Overseas students-another generation following the past do nothings, not protecting PNG democracy? -- Milne Bay Souls and Lovers

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Date Posted: 13:13:21 07/23/01 Mon
Author: Dip
Subject: Overseas students-another generation following the past do nothings, not protecting PNG democracy?

Friends,

The following posting was put on Wantoks Forum and it could well be relevant to some of the overseas students who frequent this forum. My response is after some of us watched over the last week or so the amazing lack of concern from overseas students concerning the recent events in Port Moresby.

DIP

What a remarkable response from our elite students overseas some of us have read on this forum. I have just read one response from a student addressed at someone who has posted something without a name. But God bless him, he or she has at least posted words of concern at the tragedy with our university students. Our overseas student finger pointer hasn't even done that - and then has the nerve to complain at the other person. Remarkable, the logic defies me and maybe this student can explain to me why it absolves him of responsibility to worry about what others have or have not done.

It is also remarkable how our overseas students have learned so little about life in their overseas studies. They haven't yet learned that the dictators and humbug PNG leaders of the future can witness the mumble jumbly, do nothing, pointy fingers and lame brained reaction of the cream of the crop as it is occurring right now. They can rest secure that when they climb onto the seat of power, they too can do what they will without fear of punishment or even substantitve criticism. The corrupt leaders of the future, maybe some of you among them, can see all too clearly that the national elite, the students we send overseas to become the leaders of tomorrow are already tragically expressing themselves as the "it's not my business" kind of do nothings that we have already spent money on during the last 25 years.

Most remarkable is the fact that even though many of us associated with government somehow, whether domestically or abroad, react with horrow at the precedence this action of the student killings sets, for our freedom of speech and our overall health as a democracy, our overseas students seem intent on not paying a toea of psychological or volunteerism tax to their nation. They are worried so much of what others are doing, they have no time to speak out themselves. They cannot even take solidarity in the fact that they exist as groups of students, sometimes student organisations, who could speak collectively as a group. That lets all of you off the hook individually in speaking out. But you won't even do that. You cannot even organise, and those groups of overseas students who cannot even organise to issue a public statement of concern are poor, poor nutrition for our country's future as a democracy. If you cannot even come of one mind and one biro to issue a public statement as student groups that you are concerned about the central point here. The central point is not whether or not the UPNG students were all well informed or well committed or whatever little red herrings and details you want to throw in front of the central point happen to be. The central point is not whether or not the students threw stones or didn't throw stones at the police because whether they did or they didn't the central point remains the sam. I notice that you overseas students seem to have received a brilliant education in coming up with dozens of reasons, excuses and escapist statements on why you should say little and do nothing to express your displeasure at the tragic events in Port Moresby.

The central point that remains whatever the answers happen to be to those various details, cuts straight to the core of our democracy. The central point is tht the Mekere Morauta government for whatever reasons going on behind the scenes, and joining along with the PNG Royal Constabulary, are obstructing the pursuit of justice. In some ways, they are behaving just like you overseas students when it comes to facing the music and doing something constructive for our young democracy. Of course that makes sense, since many of them were overseas students themselves at one time. They join you in their effectiveness at stonewalling, forgetting, being full of excuses, trying to ignore, and most certainly not willing to bite the bullet and carry out an unbiased and thorough public investigation into this incident. They are even less committed further down the line to reporting the facts formally, and punishing those responsible for violating policy and procedure, if not the sacred laws of our land.

The difference between you and them in following the same strategies is that their failure to act responsibly will damage our democracy far faster than your own mumbledyjumblety excuses and inability to speak with concern as a group. That's the only difference, one of scale and of time.

Remarkable indeed that you overseas students seem totally unable to come together even as small groups within individual universities. You seem totally unable to even come up with a public resolution in the context of an independence day meeting. Rugby and volleyball games, drinking parties and dances, I'm sure you will receive a Distinction in organising those activities at your meetings. But being able to construct a two or three paragraph statement of concern, being able to issue something publically and forcefully that the Morauta government must do nothing more than take the investigatory steps that are normal parts of democracy and serving justice? God help us, those leadership abilities seem way beyond your capabilities and interests. Never again think that you are any more prepared, any more concerned, or any more effective than all of us papas and mamas before you, many of us who by default rather than design, have let our country down. But you, the fresh new generation, you show yourselves to be no ifferent.

You, the young educated elite who our people back home have assumed to be taking the lead in straightening our country out, are showing themselves not to be leaders at all. You're nothing more than the next of a continuing series of generations who are content to let yourselves be ruled and cheated out of your future inheritance by MP, PM, and departmental head parasitic bodies who will continue to be able to do exactly as they please with "zero standing up and be counted" reaction from people like yourselves. What fun they will have, further diminishing your children's future options and the wealth of our land. They can do so with impunity because you, the future leaders we all depend upon, will act precisely as you are doing now. Pointing fingers, giving excuses, and at the end of the day, paying not much tax at all in contribution to your democracy. No one is asking you to die or your country, as so many students and others, in other countries have willingly done, and who your own ancestors so willingly did. You are asked to do far far less, but when asked, you reply that it is far too much.

Don't waste your breath giving me those same excuses as you have given to others who implore you to stand up and be counted. I've already read them all.

If you are doing things behind the scenes that you cannot talk about here, this will be apparent in what you can say on forums such as this. If you cannot even stand up anonymously on a forum such as this, it is very clear that you are doing nothing at all in the background.

If by some miracle my sense of who you all are and what you have become is wrong, there are many ways you can state what you believe in and contribute your small tax to protecting our democracy without sacrificing one drop of your precious blood. Be aware and accomodating of the fact that the newspapers are purposely not publishing letters that relate to the student violence. The Independence might be a partial exception. Your voice will be heard only if you issue a public statement, that the newspapers will probably run. If they won't, don't add that to your giant bilum full of excuses. Start putting your statements on this forum and on any other forum of relevance. Set up a web page that states your concerns.

What are your concerns about our democracy, overseas students of our country? What are your concerns about the government stonewalling an investigation, that much should be clear just from reading the newspapers? What are your concerns about students who have no guns being shot on campus by police armed with tear gas but deciding to use more lethal weapons instead? Good God, maybe you have no concern over this at all and if that's the fact, carry on as before. For those of us who can watch in on your activities the amount of respect for do nothings who bask in the praise that they are leaders of the future, cannot be very high can it. Some in the diplomatic core who are caring people and do what they can behind the scenes look at you with disdain. That reaction is clearly deserved considering your prize winning abilities to point fingers and passing the buck to everyone else but yourselves.

Don't waste your time replying to me. Spend your time focusing on the big issue and speaking out, anonymously or otherwise about that.

DIP

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Overseas students-another generation following the past do nothings, not protecting PNG democracy? -- Mai feleni, 01:56:28 09/29/01 Sat