This Press Freedom Day and We salute Laptop Activists

 

We salute you for your courage

  You are doing a great thing by

showing the government the people have a voice – that O’Neill and the whole
Parliament have forgotten that they are accountable to us.

But we also ask you, what are you marching for? The deferrals of the

elections, perhaps, or the Judicial Conduct Act, or the other
unconstitutional actions by Parliament in past weeks.

These things are deplorable, and you are right to stand against the

government on them. They cannot go unchallenged. But they are only symptoms of a deeper, darker problem.

There is a deeper abuse of the Constitution going on, and it is not

related to any particular government or politicians. It has been happening
for years, and it will happen again after this next election, whenever it
takes place.

I’m talking about the abuse of the deepest principles of the

Constitution, the National Goals and Directive Principles. In essence,
these say that our country should be ruled by our values, and our ways.

Your country is not currently ruled by your values. They are ruled by

the law of economic growth, big industry and foreign corporations. We argue
this is why the system has become so corrupted, allowing government’s like
O’Neill to do the things most Papua New Guineans are against.

Think of the millions of women and men throughout PNG who won’t be

speaking out because they live in remote areas. The election deferrals
mean little to them. They know that the result will be the same, whether
elections are held now or in six months time – another government will be
elected who utterly neglects them, just like the last one. Their children
will continue to die due to a lack of access to medical services, something
that could be easily fixed if this or any other past or future government
puts people before profits.

Until we create a political structure that truly reflects our

traditional ways, we will continue to have leaders like O’Neill, like
Somare. We will continue to have a Parliament that passes laws that stifle
the judiciary and abuse electoral rules.

So when you march today, remember this is the beginning of a longer

journey. You may well win the battle, to have the elections on time or the
judiciary act repealed: and that will be a wonderful victory for PNG. But
then we have to win the war – to take back PNG for its people. Based on
values that serve us, not them.

Finally – stay peaceful tomorrow. Don’t give them any grounds to say we

are violent and unreasonable. The only strength we need comes from numbers,
and we have them – 7 million of them.