OUR country is at the brink of collapse when people’s rights are taken away at polling sites.
Our country is at the brink of collapse when women are not regarded as equal as men and given a chance to excel in businesses, to be in parliament or promoted to top executive positions of government departments.
Our country is at the brink of collapse when ethnicity takes the frontline of everyone that they forget about being united as one nation under a symbolic flag that Susan Karike designed.
Our country is at the brink of collapse when the movement of women and girls these days is not safe and remains dangerous.
Our country is at the brink of collapse when the legislature fails to seek views of Papua New Guineans and pass bills in parliament without debate.
Democracy can mean freedom and equality.
One of the famous PNG academics admitted that Australia should have educated 50 per cent of the population of Papua New Guinea before granting it independence.
If it had then democracy would have worked.
The literacy rate in PNG is so poor that people don’t understand potential candidates during elections.
They choose ethnicity over quality.
Hence, education is critical for healthy democracy.
People still do not understand corruption because it is attached to our culture.
Wantok system is a cultural term and a tradition.
When your tribesmen contests, you vote for him even though he has allegations or is a convicted criminal.
People are not educated enough to exercise democracy.
People are not educated enough to vote a honest and intelligent person.
I want someone who is not self-centered and will always put people first.
I want someone who is clean and intelligent.
When I vote for him, he will respond to my demand.
He will make people’s basic needs a priority and that’s how development flourishes.
People need to be educated enough to understand the quality of leaders.
Educated enough to let women and young adults vote without threats and intimidation.
Educated enough to maintain equality for women and girls.
The message behind this is freedom and equality.
It doesn’t mean that you attain a PhD or master’s degree at Harvard or Cambridge.
What I’m basically saying is to understand corruption at all levels.
Education has an answer to exercising democracy.
I’m concerned that our democracy is collapsing.
Justin Max
Kerendah Village
