I think of our country as the Garden of Eden in the Bible. We have everything in our land and waterways.

We have an abundance of fresh air, sunshine and rain. These are the envy of many other countries. Our ancestors and grandparents and parents at the independence in 1975 gave us this great country on a golden platter. Our collective jobs as succeeding generations was to be good stewards doing the right things for the collective good us and the future generations. But we have not, we are failing in this noble resolve. Our country supposed to be the land of the proverbial milk and honey. Why are we not?

As of Independence Day on 16 September 1975, we would have been on our way to be a model equitable country by consciously adopting relevant modern materials, technology and know-how to suit our ways on our terms.

Our founding fathers made this point about safeguarding our indigenous heritage and blending them with modern ways in our National Constitution.

Fast-forward 46 years from independence to today and look at what is a happening to our land that would have been one of milk and honey equitably benefitting all of us. Instead, we see so much greed and selfishness displayed by some of our own people, especially those in positions of leadership and authority.

Corruption and mismanagement beginning with the public sector (that is, at the political and administrative levels) continues to be a serious national development problem because there are many selfish and greedy Papua New Guineans involved in it. They have made it their way of life.

Why have many in our midst become so greedy that they have been using elected political offices and offices in the public service to entertain personal, private and sectarian interest to the point where collective national interest is playing second fiddle? There are now some filthy rich and well-off Papua New Guineans in our midst due to inappropriately gained wealth from selfish conduct. I call them parasitic elites.

The net effect of the greed and selfishness of some of our people at the top of organizations from national elected leadership down, has had a domino effect. People in different positions of responsibility and in rank and file see selfish conduct in the offices they occupy as custodians, as a right of passage that one must part-take in. The argument the operate under is, that the ‘big people’ and ‘my bosses’ are doing it so why would not I do the same down at my level. They harbor this feeling that why should I be a good steward when those above me are not. People are now imitating the greedy and selfish behavior of those above them to do it themselves down at their levels.

Greed and selfish activities that have become corrupt conduct is essentially killing our country. No part of our country or sector is spared by the greed and selfish conduct a growing army of our people. Church-run entities or persons professed as Christians are not spared by this national malaise.

The cumulative effect of the greed and selfish acts of those in positions of trust in different sectors is leading to other problems.

Can we divorce regular killings, wanton injuries inflicted on others and destruction to property from the conduct of the greed and selfishness of those in positions of authority and are supposed to dispense their leadership high level of trust? In my view, we cannot. It is a cause and effect thing now.

The effects of greedy and selfish behavior by those in positions of authority in national and provincial governments as an example, eats into the funds and resources that supposed to advance education and health services.

The greed and selfishness of some of our people prevents funds and resources to be made available economic empowerment of our people. Take for example, money earmarked for a road project in a coffee or vegetable growing region but it instead siphoned off or under-cut by the greedy and selfish individuals in decision-making roles.

The daily news diet on Facebook and other media platforms about lawless behavior of some of our people is the result of a society that has a growing army of greedy and selfish individuals siphoning money and resources from benefitting the majority.

Leaders in positions of authority in the National Parliament, the Public Service and the lower sectors of government, please hear this. The social disorder, which includes the violent crimes, besieging our country at this time is a reflection of a society that has not been led equitably and in a fair way be those in positions of authority in every strata of public leadership for quite some time since independence.

A serious national soul-searching is required by all of us, bit or small, men or women. All of us, led by the Prime Minister have to start asking why girls as young as 15 or 16 years of age are leaving school at Grade 10 or 12 and are running away to be ‘wives’ and partners of married men with resources (money and properties) which then leads to other problems for the girls concerned?

We have to be asking why are the parents of such girls unable to keep their daughters from making such rash decisions that lead to domestic violence and they (the girls) become victims.

Why is our God-blessed country becoming such as violent society? Money is not everything. So cannot kill or get killed because of money. Ours is a land of milk and honey, we can still make ends meet, but it is our mindsets we must fix so to see things differently and not see money as the savior.