Papa Sam on never-ending journey

By ALPHONSE BARIASI
THIRTEEN-year-old home scholar Bernice Sialis was the youngest of 37 participants who graduated last Friday after some “mind conditioning” by the Human Development Institute in Port Moresby.
The Personal Viability (PV) level on course conducted by the founder of the Human Development Institute, Samuel Tam, as usual, was well-received by the group. From the few personal testimonies shared at the graduation, it was obvious that this kind of education was critical for Papua New Guineans to become successful in managing themselves and even getting the best out of the country’s abundant resources.
The basic PV training set the participants in the right frame of mind to pursue the next six levels of the training ultimately aimed at turning out successful business operators and owners.
Young Bernice’s parents, Reay and Florence had opted to educate her themselves and were delighted to register themselves and their daughter for the training which ran from Sept 24 to Oct 4.
Says dad Reay, the kind of schooling they’re giving Bernice binds in well with what the HDI is offering through its PV and business class education system.
Along with the Sialis family, there were a husband-and-wife team from Goroka who run a successful transport business and other participants who came from West Sepik, New Ireland, Manu, Bougainville, National Capital District and Central
Tam told the graduating group that like he had discovered in the past 22 years of spreading the Personal Viability gospel, what people in the country desperately lacked was lateral thinking and basic business-minded thinking including business mathematics to become successful in entrepreneurship.
“If you make up your mind to do something, start now with what you have rather than waiting. By doing that you’re telling your neck-top computer it’s going to happen!” he said.
“Your momentum and positive energy will draw anything -resources and people – to you. That is faith in action.”
During the course participants were introduced to: Discovering what personal viability is; differentiating between education that produces highly educated consumers versus PV education directed at developing rich mindsets, taking responsibility for one’s actions; self-determination; self-destiny; possessing high degree of integrity; discovering inherent personal and spiritual powers; adding value to family members, employers, employees; increasing family wealth through individual and family enterprises; the law of success discipline; the art of mastermind organisation; and business planning.
Participants were unanimous during group discussions, presentations and end-of-course testimonials that the PV training course by the HDI should be given equal importance to ensure economic benefits for Papua New Guineans taking such courses. This is because the training courses offered by HDI are clearly targeted, deal specifically to help Papua New Guineans to use their inherent powers, abilities and resources already available to families and communities and the country to convert them into assets and wealth.
The participants said such an approach required close dialogue among the departments of Education and National Planning and Monitoring to take necessary steps to support the initiative.
A structured roll-out of such valuable and specialised business training throughout the country is critical for Papua New Guineans to be self-reliant, the participants proposed. This approach is also important in the medium to long term to empower people to become SME owners.
The course participants thanked Tam for his unselfish and tireless efforts to provide this unique and valuable business training for Papua New Guineans of all walks for life to develop this rich business mindset that enhances families and communities to prosper.

Four Cs – Certificate, Commencement, Commitment, Celebration
President of the PNG Floriculture Association, Thoa Willie, who was the guest of honour at the graduation, urged the participants to put to use their new-found knowledge and inspiration. “Today, I want to talk about four ‘Cs’ – certificate, commencement, commitment and celebration.”
She said the Certificate they received should always remind them of the valuable knowledge they have acquired. With that newly-acquired knowledge they should then Commence (a small business) immediately, remain Committed to it, especially in trying and difficulty moments. Only then would Celebration (of rewards, achievement, success and profit) follow.

A life committed to educating Papua New Guineans
The PV education system was launched at the Sione Kami Memorial Church in Port Moresby 22 years ago. Tam acknowledges former United Church Moderator Rev Samson Lowa and the late missionary Rev Sione Kami for the birth and spread of the PV education system.
Like a missionary himself, Tam has carried the PV gospel to the main urban centres and remote parts of the country, including Guava in Panguna before the Bougainville Peace Agreement was signed.
From the beginning it was the churches who most vigourously promoted PV training and Tam recalls a time in Wewak when he was doing training and driving around with nuns people mistook him for a priest and addressed him as ‘pater’.
He also recalls being confronted by BRA rebels at Tinputs in Bougainville who demanded to know what he was doing in their turf.
He simply told them that he was running a school, the kind which they needed.
Word soon reached Francis Ona who invited Tam to Guava to conduct the first PV training there which was attended by rebels with guns slung over their shoulders as they sat in class. Ona decided that PV education was what Bougainville needed.
PV training and the HDI are life-time commitments of Tam. His greatest joy is in enabling Papua New Guineans discover their potential to be self-reliant and successful in business and life.
It is a life journey that begins afresh with each batch he trains and graduates.