We need good leaders in govt and opposition

TODAY’S mem­bers of parliament lack courage and leadership.
Different news media organisations re­port that certain leaders are pledging their support to certain individuals in the formation of the next government.
The people may be convinced and comforted by the sweet words of our leaders who will claim that they only want a united and peaceful government.
For nine months prior to the ge­neral election, we had a government led by Peter O’Neill and Belden Namah.
With the numbers on their side, they did everything they possibly could to remain  in power.
Their actions created tensions and hurt our democracy as well as our Constitution.
These were simply the symptoms of unreliable, weak and impotent  leaders.
The situation was not helped by the fact that we had a weak opposition because not many MPs turned up for the parliamentary sittings.
We have MPs on the government side which is three or four times bigger than the opposition.
Senior ministers, including the prime minister, know that even if some of  their own MPs were to de­fect, they still have the numbers.
As  we are seeing now,  leaders and MPs are one by one pledging their allegiance to O’Neill, who is the leader of PNC Party leader as well as the caretaker prime minister.
This proves that some of these leaders, who had formed their own parties in the hope of unseating O’Neill are not true leaders who live by their word.
They are simply followers who cannot see what is ahead.
They will only move if a leader moves.
Their movement  (or decision) is only driven by what they see before them.
This shows them to be leaders who lead with their eyes – they have no vision or ideas on how to achieve a goal.
Do we want leaders with such attitude and behaviour?
We need strong and determined leaders who are prepared to be in the opposition to ensure that the government operates within the pe­rimeters of democracy and rule of law  in the interest of the people and the country.
 
Anti-Bias
Port Moresby