People being misled by misinformation on social media

Letters

AS we turn the last 50 meters before the next general election, it is obvious the social media is becoming the Government enemy number one.
While Facebook has done incredible justice to a lot of marginalised, underrepresented and minority groups it has also done injustice to government and public institutions by facilitating lies and malicious information intended to misguide public perception.
The O’Neill Government is a victim of misrepresentation and misinformation by critics who are hell bent to discredit what is otherwise the best performing people’s government.
Despite the global commodity price slump which hit the Government budget projections so hard, the Prime Minister has maintained commendable resilience and has demonstrated a political maturity unrivalled in the country’s 40 years of independence.
O’Neill has sustained investors’ confidence amid the economic downturn and the political support he received in Parliament only goes to demonstrate that he is a Prime Minister that has the confidence of the country and also that he is in full control of the country.
Never at any time did O’Neill panic or blame previous governments when his Government was hit the hardest by critics, mostly in the Opposition camp, including disgruntled former prime ministers.
When O’Neill was subject to allegations of corruption, it did not weather him down from working.
He gave the country his total commitment and worked tirelessly to ensure that the nation’s interest supersede politics and individual political ego contest.
O’Neill has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that he is the country’s best Prime Minister and continues to amaze the country by being in total control of the Government and its long term interest.
With the general elections just five months away, there is exponential increase in criticism against the Prime Minister in the social media.
But what is frightening is the volume of misinformation and level of malice intended to destroy O’Neill by faceless people.
What is now a national concern is the leaking and exposure of highly confidential government information without appropriate judicial or administrative approvals that is flooding the social media.
Facebook is allowing a new kind of information war where misinformation mines are planted all over our social, economic and political fields making intelligent discussions and conversation very risky.
Government and citizens are walking in a vast field of misinformation mines that it is affecting the way everybody is thinking and behaving.
In a country that is vastly illiterate and semi-literate, misinformation is our biggest threat and will hold us back from moving forward.
What is happening to O’Neill Government will happen to all other governments that follow.
As a developing democracy, we are our own worst enemy if we do not get rid of these misinformation minefields facilitated by Facebook.
It is about time Facebook is regulated to ensure that misinformation mines are eradicated to allow citizens to think without fatalities from these mines.  On the contrary the main stream media – The National, Post Courier and Sunday Chronicles – continue to provide credible news with balanced views on the Government’s performance.
Citizens must not read Government criticisms subjectively but objectively relative to its performances.
Finally, O’Neill remains the top contender to retain the prime minister’s post based on his performances and in the interest of sustaining political stability as we host Apec in 2018.

Samson Wena
Kerowagi, Chimbu