Job with self-discipline values

 By OGIA MIAMEL 
BEING a security guard, to most Papua New Guineans, may be a job for the uneducated and unfortunate youths. However, for the new generation of guards, the job not only puts food on the table but also comes with valuable self-discipline.
John Tombuna, 27, from Silma village in Sinasina-Yongumul district of Chimbu is one such guard.
Tombuna says he was taught discipline and was moulded into being a good citizen after joining  security firm Sigi International PNG Limited.
He said after joining the Filipino security firm he began to work hard because discipline was the principle in the company.
Tombuna said in a big way discipline helped him and other young men to focus on their work to be more professional than being just guards.
“Most of the boys that joined the firm were not well educated but the training and discipline helped us to realise we have a purpose in life,” Tombuna said.
He said the work was hard but the pay was good and it could sustain him and his family in the city.
He said he left school at Grade Seven and could not continue due to family issues and travelled to Lae and lived a typical street mangi life in Nawaeb Block where beer and cigarettes were the centre of his life .
Tombuna said he would not go a day without getting drunk with his friends and relatives.
He said the ongoing discussions and storytelling with his friends about the big city lights, high buildings, money and beer in Port Moresby convinced him to travel to the capital city in 2010.
However, he discovered soon that all those sweet stories were not a reality as city life for a youth with no education was a real struggle.
He said his life changed after he joined the security firm because the rules and regulations were tough and training was both physical and theory.
He said they have certain rules in their postings and their site managers ensured they abided by them. If a guard breaks a rule, punishment ranges from doing 30 sit ups to suspension or termination.
“We were not allowed to chew betel nut or smoke during working hours in front of our customers,” he said.
Tombuna said some of his bad behaviours and habits have changed.
“I try to work hard and not hang around and look for free handouts,” Tombuna said.
He said he was a street mangi and being given this opportunity to have a changed perception in life was a blessing to him.
He said he enjoyed his job very much.
Tombuna urged other young men and even women to go out and look for such companies, get a job and live a good live.