Speaking at Media Freedom Day celebrations in Port Moresby, the former prime minister and now New Ireland governor challenged a gathering of media practitioners, partners and University of Papua New Guinea journalism students to use the free press to preserve democracy.
“For democracy to continue to flourish, we must promote freedom of the press,” Sir Julius said.
“You must use that power to constantly insist that the government and its institutions, particularly the people’s parliament that abysmally fails in its constitutional responsibilities, must fulfill its obligation to operate in open, transparent and accountable ways.”
Sir Julius said the power of a free press “is to create and sustain democracy, freedom, respect and the God-given right to dignity for all human beings.”
“But, on the other hand, it is an equally great responsibility. With your voice, there is the possibility of abuse of power.
“You must never become a tool of special interests or a particular political party or ideology.
“You must avoid slander, rumor, and unsubstantiated accusations and ensure the protection of the rights of people,” he said.
Sir Julius said the twin challenges of power and responsibility of a free press had not led to the abuse of its power as the media had tried to act responsibly in serving the people.
He said since independence, the country had experienced and adhered to forms of democracy, progress and development that “did not actually achieve the substance of change in moving the country forward.”
“This is where the free press needs to step in to make people aware of the failures and help in doing a better job.
“Let me say, at the onset, that I have taken some responsibility. I have been in positions of power. I have led this country. I have been several times finance minister and I freely acknowledge that on my watch, as on the watch of others who have led this country, our people have not really moved forward.
“This is not idle rhetoric. We need to open our eyes and the press, above all others, has the power to open our eyes. And, if we open our eyes, what do we see?” he asked.
Local media must produce more investigative journalism to highlight the failures of governments to adequately address effective service delivery for the people, Sir Julius said.
He urged journalists to dig deeper rather than writing a “just a simple story.”
He said they should do greater research and ask many questions to disseminate the correct information to the public.
He said a free press should have the freedom to ask why public funds, generated from the nation’s wealth, were “not adequately developing infrastructure for our people.”
“We have incredible resources, yet, we have deteriorating infrastructure,” Sir Julius said.
Communication and Information secretary Henao Iduhu said freedom of the media was a prerequisite of modern society.
He said PNG “will continue to enjoy media freedom as long as those in the media abide by their code of ethics.”
He urged the journalists to avoid sensational reporting in which their personal opinions and emotions “are reflected in their reports.”
He encouraged journalists to protect a free press with fairness and balanced reporting.
Other issues raised at the seminar included establishing a PNG journalists association to address issues of concern and a certifying test for journalists similar to what other professionals like accountants and lawyers go through.
