WRONG AND RIGHT LEADERS IN PNG: A DANGEROUS MISCONCEPTION

by LUCAS KIAP

IN PNG it’s becoming acceptable to have corrupt politicians robbing the people in broad day light because the people blame themselves for electing them at the first place - they blame themselves for electing the wrong and not the right politicians.

The perception of most people in Papua New Guinea is that to see development (or basic services), everyone should vote for “right leaders” and not “wrong leaders”.

When the MP failed to deliver basic services and disappear in Port Moresby, the people starting blaming themselves as responsible for electing the wrong leaders.
The question is - what do we actually mean when we say, vote for the right leaders who will bring basic government services"

People have the right to basic government services regardless of whoever is get elected to the parliament? Are we trying to portray that in Papua New Guinea we have two categories of leaders – right and wrong leaders?

The right leaders will bring services or development and the wrong leaders will bring disaster or something worse to the people. Is this what we really mean when we say, elect the right leaders?
Perhaps, this explains the absence or lack of services and development in the country – we must have been electing wrong leaders to run the country since independence. The wrong leaders could be responsible for the disappearance of billions reportedly stolen under their watch every year.

The notion of wrong and right leaders is a serious misconception because there is no such thing as wrong or right leader in the world except dictators and corrupt leaders. Every leader elected by the people is to serve the people and that is why we have elected leaders serving people in the government.

But in Papua New Guinea it seems we have some leaders we called them wrong leaders and there are some leaders we called them right leaders. The wrong leaders can steal public funds and remain blameless. The right leaders are those who at least bring some form of basic government services.
This misconception of leadership classification has deprived people of basic goods and services as the lack of it, people often blame themselves for electing the wrong leaders. The elected leaders on the other hand, feeding on this misconception have been escaping responsibility by also blaming the people for electing the wrong leaders.

However, if the people are willing to suffer more by blaming themselves for electing the wrong leaders, and if the elected leaders prefer to continue to mislead the people by blaming them for electing the wrong leaders, then how do we make sure that we elect the right leaders or what is the guarantee that every leader we elect is the right leader?

Also, the people should know that every year the government allocates development funds in the budget for every electorate and every province, regardless of whether the people elected the wrong leaders or the right leaders or the leaders elected are in the government or in the opposition; the people have the right to get basic services. That is the people’s money. Not the politician’s money.
The question now is – do we continue to let our elected leaders exploit our wrong perception and ignorance about leadership while we blame ourselves for electing them, or do we blame them for stealing public funds meant for basic services and development?

For me letting the wrong leaders exploit our ignorance and living in luxury while we continue to toil the land with sweat every day for survival is injustice - denying ourselves opportunities to a better and equal life like those wrong leaders.

Those wrong leaders should be investigated, prosecuted and put behind bars, not letting them run free and robbing and making people suffer even more year-in-year-out.