Any decision that will not promote democracy must be rejected.
Head Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG, Rev. Dr. Jack Urame, made this statement in response to the Minister for Information and Communication Technology’s warning that government will shut down social media if it is continuously being abused by citizens.
“We are a democratic nation and we have to protect this,” he stated yesterday at the ELCPNG headquarters at Ampo, in Lae.
“Any decision of the government which will not promote democracy must be rejected.
“The government exists to protect people; not to create laws that will be suppressive or that will make people become like prisoners.”
Rev Urame outlined that democracy is the basis of the PNG constitution.
“We have come a long way. Not long we will be celebrating 50 years of independence.”
He stressed that dictatorship exists when there is no democracy.
“And we do not want this.
“We are not people who have come through generations of suppression. We have always lived in a society where our people feel liberated.
“We need to continue to encourage, nurture and promote freedom.”