EVERY Papua New Guinean has a responsibility to bring to an end all forms of corruption in the country, a national court judge said yesterday.
Justice Catherine Davani said PNG was faced with an insurmountable challenge and the task to correct what had gone wrong or is going wrong rested with the individual.
“It is the individual who is caught up in this intricate web that we call corruption that appears in many forms as you and I know.
“It is the individual in this country who must know when to say no to the vagaries and temptations that are many and varied,” Justice Davani said.
In her keynote address to the Community Coalition Against Corruption (CCAC) forum in Lae, Justice Davani said it was the individual that must place his or her commitment to this country before the need for personal or tribal gain.
She said it was institutions like the CCAC, the Ombudsman Commission and the judiciary that drew the line on illegal or corrupt practices.
But, she said, it was the individual who must make that choice, even at the risk of being ostracised from his tribe or killed or being sacked, depending on the scenario.
“The support base must be there for these people and this is where CCA’s role is important,” Justice Davani said.
She said the challenges ahead for PNG was overwhelming and something must be done to correct this epidemic before PNG was dragged down into the pits, never to see light again.