Get your priorities right, Opposition

I REFER to the letter “Paska not looking after PNG workers” (Sept 1) by David Wambi from the Opposition leader’s office.
The main issue behind John Paska’s comment against the Opposition was related to the question of changing the Government for the sake of changing.
For most of the people in the rural areas, the issue of political instability is not good and healthy for the growth and prosperity of this country.
Instability, as anyone can remember, between the 1980s and 2001, is one of the factors that destabilised the economic growth and prosperity of this country.
In those years, once politicians were elected into Parliament, they failed to concentrate on making policies but spent most of their time fighting for power and got involved in horse trading of wooing MPs from one side to another.
Big money was involved and many politicians offered themselves just like commodities in the market.
The memory of that political scenario in those years is still vivid in the minds of many people and it is scary when the few educated elite are trying to go back to that era.
The enactment of the law guiding the integrity of political parties has given this country political stability and political leaders now have the stable condition to concentrate on running this country without wasting time fighting over power and money.
The word stability is very important here for us to progress.
Thus, for people in the rural areas, we do not like to see instability in the Government.
This is what Mr Paska was trying to get across to the Opposition.
The Opposition cannot dwell Julian Moti, the Taiwanese diplomatic scandal and the Singaporean forest levy bank account to destabilise the Government.
Moti and the others scandals have little or no bearing on the growth and welfare of the rural people.
What benefits do we get out of the Moti affair?
The rural people want to see the Opposition concentrate on issues in relation to the Commission of Inquiry into the Finance Department.
The result of the inquiry will have a significant impact on the lives and welfare of the ordinary people.
For instance, local landowners in Amanab in Sandaun have been defrauded from royalty payment for timbers harvested on their land.
This was because bureaucrats in Finance have colluded with some conmen to pocket the money that belongs to the simple people.
Another example is officers in the public solicitor’s office being involved in deals to divert money into their own pockets and their cohorts.
These are priority issues that should be taken up by the Opposition as these issues directly affect the lives of the people.
If these are the issues the Opposition is fighting against, then the rural population will be more obliged to support it.
Otherwise, we see political stability as the key to economic growth and progress of this country and what Mr Paska commented was warranted and should be taken into account by the good office of the Opposition.

CB
Via email