than this corrupt operator. The Ombudsman Commission must investigate every allegation recruitment fraud, electoral manipulation, abuse of Defence personnel and the Prime Minister should ensure Joseph never returns to any position of power. The Facebook exposés are not rumours; they are the voice of a fed-up nation calling out one of its worst political crooks.
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