Rights, Rights, Rights, Rights, rights
Dear Editor,
Mi rid wetem plante interest ol continuous publications of organised groups taunting the government and always asking for everyone to render their rights and respect these rights accordingly, as it is written in accordance to the convention on blah blah blah blah. Everybody wants rights. It's so contagious that it's predominantly becoming the yardstick of most international, regional and national meets. That may seem to be a good choice. Rights for Women, Rights for Children, Rights of the young people, and even politicians claiming the right blo klis iko lo kavman saed or blong ski iko long saed blong opposition and so forth. But mi wantem askem the following questions.
A) What about the parents' rights to be respected? Wea nao raet blong risivim respect taem parent emi stap askem pikinini blong hem blong listen long hem? Tedei yumi kat plante rabis fasin oli stap kam antap long kantri blong yumi. Statistics emi shoem se ol problems blong crime, tedei emi kam antap bigwan tumas and ol authorities oli seemed helpless and oli faenem emi very difficult blong yumi stopem. Yumi also gat olgeta issue blong corruption we long week ia ol yangfala bae oli ko long streets blong protest agensem. Ating corruption ia emi kam antap from taem ol man ia oli pikinni yet, oli bin stap refuse blong listen long teaching blong mama mo papa. Problems, criminal activities and corruption oli stap ko bigwan tedei, from mi bilif mo lukim se sadly enaf, society mo laef style blong tedei emi remuvum raet ia 'blong ol parents to be respected'. Mi no ting se wan papa mo mama emi eva fosem pikinini blong hem blong steal, or hemi talem se steal emi gud , rape emi gud, faet emi gud, , kava and alcohol and drugs emi gud. Mi no ting se wan parent emi askem pikinini blong hem se taem emi kam wan leader blong nation, emi olraet blong emi misusim mane blong nation or emi mas ignorem ol man taem emi hollem wan lidaship position. Long reality, the first ever teachings from a parent to the child would encompass the 'do' and do not' or the 'yes' and 'no'. Emia emi initial phases of preparing the child's future, the community's future, the nation's future, and the church's future - the crucial backstage preparations. Emia nao emi contribution blong evri parent long saed blong development mo well being blong eni society. But yumi stap long wan society tedei we relationship between parent and child emi kam very hostile. Plante pikinini oli nomo care about parental teaching nor advise. Biggest fear blo nation emi taem ol pikinini olsem oli go hollem ol position insaed long kavman or eni narafala leadership command long society. Plante oli talem se corruption emi from lack of parental teaching, but the other side of the coin may read as, corruption emi kam from pikinini emi refuse blong listen mo obey long gudfala teaching blong daddy mo mami therefore lo yardsticks blong morality emi fall far short. Yumi ting se yumi luk corruption finis. Mi sori tumas. Wanem we yumi stap luk tedei maet emi eye blong hem nomo. Unless sipos, ol pikinini blong Vanuatu oli decide blong kam bak mo obey mo respectem ol parents, then surely future blong Vanuatu bae emi save kam moa bright and prosperous. But sipos ikat ol parents, we oli stap encouragem ol pikinini blong olgeta blong mekem ol rabis fasin, then I pray that God have mercy on us. Challenge iko long yumi evri wan tedei, igud yumi stat long home before yumi ko long media or long streets. Again, Vanuatu, wea nao raet blong ol parents to be respected?
B) Secondly, what about the Chiefs' rights to be respected? Ol issues we oli stap happen long society tedei, ol problems, ol corruptions, ol criminal activities long Vanuatu oli kam folem results blong ol actions blong ol human beings and not merely the actions blong ol dog, puscat, rat, nilpat or climate change. Ol human beings ia oli kamaot long ol communities we oli kat olgeta chiefs..Mi no bilif nating se wan chief emi save encouragem ol pipol blong community blong mekem problem. Ol Chief oli tokaot plante agensem evri form of problem, weta yu stillim banana lo Karen blo wan nara man or yu misusum mane blo nation, ol chief oli always tok aot agensem ol rabis fasen olsem. Long olgeta nakamals yu harem oli tokabaot, peace, unity mo respect. Every toktok blong olgeta emi fas long trifala toktok ia nomo. Oli addressem ol smol man mo ol bigman emi semak nomo from sipos trifala toktok ia people oli tekem mo act long hem, regardless of position blong yu long society or level blong education blong yu, bae community mo nation emi save develop blong good blong yumi evriwan. Ol Chiefs oli wantem se home, community mo nation emi mas stap long peace mo harmony oltaem. Problems mo issues oli go bigwan tumas ating from ol man oli nomo wantem listen long Chiefs. Ating education, or fasin blong laef blong tedei emi mekem pipol ikam blong tingting nating long role blong chief blong hem. Bageken ol families, we nao raet blong ol chiefs to be respected? But again sipos ikat sam Chief oli stap encouragem ol pipol blong oli involve long problems olsem, I pray that God have mercy on us.
