Our people should be first priority for leaders

 THE leaders of this nation should learn some important lessons from the Bougainville crisis. 

The people were our brothers and sisters before the crisis and still are now. 

Before the crisis, Bougainville copper mine was the major revenue provider for the country.

The PNG kina was equivalent to the Australian dollar, economically our country was growing stronger and stronger.

Then the Bougainville crisis erupted and the copper mine was shut down, the PNG economy plunged and PNG was predicted by our neighbours as a failed state, but that was not so.

Today, with so many mines, the economy is picking up rapidly, soon PNG will be a rich nation. 

There are some prominent leaders from the government who are vocal about the West Papua issue, yes they are our Melanesian brothers but let the UN deal with that, you have nothing to defend your people and the economy, we do not want a repeat of the crisis. 

The people of PNG are important, consider their safety and well-being. 

Kumul Citizen

Port Moresby