From The National via Islands Business

Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) secretary Dr Eric Kwa says Papua New Guinea will have to adopt a more-positive attitude and shrug off the inferiority complex if the country is to move forward.

Kwa, Papua New Guinea’s foremost legal expert who is spearheading the review into the Organic Law on provincial government and local level governments, said nothing would happen without positivity and faith in public servants as service deliverers.

He said after addressing provincial administrators and other stakeholders on the second day of the two-day inquiry last week, that the way to go was “let’s believe in our own people, let’s trust our own people”.

“Let’s believe in ourselves so we can deliver on the outcome of this particular review,” Kwa said.

“If we begin from that perspective, we begin to work from that premises, I think things will work out nicely for Papua New Guinea. ‘I’m sick and tired of people battering Papua New Guineans with negativity: they are corrupt, they steal, they are incompetent, they don’t do things properly. “This mindset has to change".

“This is our country, this is our place, we’re going to be here,so let’s believe in ourselves".

“Change the mindset and change the approach. “And let’s begin to think positively to do things positively for our people.”

Kwa said to do otherwise would be self-defeating.

“I’m suggesting that in this current review, for future laws and future policies, we must have confidence in the people,” he said.

“If we have to deliver certain amounts of money to the district, let’s deliver it and let’s believe in our people to deliver on the outcomes" 

“If we’re going to give certain power to district administrators and provincial administrators, let’s give it. Let’s not hold back certain elements: ‘you do some parts, some parts I will do in Port Moresby’. “You are already defeating the whole purpose of the law.”.