C) And finally, how about God's right to be worshiped? God's right to be worshiped for who he is, as the Creator and the source of every thing and as the God of Vanuatu we yumi talem se 'Long God Yumi Stanap'. Wea nao right blong God blong kat ol fellowship blong ol believers blong worshipim hem as required by the Good Book. Tedei ino moa gat tumas man oli ko long church. In fact, the majority blong people insaed long 'Christian Nation' ia oli ting nating about church attendance nor to be involved in church activities. Wea nao God's Right to be worshiped? Last week, wan gudfala program blong Radio Vanuatu, emi shoem se giving of Tithes and Offerings emi absent plante long ol churches. Wea nao God's right to be worshiped in Tithes and Offerings? Yumi spendem mane long plante narafala samting, and forgetem blong acknowledgem God who is the Source of everything tru long offerings and Tithes. Long Sunday's or Saturday's or any narafala church organised activity, absent, is the majority. Has God's divine right to be worshiped been replaced by our rights of choice? Has the Creator's right to be worshiped by His creations been removed? God forgive us and have mercy on us.
Mi bilif, se rights emi wan secular mo earthly language. But yes, one can say that a society needs them to regulate how one co-exists with his fellow men.
But long language blo foundations blong constitutions blong yumitu, albeit, Melanesian Values mo Christian Principles, long Melanesian Values oli singaotem 'respect' mo long Christian principles emi callem 'Love mo Honor'. Bible emi tok, 'Honarem God, Honarem parents, and lavem neighbour for you. Emia nomo. Emi simple nomo. Yu no need blo attendem wan seminar or workshop or yu no nid blong ko long skul blong andastandem. Yumi no nid blong westem mane blo ol workshops, seminars, forums or media time to teach it. Emi simple nomo. Pikinini blo honarem parent, mo parent blong lavem pikinini. Neighbor blong lavem neighbur. People blong Worshipim God and God blong blessem people. Emi wan simple equation nomo. It is not a matter or privilege as in the concept of rights, but it is a matter of divine duty. Wake up Christian Nation? Have we replaced secularism with the very core essence of our existence and beliefs olsem wan Christian nation?
Personal view blong me, toktok ia right emi more of a double edge sword where by emi save bringim both positive and negative results. Where as for 'honor mo respect', they bring more equality and blessings for all. Rights emi wan recipie for separation and discrimination. What if everyone oli decide blong protest from raet blong olgeta. Chaos will be the end result. What if God decides to protest i.e for his right to be worshiped? Traem tingbaot ples ia. I am sure He will, at his own appointed taem, long taem blong Final Judgment. That is when He'll ask each and every one if we did 'respect His right to be worshiped'.
We should focus more on 'respect' and 'honor' and then render these -----1
accordingly to those who deserve it. Honarem mo lavem God, Honarem mo Lavem Daddy mo Mama, Lavem neighbour, mo respectem chief, mo lavem gud olgeta pikinini mo olgeta disadvantaged ones. Mi strongly belief that sipos olgeta ia oli exercised and practised, bae yumi nomo stap olsem 'Happiest ples long wol' but bae yumi kam olsem that song goes, 'Heaven on Earth'. Sipos people oli worshipim God, Sipos oli pikinini oli honarem mo respectem ol parents, sipos ol parents oli lavem ol pikinini, we will be singing 'Heaven on Earth' for the rest of our lives.
Olsem storian blong Tithes and Offerings long Radio Vanuatu las week, wan man emi ring mo askem olgeta long studio se, “Pastor, sipos yu stap tokabaot Tithes and Offerings, from wanem nao tumas church oli stap mekem fundraising, from Baebol emi no tokbaot fundrasing'. Pastor emi respond blong talem se, “reason we olgeta churches oli stap orgaenasem mo stap promotem fundraising, emi from nomo se people oli nomo putum Tithes and Offerings long churches. Ating emi semak long olgeta 'champion of rights' organisations. From se people oli nomo obey long parents, parents oli nomo lavem mo respectem pikinini, neighbour emi nomo lavem neighbour, people oli nomo respectem chief, gavman emi nomo care from pipol, so evri man emi stap faet from mo promotem 'rights'.
Olsem wan journalist emi just raetem, '.ol trak I fasfas lo street, evri samting passpass antap lo red roof' afta ol man oli fasfas tu long ol smol smol laet, and sadly, inogat man I fas istap lo haos blo teachim pikinini we oli fiuja blong nation ia about 'respect mo honour' so nao they're going to the street 'asking for their rights and demanding justice to be served this week.
Mi no bilif tumas long ol earthy conventions which are constructed by man, but mi bilif long Tok Blong God, we emi truly foundation blong Christian values blong yumi. In other words I choose to believe what will survive after 'God emi kam blong march from right from hem'.
God emi blessem yumi evriwan and may forever we stand with God.
Jojo
A Philipians 3:12 Production
Nambatu
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