The First Female President in PAU’s School Business Miss Sophia Warep has urged Papua New Guineans to take greater responsibility in shaping the nation’s future, instead of waiting on government action alone.
Speaking as a special guest at the Pre-Independence Celebration hosted by IEA College of TAFE, the PAU School of Business Club President Miss Warep emphasized her main message was to challenge citizens to shift their perspective.
“My main message was to help citizens to not only focus on what the government or organizations can do for us, but what we as citizens can do for Papua New Guinea,” she said.
She emphasized that focusing too much on government shortcomings leaves citizens powerless.
“If we try to say, what is the government doing, we will be stuck there.”
“But if we sort of change that, flip that around and say, what can I do to see a change in Papua New Guinea?”
“That was the main message I was trying to give, especially with the youth,” she explained.
Looking ahead, Miss Warep believes the next 50 years of independence require a change in leadership priorities.
“In the next 50 years, if we do want to see tangible change and development, we just need leaders that are people-oriented and not self-oriented,” she said.
She stressed the importance of God-fearing leaders who prioritize service over personal gain.
“Leaders that put people first… they can even go out of their own way to use their own resources to do something for the people. I think that’s the only way we can change the direction of the country,” she concluded.