Remembrance Day Address
by
Rt Hon Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare GCL GCMG CH CF KStJ
Prime Minister
Ministers, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I thank all of you who have made the effort this morning to be here to remember our brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in the various conflicts that shaped our nation, Papua New Guinea.
Our first great conflict of course was the Second World War (WWII).
Our land was divided in three parts until quite recently. Before then there was Dutch and German New Guinea and British Papua.
Today there is so much intermarriage that it would be hard for our young people (most of whom are under 30years of age) to imagine that there was a time not so long ago when New Guineans did not know that Papuans existed and vice versa.
In that prevailing divide, many of our forefathers fought for different sides in a war that meant very little to all of them. We were not a country but territories that belonged to many imperial powers.
In Rabaul my father served the Australian administration. But in my village in the Sepik, my people had no reason to fight the invading Japanese army.
West Papuans fought on the side of the Dutch and many people in the New Guinea Islands would have shed tears for their German masters that had to give up their lands to the British.
Remembrance Day today is an important memorial day for our nation. I believe we should not be recognising one power over another but be reminded of the fact that our people lost their lives in conflict and war.
It is very important that we acknowledge the contributions of all Papua New Guinean servicemen and civilians who made sacrifices during the different conflicts before and after Independence.
Equally, whether it was Japanese, British, Australian or American, let us today also remember all servicemen and women that sacrificed their lives in our country and around the world.
Today as a united and independent nation we can make that conscious choice of whether or not our people should engage in conflict and warfare.
Fortunately for our people there were few conflicts that followed WWII. But the magnitude of the war can still be measured by the shells, bombs, grenades and wrecks that are littered around our coastlines and waters today.
As an independent nation, we intervened in the Vanuatu conflict in 1980.
The government of the day made a conscious decision to assist a neighbouring Melanesian people to achieve Independence. The mission was successful and our troops returned home in glory.
We thank our troops and their command for their courage and bravery.
In conflict and war we are not always so fortunate.
The phrase ‘Lest We Forget’ is an apt reminder to us all of the casualties of war.
On Bougainville today there are still many stories that are waiting to be told, while other ones keep being repeated over and over.
LEST WE FORGET
It was not only those that fought in conflicts that lost their lives, many innocent people too lost their lives on Bougainville.
Let us bow our heads for our forefathers, servicemen, innocent men, women and children that have lost their lives on our soil.
As we look around and see the costly wars that are being fought in Iraq, Afganistan and other parts of the world, let us be grateful for the peace that prevails today in our country.
We cannot imagine the anguish of innocent men, women and children in these war zones; the grief that both a mother and father feel in losing their children.
The sense of futility they must feel in not being in control of a situation and not knowing in the first place why there is a war or conflict.
Often we glorify war and choose to overlook the underlying reasons for governments to choose confrontation as a means of resolving dispute and accessing power.
Through Bougainville, we have experienced the costs of conflict; human casualties, loss of economic infrastructure and heritage.
In my career as a longstanding Member of Parliament it is clear that I do not support violence as a means of resolving disputes.
While we have 33 years of nationhood under our belts - People of Papua New Guinea - we are still learning the ropes.
If we are to stay united as a nation let us always choose negotiation and dialogue as our weapons of peace.
Let our troops be guardians of peace over our waters and borders.
I commend the successful Peacekeeping Operations in the Solomon Islands and look forward to our troops working on similar peacekeeping missions with the United Nations.
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, Let us bow our heads in a minute of silence to acknowledge all those who have lost their lives in conflicts.
Thank you and May God Bless our country and our people.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
