This is the shortened version of the story of an average young Papua Niuginean adult and the difficulty in choosing to do what is moral, good, just, right *na stretpla pasin.

 

Knowing what is right, doing what is right and choosing to do what is right. You know what is right and you want to do what is right but you find that you don’t have the luxury to choose what is right. Especially if you want to make sure there is at least 2 meals a day for your house of 9 (and up to fifteen), that the rent is on time, the water bill and the Easipay is paid for plus you have enough bus fare to last your  fortnight.

Angered that the second youngest member of my household (a ten year old) had been hiding and watching this MAO movie, I turned off the TV and told the ten year old to go to bed, when someone said “It’s not that bad, it’s not sexually explicit!” I could hardly contain my temper! “It’s not the violence I have an issue with – it’s the over simplification of good and evil!” I yelled. This just ended up in tears for the 10 year old and resentment from the young adults/teens for disturbing their movie.

 

You see we all know what is good, what is just from what is wrong and corrupt. We know that if money that is budgeted for fixing roads, hospitals or organization goes to a company that doesn’t have the expertise or the equipment but is somehow going to benefit the person executing the contract – that’s clearly wrong. We know that when a bank teller skims off a toea or two when depositing money into an illiterate clients account – that is wrong. Husband’s bashing their wife. Teachers and religious leaders taking advantage of their respected and trusted position in society. Police drunk and acting uncouth and going on bashing and raping expeditions. Those are all clearly wrong.

 

But what happens when it comes to subtle things, the ‘liklik samtings’, like cutting the line in the bank. Keeping the extra change that the mama at the buai market gave you because she isn’t competent with maths. What about arguing about the bus fare when the price of petrol is expensive and bus owners aren’t very fair to bus drivers? They may be minute but these things are wrong as well.

 

It is difficult when you are told to do something that you're intelligent enough to work out is wrong but it will keep your family of nine (to fifteen) fed, your kids in school, your water bill and rent paid plus pay for those medicines for your aging parent.  

 

The nascent lawyer that knows the client they’re representing is guilty, the fresh surveyor knowing that the site they're are mapping has been obtained illegally, the new public relations officer knowing that they’re daily covering up the lies with the over exaggerated ‘facts’, the budding journalist being too lazy to dig further and too shallow to read between the lines. These are the circumstances that misdirect and misconstrue the truth and are being faced by many young educated Papua Niugineans more and more.

 

The multinational corporations, the mineral extraction companies, the hazy law firms – the outside influence that tells us that as a people - Papua Niugineans are not intelligent, competent or sophisticated enough to make our own decisions, run our own economy and develop our nation. They seem to be winning the battle because choosing to do right is more made more difficult everyday.  Young Papua Niugineans are choosing to do what is more beneficial to their family. Such is our mentality that if it will benefit the family even at the cost of my conscience I will do it. 

 

It is tragic that the very people that can guide and influence this generation to choose the honourable thing to do are either judging, feeling threatened or taking care of their own to pay attention to them. You see the reason why I can see myself selling out and working under these these self serving and parasitic alien organizations is that they have mastered the art of making things look easier, better and more importantly making things look right!

 

If those that have the influence, authority and freedom to make the battles easier don't do something to make the battle grounds more even, we stand in danger of losing the whole war to the monster logging, mining, fishing and manufacturing foreign corporations! We must make the truth and what is moral, noble and what is *gutpla pasin be attractive again. Most importantly we must make picking the side of 'good' easier so that people like me won't choose Diana Tuna and Roots Rice over our moral conscience.

 

*na stretpla pasin =  and the right/just/correct way to do things

*liklik samtings = small things

*gutpla pasin = doing good