President encourages new MPs to lead by example

Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) President Dr John Momis has congratulated three new members elected to the Bougainville House of Representatives.
They are Taunita MP-elect Teop Albert Toro, Halia MP Gordon Batek and Kongara MP Steven Topesi.
All of them won the seats after by-elections.
Momis said: “As leaders you have been chosen to lead and lead you must. Your leadership must be exemplified through your actions:
“That must inculcate moral and ethical values and principles of social justice.
“You must be humble and willing to serve.
“You must have empathy to understand your people, you must have integrity to lead your people and finally you must be courageous to stand up for their rights.”
“Your leadership must also be in respect to the guiding principles of democracy. Be reminded that in a democracy, the just powers of government are based upon the consent of the governed.”
Momis reminded the MPs-elect that their new role was “that of a legislator, a law maker in the highest governing body on Bougainville now obligated to serve your people and not to aggrandise yourselves”.
“Your election to the Bougainville House of Representatives comes at a very crucial and definitive period in Bougainville’s history,” he said.
“We are in fact creating history in itself.
“It is imperative that we present a unified front as we approach the Referendum which will take place in no less than eight months.
“Unity is our strongest bargaining power so there must be solidarity in the Bougainville leadership, there must be solidarity among the bureaucracy and there must be solidarity among our people.”