Election success hailed as firm show of democracy
Port Moresby: The recent general election was challenging but clearly demonstrated the strength of our democracy, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says.
He said during the flag-raising ceremony early on Saturday morning to mark the 42nd anniversary of independence the people continued to share “our freedom of speech, our freedom of assembly, our freedom to agree and our freedom to disagree”.
“While there have been some unfortunate incidences during the elections, mostly it has been the most peaceful one in recent decades,” Mr O’Neill said. “Our people have delivered their votes (and) our government has been formed.” Hundreds of Port Moresby residents wearing PNG colours gathered as early as 4am to witness the ceremony.
One minute of silence was observed in memory of the late Susan Karike who designed the national flag.
Mr O’Neill urged the people to contribute to national development. “The opportunities for our country are great but there is a lot of work ahead for each of us to reach our full potential,” Mr O’Neill said.
“Our Government will continue to empower the provinces and the districts so that they can make more decisions at the local level. At the same time, we must continue to strengthen our national institutions so that we may continue to deliver better services to our people.
“We will continue to maintain focus in representing the interest of our people, our business communities, and our economy. “There is no room for us to be complacent. Our Government continues to work hard, to prepare for the worst.
“At the same time, continue to work with the international community in meeting these challenges.”
Meanwhile, the lowering of the Australian flag 42 years ago defined the moment of truth, freedom and democracy that came with responsibility, Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae says.
He told a crowd at the Sir Ignatius Stadium in Lae to celebrate Independence Day that the greatest challenge for the nation was reorganising our diversity against the backdrop of various tribal and ethnic groupings and the customary land rights. “Despite many obstacles, our founding fathers, led by Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, were courageous to pursue self determination that resulted in selfgovernment and eventually independence in 1975,” he said. “We are indebted to them for their foresight in writing the first chapter of freedom in PNG’s modern history.
“As we celebrate, we pay tribute to those who walked ahead of us to set the path for independence 42 years ago.”
Sir Bob said what the colonial administration thought was a dream became a reality as the late Sir John Guise announced to the people that PNG was independent.