Each citizen is responsible in building this nation. Papua New Guineans know from experience that the current Government, and previous regimes, could not solve all the problems. Like their predecessors, the current Government vowed to strengthen our democracy and restore the trust of citizens in government and its institutions.  Papua New Guinea’s independence is about the people. These 44 years of continuity should inspire you to reflect on your strength as a citizen, so that you can live the values that were first put forward in 1975. Since our inception in 1997, Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) has existed for exactly half as long as the country. Over those years, we have witnessed the resilience of Papua New Guineans, who in the face of overwhelming impunity for the corrupt, have held the course. As a nation, we have staved off the risk of descending into anarchic ‘instability’ that was speculated by some commentators to be our inevitable future. The new Government has just completed its first 100 days in office, with many statements about the agenda and intentions of ridding corruption, changes in ministerial portfolios and some paradigm shift. These new pushes towards transparency, accountability and integrity are a great opportunity to stop the corruption that plagues the daily lives of ordinary people and brings rot to the system. However, the Government efforts to fight corruption are only achievable if public power is monitored by relevant institutions but more importantly a vibrant civil society. In the great words of US President … Continue reading PNG needs vibrant citizens to uphold the Nation’s integrity: an Independence thought from TIPNG