Community leader worries about PNG’s image abroad

A COMMUNITY leader in Lae, Morobe, is worried about how the image of the country is being portrayed in the international community because of the political crisis.
Galo Zonge, chairman of the law and order committee in ward one of the Lae urban local level government, said in Tok Pisin: “Sampela kantri lukim mipela olsem bus kanaka (Some countries will see us as primitives).
“We are still behaving like savages. Our thoughts and actions do not reflect our level of education in the 21st century,” he said.
He said the political tussle that led to the Supreme Court ruling could not have come about had politicians been true to their roles and responsibilities as enshrined in the Constitution.
 “We will lose the confidence investors have in the country. In this age, politics and economies go hand in hand, and often times, political deals will affect the economic trend.
“The leaders should not be fighting for power; they should be fighting for economic development.
“They should come to my ward and see the level of poverty, lack of education and health services, and the lack of basic shelter and water supply.”
Kevin Moses, a councillor from the Tewai sub-district, in the Tewai Siassi district, said: “Somare can come in by the rule of law from the judicial arm of the government. But the legislative arm has decided that he should go and O’Neill should be Prime Minister. That’s what we in this side of the country want.
“After all, it is the same law that has re-installed Somare and then re-installed O Neill.”