Archbishop: Put people first

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday 28th December 2011

By ELIZABETH VUVU
THE Catholic archbishop of Rabaul, Francesco Panfilo, has called on political leaders to think about the people before they think about themselves and their political careers.
He said the nation needed to pray for peace, humility and re­conciliation.
In light of the political difficulties Papua New Guinea was going through, Panfilo said the church was concerned about the welfare of the people, especially the grassroots who suffered more when disagreements arose.
“I urge people to remain calm and to always respect the
rule of law,” he said
He said Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare had been vindicated with the decision of the Supreme Court and that should be a reminder to everybody that “no one could play with the Constitution as, in this case, it was the Constitution rather than numbers in parliament
that decided what was right or wrong”.
“What happened following the court decision has set a dangerous precedent and the speaker of the house has to take responsibility for his actions,” Panfilo said.
He said the political giants of the former opposition should have known better.
“We need a political compromise and the honourable thing for Sir Michael to do, which is in the best interest of the country and considering his health, would be to resign so that a new government can be legitimately and constitutionally established.”
He said as part of the political compromise, the speaker should resign or be removed.
“He has done enough damage to the country and the country does not need any further damage.
“Let us pray for wisdom that the Lord may instill in our
political leaders the spirit of service, rather than the spirit of po­wer.”