Rise up, take charge of your country

PAPUA New Guinea is renowned for its unpredictability.
It is known as the land of the unexpected with diverse ethnic cultures and traditions with approximately 800 different languages spoken from the coast to the highlands since prehistoric times.
Having gained independence 45 years ago, its population has soared from as low as three million to eight million people with unprecedented changes throughout the country, let alone major developments congested in the metropolitan towns and cities such as Lae, Madang, Mt Hagen and Port Moresby.
With its development came sweeping changes, especially in the socio-economic aspects, which lifted a greater chunk of its people from predominantly subsistence farming to commercial farming.
Many indigenous citizens are now living in its metropolitan towns and cities.
Its demography has changed with intermarriages between indigenous tribes from the coast to the highlands unlike before.
Australian, Asian, African, American, European and even Latinos are in the mix.
This class have been born in PNG and regard themselves as PNG citizens, let alone automatic citizens by birth.
The other category of PNG citizens are immigrants escaping war, famine and plagues with different values and religious backgrounds from Australian, Asian, African, American, European and Latino descent who come to PNG having aspirations of living and working in the country and eventually becoming PNG citizens.
These immigrants own 60 per cent of the wealth of the country and are into all aspects of business in PNG whereas the indigenous citizens own the remaining 40 per cent of businesses in PNG.
They are gradually dominating the political arena and are well respected leaders of parliament.
As indigenous people of PNG, the onus is on every individual to make the most of our land to at least venture into businesses and other income-generating activities in farming, trade stores and other activities. They are here to stay and we cannot be slaves in our own land.
We have to be counted in every income-generating opportunities handed by the Government to us.
The irony is that in the not-too-distant future, PNG will no longer be predominantly dominated by its indigenous people but will be a land of immigrants, irrespective of whether or not it is accepted.
This world is evolving and the world population is increasing and the world will have to cater for its people irrespective of race, colour, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.
By then it would be a new normal to see abaya and burkas be worn in public, even by indigenous Papua New Guineans.
Australia, England and the United States of America are now countries of immigrants and it is inevitable that PNG will follow suit.
Unless we, the indigenous people of this great land, realise this gradual demographic change and change our attitudes to compete for business and income-earning opportunities and political dominance, we will be left behind.
When that happens, it will be a sad day for us.
As the saying goes, ‘beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’.
Indeed, PNG will be a multicultural country sooner than we think.

Beholder
Papua New Guinean