Lae kicks off 50th Independence celebrations with a call for unity

The Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Lae, John Rosso, hosted the official opening of the country’s 50th Independence celebrations in Lae over the weekend.

During the event, an unlimited stock of commemorative t-shirts was auctioned to numerous attending business houses, with plans to distribute them to all schools in Lae.

Auctioning the t-shirts and speaking as the guest speaker, longtime Lae resident who’s also a Logohu award recipient, Mike Quinn emphasized how privileged we are as an independent nation.

“Don’t take independence for granted. You must cultivate it, nurture it, prune the bad steps and discard the bad fruit. You must select the best leaders that you can to lead us into the next 50 years,” Quinn said.

Taking the stage as the host, the Deputy Prime Minister and member for Lae John Rosso highlighted, that politicians may go wrong in certain aspects of development, but it is every individual’s change of mindset and attitude towards one and another that’ll determine a better Lae City and the country, for that much needed positive change in the next 50 years.

“50 years, guys, 50 years of Independence, we’ve come this far. We survived as a nation, but we could do a little better if all of us did a job better, starting with the little things,” he asserted.

“If everyone stopped littering, for example, just that one little thing, the country wouldn’t need a garbage man. If everyone decided to just help their neighbor because it’s the right thing, the country would be better. Right now, everyone’s pointing fingers at everyone else, and no one’s taking any responsibility.”

The auction ended with 34,800 t-shirts with the 50th Independence Anniversary design, to be distributed to schools throughout Lae as part of the anniversary celebration, to ensure every student in the city wears a shirt to celebrate on the day.