Good leadership can solve issues

Editorial

MANY of the people who took part in our opinion poll this week agree that poverty, broken homes and unstable family units drive some women to the world’s oldest profession – prostitution.
Some suggest that girls sexually abused at a young age by someone they had relied upon for protection and security as a contributing factor. They no longer have confidence that their home is safe to live in.
Debate on the issue is not new.
In the Bible, we read of the woman who was abused in public because of her immoral pastime, only to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ who dared those in the crowd who had never sinned to raise their hands.
No one did.
They all walked away.
Jesus then warned her to go and never sin again. There was also the “sinful” woman who poured an expensive oil on her hair to wash the feet of Jesus, despite the protests by the disciples.
Jesus defended her, saying she was doing it to prepare his body for his death.
As a country with strong traditional ties and tight family bonds, before the advent of Christianity, we are trying to deal with a problem the more developed nations around the world have not found an apt solution to.
Not too long ago the question of legalising prostitution came before Parliament.
The Government strongly rejected the proposal, primarily on moral grounds.
Too new, too “western”, too risky. Not for PNG.
Some looked at it as something which will bring a curse on the nation.
But it has not gone away. In fact it is increasingly becoming a concern, staring lawmakers, church elders and community leaders in the face as more people drift to the urban centres to find work and secure a better education for their children.
One does not have to look far in squatter settlements in the peri-urban areas to see how some women struggle to put at least a meal on the table for their children.
Social problems lead to broken homes, family violence and abuse, and negligence.
There are not enough jobs around.
Population growth is moving at a much faster pace than economic development which everyone depends on to stimulate growth and thus create more jobs.
Marriage breakdowns, disunity in the family unit, irreconcilable differences between parents and as we are seeing more now between parents and children are problems we face.
Instability in the family rises.
We see the rate of divorce, unplanned pregnancy and family and sexual violence soaring.
The solutions are there but there has to be more commitment to implementing them.
Start at home.
Inculcate values in children as they grow up. Not just once but all the time.
Keep on drumming into them the importance of respect, loyalty, honesty, hard work and integrity.
The churches too cannot ignore their role and responsibility in all this.
The pulpit discourse each Saturday and Sunday matters a lot in changing attitude and instilling discipline.
It is a must.
We often boast of being a nation with an abundance of natural resources.
We need effective and strong leadership to develop these resources to stimulate growth and create more jobs.
We have the solutions. So let’s roll up our sleeves and start working on them.