Kondra is a true nationalist

I AGREE with Dr Thomas Vinit’s letter “Support Kondra’s bill” (The National, Sept 28).
We must support the proposed bill by North Fly MP Boka Kondra.
PNG is 34 years old now.
Some of its laws and some sections of the Constitution are outdated.
In Papua New Guinea, people own the land because they fought and some had to sacrifice their lives to own land.
Long before the white men and World War Two arrived on our shores, our forefathers were fighting among themselves to strengthen the clans or tribes and took over the land of the defeated clans.
For example, my grandfather defended the piece of land and fought against the enemy and was almost killed.
The piece of land he defended is where the current Olsobip Station is built.
If an oil rig were to be set up in Olsobip, the very land my grandfather fought to defend, then rightfully, landowners must own the land and also what is beneath it because of the sacrifices involved to defend the piece of land.
If we were to develop as a nation, then we have to change some laws and make them “home grown” to really benefit from these laws.
Many of these laws we have now were “cut and paste” from the colonial era.
Some laws are even exploitative in nature to PNG as they are in favour of foreign investors and caused a lot of damage to the environment and at the expense of the State.
Dr Vinit is right when he said that we must support landowners because our culture, livelihood and environment will change.
This is a fact because foreign investors come to PNG, exploit our natural resources and become rich while the landowners get little or nothing and suffer as a result of mining activities.
We should emulate countries like Malaysia.
Just like us, it was colonised by white men but it has made the local language the main language.
Except for English subject, the rest are taught in the local language from elementary grade.
We are 34 – when are we going enact laws that are 100% homegrown and in true PNG context?
The North Fly MP is a true nationalist.
We are behind you.

Landowner
Star Mountains, Western province