Last year, as we prepared to celebrate 50 years of independence, I wrote a reflection titled “Reflecting on 50 Years of Independence: A Call to Action for Papua New Guinea.” In that piece, I laid out five major challenges that continue to hold us back: human nature, governance, economic struggles, social attitudes, and political influence. I ended with a message of hope—that if we faced these issues honestly and acted decisively, we could unlock our true potential as a nation. Now, one year on, the milestone has passed. The celebrations have come and gone. But when the dust settles, we are left with the same uncomfortable truth: instead of changing course, we continue to run ourselves into the ground while uniting to put the wrong people in charge. From Reflection to Repetition The problems are not new. We know them well: lack of respect among citizens, self-interest over national interest, entitlement without effort, and leaders who operate with little to no accountability. ...