Rt. Hon. Sir Julius Chan GCL GCMG KBE MP
“New Ireland: On the Wings of Dreams”
New Ireland Day 27 July 2016
Elbert Hubbard, an early American writer and philosopher, said “one machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. But no machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.”
It is my pleasure to welcome such a distinguished group of extraordinary men – and women - to our celebration of New Ireland Day 2016. We are here to recognise and celebrate not only those who are with us, but those who have preceded us. People like Robert Seeto, Edward Togimar, Samson Gila, Demas Kavavau, Pedi Anis and Wilson Peni. These are our forebears, people who have made New Ireland, people who have soared like eagles in creating a Province like no other.
But New Ireland is not alone in boasting of eagles, and among us today are many who have soared high and who continue to soar high. We have the Ambassador from China, we have our dear friend the Hon. Titus Philomen, Governor of Milne Bay, we have………
It is good to have you all here. New Ireland Day is the day we celebrate the real birth of New Ireland as a political part of Papua New Guinea. It is the day in 1977 when the Provincial Assembly first met. Much in the world has changed since that day, yet much has remained the same.
We have seen this in our recent history. The last twenty years have been very difficult, and the last five years even more so. And we have all seen in the past week that our National Government is in a shambles.
While in New Ireland we have soaring eagles, in Waigani it seems all we have is a mob of crows. Crows feed off the remains of the hard work of other animals, they do no work themselves. They are renowned thieves, stealing anything they see, selfishly consuming everything they can.
Waigani is infested with crows. Most of the politicians who gain power, the ministers, vice ministers, even Prime Minister, care only about getting rich and enriching their followers. The rest of the people suffer.
We have seen this recently. National Government is literally for sale to the highest bidder. Whoever provides the most bribes and corrupt payments wins. And then guess what? There is not enough money left for programs to help the people like Free Education, or Free Health Care. National Government does not give a damn about the people.
It is easy to be discouraged, to despair, to think we can never change the way politics works in our country. But I say that is not true. I say we in New Ireland can teach the country something that can save our country. I say we need to let our minds soar with dreams, just as the eagle soars.
In 1963 Martin Luther King said in front of 500,000 people in Washington, DC “I have a Dream”. His dream was that all the people of America, white and black, poor and rich would share in the American Dream. Over sixty years later America has a black President. The power of Martin Luther King’s dream has transformed America.
We in Papua New Guinea need to dream as well. We face great challenges, for unlike in America it is not only a minority that has been left behind. No. In Papua New Guinea, after forty years of Independence, ALL OF OUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND.
For too long the wealth of our country has benefitted the politicians in Waigani. For too long the wealth of our country has benefitted foreign corporations and companies. It is time for us to turn the dream of prosperity into the reality of prosperity -prosperity for the people.
I call on all New Islanders – all Papua New Guineans - to dream of a better future for our Island, our Nation. All Papua New Guineans must insist their representatives, local and national, begin to work for the country, the people, rather than for their selfish interests alone.
There are those who say dreams are only fantasy, that dreams have no substance. But I say no. Dreams are our only hope of a better life.
History shows this is true. John F. Kennedy dreamed in 1962 that America would land a man on the moon and bring him back safely to earth. Tragically, we lost President Kennedy, but the power of his dream lived on. In less than ten years, that dream was fulfilled.
This should be a lesson to us. Just as Apollo 11 soared to a new world, we dream New Ireland will explore a new world as an autonomous, prosperous and internationally competitive land – a home where the lame, weak and old live in harmony with the young, the strong and the ambitious - an Island where modern democracy and traditional systems blend to produce peace and security for all our people.
We in New Ireland have turned our dreams into reality for years. That is, I think, one reason we have been first in the entire country to take many important steps. Just consider some of the firsts we can claim:
- We were first to call for Independence from Australia in 1963;
- We produced the first teacher in Papua New Guinea;
- We led the nation in organising our working people, and we led the first labour strike in Papua New Guinea to demand fair wages
- We were first to reform the oldprovincial government system;
- We led the way in respecting and restoring the traditional leadership systems through the Council of Elders and Chiefs;
- New Irelanders did the hard work at Independence, including establishing the Banking and financial systems of the country, including the PNG currency, the kina and toea.
