When the nation is in peril we must act with our conscience

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo 

When the nation is in peril conscience must speak up. During such a turbulent time men of reasons must put aside their wits and draw courage from their conscience. It is the only means by which we can pass through this storm. For those in authority it is also a time for reflection, a time for soul searching to take a stand for what is morally and ethically right. This is the time when ordinary men become extraordinary figures in history. It all starts with calling evil by its name and driving it out of our existence using our will power.    

If there are members of the public who are not yet convinced by the damage done to the country I am afraid it could be too late for them to wake up to realize it. What has been circulating on the media (especially social media) if true should send shivers down our spines because by the time we do; we could be a country on life support or have gone to hell and is on the way back. The government if seriously concern about the welfare of this country should come out and open up about the problems that we are in. By keeping everything under the rug and trying to portray a positive image will only create doubts and confusion in the minds of the people. The anxiety and uncertainty that cloud much of last week was a welcome thing mainly because it arouse this awareness in the public’s mind about what is at stake. Too often we have taken such issues for granted even if they concern our nation’s well-being. It is time we create a society that is fully conscious about the impacts of the decision made by our political leaders on their lives. An ignorant populous has been the scapegoat for furthering political interest of certain individuals, groups and entities at the expense of the nation’s prosperity. This has to stop for the sake of our democracy and the rule of law.  

The UPNG led protest and the civil disobedience campaign orchestrated by the civil society begs a very important question in how we should fight corruption in this country. Should we just talk about it or maybe crawl or walk for some distance and hope that things will turn out the way we hope for or should we take the bull by the horn and bring its rampage to a complete stop. Though these activities have yet to bring to pass its desired outcome it is quickly instilling a sense of accountability in the minds of the public office bearers that PNG is not going to go down the road of “bankruptcy” or “destruction” without a fight. Its continuation is sure to generate a much wider response from the general population throughout the country. All this bode well for a very important 2017 General Election. History has shown that the public do respond emphatically to bring down a “bad” government for its actions. The demise of the PDM Party is an example. The PM knows that he is walking on a tight rope. Putting the court’s verdict aside his hold on the power will be fully tested in the general elections. I suspect there are MPs who have already decided that 2017 election would be the D-Day. As awareness campaign on the current crisis hits the ground they will face a very hostile environment. From this perspective what they do during this critical time leading up to the general election will determine their election prospects as well.

 

Certainly the revelation of key information over the last few weeks concerning the current state of affairs in our nation is beginning to paint a very depressing picture of the country both economically and politically. As the protest against the PM progresses chances are that the PM will have to re-evaluate his stance against the UPNG petition calling him to step down and face the law. The more defensive he becomes the more likely fuel will be added to the fire. What we could be witnessing is a “public persecution” campaign against the PM by the public as is the case with UPNG, UNITECH AND UOG students now crisscrossing the country to make awareness about the issues they are standing up for. Good luck with the court holding every protesting Papua New Guineans for contempt charges.

Like every Papua New Guineans I wish to remain adamant and not pessimistic about the future of our country. If there is one thing I learn from history is that our country and its people are very resilient. Our people have suffered often mercilessly at the hands of our own government’s ignorance of their plight. Yet they get on with their lives knowing that as long as they have their land or something to “put food on the table” the future looks promising for their children. You only have to venture into one of the settlements in Port Moresby or Lae for that matter to see what I am referring to. Out in the districts the challenges are even more insurmountable. Yet as the political snowball takes on new twists and turns I am wondering how long can our people resort to their resilience to overcome this monumental challenge that is before us all. I sense that somewhere down the line as the nation heads towards a perilous future the people of this country must act with their God-given conscience to save it from destruction.