Good leaders the answer, says Philemon

“WHEN the wicked rule, the people suffer; when the just rule people rejoice.”
That was the message Lae MP Bart Philemon gave to thousands who packed the Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium in Lae to celebrate the country’s 35th independence anniversary yesterday.
Philemon said although PNG was resource-rich, there were questions as to why its people were still poor and government services, especially health services for mothers and children, were among the worst in the world.
“Why is there so much blessing but yet things are not happening and moving the way we expect?” he asked.
Philemon went on to quote the proverb in the bible which talks about the livelihood and state of a nation depending on its leadership.
“Twenty babies die each day and about 7,000 die each year,” he said.
“Ten mothers die every day while 3,700 die each year because of poor or no health services at all in rural PNG,” he said.
PNG, he said, also had the worst human development record in the world and was ranked 54th in the list of corrupt nations in the world.
“We should mark today (35th independence anniversary) to say to ourselves we will fix our human development record and corruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge who was keynote speaker at the celebrations, said Lae city could become the Singapore of the Pacific if people worked hard.
He said “good” foreigners wanting to invest in the country and Morobe should be allowed in as Papua New Guineans could learn a thing or two from them about business.
Wenge said although we did not fight to gain independence, Papua New Guineans were now fighting each other and not acting in the spirit of Christianity and unity.
“Maybe if we become Muslims, things would change and our streets would become like those in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand where they do not tolerate criminals and the streets are safe.”
“WHEN the wicked rule, the people suffer; when the just rule people rejoice.”
That was the message Lae MP Bart Philemon gave to thousands who packed the Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium in Lae to celebrate the country’s 35th independence anniversary yesterday.
Philemon said although PNG was resource-rich, there were questions as to why its people were still poor and government services, especially health services for mothers and children, were among the worst in the world.
“Why is there so much blessing but yet things are not happening and moving the way we expect?” he asked.
Philemon went on to quote the proverb in the bible which talks about the livelihood and state of a nation depending on its leadership.
“Twenty babies die each day and about 7,000 die each year,” he said.
“Ten mothers die every day while 3,700 die each year because of poor or no health services at all in rural PNG,” he said.
PNG, he said, also had the worst human development record in the world and was ranked 54th in the list of corrupt nations in the world.
“We should mark today (35th independence anniversary) to say to ourselves we will fix our human development record and corruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge who was keynote speaker at the celebrations, said Lae city could become the Singapore of the Pacific if people worked hard.
He said “good” foreigners wanting to invest in the country and Morobe should be allowed in as Papua New Guineans could learn a thing or two from them about business.
Wenge said although we did not fight to gain independence, Papua New Guineans were now fighting each other and not acting in the spirit of Christianity and unity.
“Maybe if we become Muslims, things would change and our streets would become like those in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand where they do not tolerate criminals and the streets are safe.”