Those were all dreams that the naysayers said could never come true, but we made them come true.
And we have continued to make our dreams come true. When my Government came into power in 2007 we called the 100 Days Summit. At that Summit we dreamed again, and our dreams became the Malagan Declaration. What did we dream?
We dreamed that we would have free and subsidised education for all our children. That dream became a reality, and we finally shamed the National Government into dreaming with us in 2012.
We dreamed we would provide support for our elderly and disabled. We did it. Now National Government is considering the same program.
We dreamedof opening five new high schools. We exceeded that dream and now have six secondary and five high schools with more on the way.
We dreamed we would rebuild our aidposts, provide New Irelanders with Roof Over Heads so they have proper shelter and good drinking water, dreamed village beautification, agricultural sweat equity, village toilets and water, bicycle and wheelbarrow subsidies.
We dreamed franchise shipping for remote areas, reduced freight and passenger fares, solar lighting for aidposts and schools.
We dreamed all this, and we worked hard and we worked together and we made those dreams come true.Without the dream, we would never have known the reality.
So today I say to you that New Ireland has something to teach our country. Our country needs to dream. Our politicians need to dream of helping all the people, not only themselves and their supporters.
We have no time for those who say that the obstacles are too great. When National Government fails to keep its promises, we roll up our sleeves and do the job ourselves. As Robert Kennedy said “some men look at the world and ask ‘why’? I look at the world and ask ‘why not’?”
That is what we do in New Ireland. We are the place where the Dream becomes Reality.
That is why we demand autonomy. We are sick to death of being led by the crows in National Government who want todivide rather than unite, who want to steal rather than share. That is not the New Ireland way.
We will not cheat our people. We will not divide our people. When I get my PSIP of K10m every year, I simply turn it over to the Finance Division and it is put into the Provincial Budget for programs that benefit our people. I do not care if you are PPP or not. If you are a New Irelander it is your right to have decent services and infrastructure.
This is the way Government should work. That is the way an Autonomous New Ireland will work.
But legal autonomy is not enough. We insist on a fair share of the huge wealth coming from our land. Billions of kina in wealth flows out of our provinces every year, but we get only a pittance. We are changing that.
We insist on a higher share of royalties from mining, an increase in the Special Support Grant and in the Tax Credit Scheme. This will provide the resources so that when we have legal autonomy we have the financial clout to make it work. And we will share these additional funds with our non-mining provinces so all of PNG benefits.
But we are not stopping there. We also insist that autonomy include control over our renewable resources, especially fisheries and forestry. Our fishing grounds and forests are being raped. National Government has no control over the companies who are destroying what should be a renewable resource. We know we can do better.
We pursue autonomy because we know National Government will not change on its own. The crows will not put away their greed, their selfish, insatiable desire for power and wealth on their own.
But we in the provinces can force change in our country. All Provinces need to work closely together. For it is only through the Provinces that we can make this country work the way it should work, for the people.
Today I am pleased to announce the first step in making that dream come true. Today we annouce a Sister-Province relationship with Milne Bay Province. Together we will share ideas, share skills and share a belief that we at the provincial level can make Government work for the good of the people. Together we will share and grow a dream.
This is the way of the future. We have many Provinces in the country that have worked hardfor the benefit of their people. Papua New Guinea can become unified and work for the people. But it will come from the provinces, from the eagles, not from the crows. If 22 Provinces share the same dream, no power on earth can stand against us.
So today is a special day. We are celebrating a long history and dream a bright future. We celebrate the New Ireland Family and the Friends of New Ireland. Above all,we celebrate the Power of the New Ireland Dream and the start of a new venture – to bring together the New Ireland and Milne Bay Dreams, and together to share our dreams with every province in the country.
To those in Waigani I say, if you dream with us, then you can join us. If you refuse to dream, you will be left behind. The future is being born even as we speak today. The future belongs to those who dare to dream.
So once again, welcome to all the Friends of New Ireland, welcome to all our distinguished guests, and, most of all, welcome to all our People and the entire New Ireland Family.
May God bless us all and guide us to an even brighter future in which all New Irelanders, and all Papua New Guineans, have the courage to soar on the wings of our dreams and the strength of will to turn those dreams into reality.
Thank you and have a wonderful New Ireland Day.
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