People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
That saying keeps coming to mind as I read some of the commentary following PNG’s 51st Independence celebrations.
There has been a lot of criticism. And, to be fair, there is plenty to criticise.
After 51 years of Independence, we still see corruption, poor services, violence, inequality, political divisions, and communities and villages struggling with issues that many of us hoped would have changed by now.
Social media has given us all a platform to say what we think. And in this day and age, there are plenty of keyboard warriors ready to point out what is wrong.
I have to put my hand up here too. 😅
But then I started wondering about the stones.
Writing about PNG from Australia can easily come across as someone sitting on the outside looking in. And there is some truth in that.
I have lived in Australia for 15 years now. I don’t experience everyday life in PNG in the same way I once did.
But PNG was home for most of my life. I grew up there. It shaped me — my values, my culture, my understanding of community and my sense of who I am.
So when I reflect on PNG, I do so with both love and distance.
And distance can be interesting.
It gives you perspective, but it can also make you forget that you are only seeing part of the picture.
Hence, I’m thinking beyond the usual question of:
“Where are we after 51 years?”
And reflecting on another:
“What am I — and what are we as Papua New Guineans — each contributing to the country and communities we care about?”
It’s so easy to point towards politicians and governments because their decisions have enormous consequences. Holding leaders accountable is important.
But nation-building is not only something that happens in Parliament.
Nation-building starts in our homes and extends into our families, villages, schools, workplaces, churches and communities. It happens when someone mentors a young person, starts a business, volunteers their time, preserves a language, teaches a child where they come from, or simply chooses to act with integrity when nobody is watching.
Those of us living overseas are not exempt from that conversation either.
We may no longer live in PNG, but we still have a role to play through the families we have back home, our community connections, knowledge, resources and opportunities that can be used in ways that benefit others.
Living abroad doesn’t mean we should stop speaking about what is wrong.
Sometimes speaking up is necessary.
But there is a difference between speaking up because we care and throwing stones because we are frustrated.
One leaves room for reflection.
The other can leave us standing in the same broken glass.
So as I reflect upon 51 years of Independence, I’m choosing to celebrate what is good while still acknowledging what isn’t.
I’m choosing to ask fewer questions about who is going to fix PNG and a little more about what I can do with what has been placed in my hands.
My contribution may be small.
Yours may be too.
But that is how change begins — not with all of us waiting for someone else to do something, but with each of us doing what we can, where we are.
This is the reflection I want to carry from 51 years of Independence.
Not simply, “Look how far we’ve come.”
Not simply, “Look how far we still have to go.”
But:
“What will I do with the part that is mine?”
May we never become so discouraged by what is wrong that we stop believing we can be part of what makes it better.
May we continue to love our country enough to celebrate it, question it and contribute to it — wherever in the world we may be.
Happy 51st Independence, Papua New Guinea. 🇵🇬❤️
