In this next video in my Dreams of a Nation series, I look into the National Goals and Directive Principles, and try to make a practical connection between those national goals and our personal individual lives.
After the observations on the importance of the National Goals, I look into National Goal #1: Integral Human Development.
Our Constitution opens up with the words "We, the People..." This tells us five important things:
1. EXPRESSION of the People—the Constitution is the voice of the people. It speaks the People's will. When we amend the Constitution and any other law under it, we are changing the will of the people. The will of the people must therefore be understood before it (the law) is changed.
2. UNITY of the People—the People speak as ONE. Unity is assumed. Together We the People spoke into the world, declaring ourselves to be one nation.
3. ESSENCE of State—the existence of the nation rests primarily on the People. Not the law, the boundaries, the physical landscape, the geography etc.
4. SOVEREIGNTY—the People are the ultimate source of Power. They are superior to the Government, Parliament and the laws. They are even superior to the Constitution, but only collectively.
5. RESPONSIBILITY for the Nation—the People, if sovereign, are responsible for both the progress and the problems of the nation. No one else. We cannot claim to be masters of our own destiny whilst blaming external factors for our problems.
In this next video in my Dreams of a Nation series, I discuss the opening three words of the Preamble of the Constitution, which gives a clue as to the source of power in PNG.
I recently started a brand new personal adventure: video blogging. This activates a You Tube account that I have had for several years and never used it for anything apart from watching videos.
My first project is a series of videos called Dreams of a Nation”, a commentary on the Preamble of the Constitution of Papua New Guinea. I have had the burden for a while now to share my thoughts publicly on the importance of the Preamble in the life of PNG. I have said it before in writing that it should be mandatory reading for Papua New Guineans. I have given a few talks on the Preamble already and found that my audience really appreciated it.
I had not even thought of putting my thoughts out on video until I got here to the UK for my post-graduate studies. Since technology can go places that I cannot go, it makes sense to use it to share my thoughts.
So here it is! Not the best quality for now but should suffice to communicate my message.
My first video post is an introductory video. In it I mention why I am doing this particular topic and the main headings of the Preamble that will be discussing.
Here’s a synopsis of the introduction.
The Preamble is a fundamental pivotal piece of literature for PNG. It provides our foundational beliefs, goals, and values. As a statement of our vision, it was vital that the Preamble should have been mandatory reading for Papua New Guineans from Day 1. The tragedy is that that has not been so. And now majority of Papua New Guineans have no clue what the Preamble is, let alone its contents.
As former US Senator Robert Dole said of the Preamble of the US Constitution (Declaration of Independence), “If the lost art of memorization ever returns to our educational system, I recommend that every American student learn by heart the Preamble of the United States Constitution. Its fifty-two words encapsulate all that our government has aspired to accomplish over the past 200 years and hopes to accomplish in the future.”.” (I slightly err in my quoting in the video).
I believe the same has to be done for the Preamble of our Constitution. It has to become part of our curriculum. Students have to learn it. If not memorize it, then at least appreciate so that they take it to heart. Then they can live according to those ideals in every day life. And if they become national leaders, they can apply it when they devise national policy.
At the very least, my hope is that this video series will start raising the conversation regarding the place of the Preamble in our every day life. I hope people will get curious about this important document and begin to seek it out.
