Implement ‘PNG ways’ national goal

PAPUA New Guinea is a rich and blessed nation with our own developmental challenges to address.
We have come this far to be a nation that stands united in the face of the global community despite being a nation of thousand tribes.
Among other developmental challenges our leaders, should focus on the implementation of ‘PNG Ways’ as declared by our fifth goal of our National Goals and Directive Principles to achieve development primarily through the use of the Papua New Guinean forms of social, political and economic organisation.
For effective management of any nation-state, its political and economic administrative systems should be derived from its unique social structure, ethical principles and moral values.
If not, whatever problems we face individually or as a nation, is only a beginning.
PNG is encountering: corruption, violence, marginalisation, poverty, moral degradation, under-development, and homelessness.
PNG has one of the best frameworks of development any young nation in our modern world could wish for.
It has richness of resources and a manageable population that is the dream of many nations.
It had good founding fathers who were sobered by the costly mistakes of other countries, had insight into their own multicultural, multi diverse people, and therefore forged the constitutional framework that will drive this nation forward.
On Sept 16, 1975, Papua New Guinea was destined for greatness with the five national goals and directive principles: integral human development, equality and participation, national sovereignty and self reliance, national resources and environment, and Papua New Guinean ways.
It was a dream of this nation for everyone to be dynamically involved in freeing themselves from every form of oppression and involvement in the fullest development as possible.
Honing in on equality and participation, we envision all citizens to have an equal opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, the development of our country.
Under our national resources and environment, we want PNG’s natural resources and environment to be conserved and used for the collective benefit for us all and be replenish for the benefit of the future generations.
The modus operandi would be Papua New Guinean way of respect, tolerance, sharing and consensus.
More than 40 years of independence, these national goals and directive principles remain PNG’s heart cry.
The resonance and echo since their first utterance still grip the heart and bring national inspiration.
But successive leaders including all our young and educated leaders – and the decisions they have made and continue to make – have distanced our nation from those ideals and our people from benefiting fully from their own resources.
I lift my hat, and salute our constitutional founding fathers, for their foresight in penning the preamble of our constitution which remain current to this day.
But I am sad to say, I decry and deplore the subsequent feeble minded, weak willed implementers of that embodiment of the real vision of Papua New Guinea.
I decry the greed, selfishness, and self-centredness that sought personal enrichment and ambition over the wellbeing of our people.
The trend is set dangerously so the future of our children – which we can determine the destiny of – is bleaker than our own uncertain future when we were at their age.
Therefore, we must make a difference – a real difference.
That is the catch cry with which we our leaders as well as we the citizens should embraced by laying and applying the framework of the principles in the practical and developmental manner in the life of one as an individual as well as the life of the nation.

Charles Mahisu Berita,
Pom