Hundreds walk to fight graft

By PATRICK TALU
THE courage to blow the whistle is the key to weeding out corruption, Rev Samson Lowa, who led the Transparency International PNG “Walk Against Corruption” on Sunday in Port Moresby, says.
Speaking at the Jack Pidik Park at 5-Mile, Lowa said corruption “is rampant in PNG and it has to be rooted out from within the hearts and minds of individual Papua New Guineans”.
“There are Papua New Guineans who want to blow the whistle on corruption but lack the courage.
“Fighting corruption is everyone’s business,” he said.
Referring to placards carried by anti-corruption groups, Lowa said: “The message is clear now that people of all walks of life hate corruption and they want to root it out through any means.”
He said the 2012 general election was nearing and urged young people to resister in the 2011 census so they could vote out corruption.
More than 2,400 anti-corruption campaigners walked the streets of Port Moresby.
The common slogans on placards were “vote out corruption, don’t support it; report it”. 
Students from more than 70 primary and high schools, tertiary and private international schools took to the streets.
Many students said they hated corruption, with one saying: “corruption is entrenched in the minds and hearts of our people, especially those in power and we, the up and coming professionals, might fall into that trend”.