There is a new power in Papua New Guinea that if awakened CAN change the direction of our country. That power is ourselves, the new middle class of educated people.

There are two keys to awakening our consciousness and allowing us to realize our potential.

One is connecting each of us with like minded people - and that is the role of ACT NOW!

The second is not allowing ourselves to be blinded by cynicism.

Now is exactly the time that we need thousands of people to make their voice heard and their actions count - and to stay involved for the long term.

To do this we must not fall into political demoralization, paralysis or dispair in the belief that we cannot make change happen.

Together we can create a better future for our nation through what Nelson Mandela called "the multiplication of courage" - but to do this we need to get past the cynical resignation that assumes change is impossible.

If you believe in change you are not a naive fool - although those who are currently corruptly abusing their power would love to convince you otherwise.

Remember though cynicism was not always so disempowering. The first Cynics were ancient Greek philosophers who denounced the established culture of the time. Back then to be a Cynic was to stand up for your convictions.

People in all walks of life and all over PNG are hungry for something better - and joining together under the banner of ACT NOW! offers the opportunity to seize a future that is better than today.

Corporations, and our politicians who blindly follow their lead, profoundly infect our public discourse. But if we decide we are powerless our passivity will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But standing up and making your voice heard, believing in change and fighting to make it happen does come with a price. "If we convince ourselves that little can change then we don't have to risk acting on our dreams" wrote Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen. "If we never fight for what we believe in we will never be disappointed".

Times are bad, we all know that - but further bad times are not inevitable. Institutional arrogance and greed is damaging lives, communities and our natural environment - but that means it is critical that we hold powerful institutions and political leaders to account.

It may feel a little absurd to suggest that together we can change history, but that is exactly what others have managed to do throughout time and all around the world. We owe it to our children and their children to try to do the same right here and right now.

ACT NOW! and let us give our dreams a chance to flourish and lets take back our nation from the wicked and corrupt who are abusing our trust and stealing our children's future.