By ENNIO KUBLE
CLOSE to 500 students in five Catholic agency schools of Goglme Parish in Kundiawa Diocese staged a march for peaceful election in the area recently.
The students mostly from primary and one high school in the Niglkande local level government of Kundiawa-Gembogl district, Simbu Province, joined the rest of the parishes in Kundiawa to call on communities to conduct themselves peacefully during the campaign and polling period of the 2022 National General Election.
Kundiawa Diocese in partnership with Simbu Police, Provincial Government, and the Electoral Commission office in Simbu, has conducted awareness on fair and safe election in the province.
Moreover, Catholic parishes also conducted voters’ education awareness to their respective communities with support from Caritas PNG’s Kundiawa office.
St Peter’s and Paul’s Goglme parish priest Fr Moses Gande said based on the 2022 parish pastoral plan, one of the activity was trouble free election. Fr Moses said the peace march organized was inline with the plan to promote peace and the children were given the opportunity to express their views.
He said schools that took part were Bishop Hen TeMaarssen, Duglpagl, St Peter and Paul, Gugulme primary with Don Bosco High School and the youths. Fr Moses said close to 500 students took part in the peace march with the message to secure a peaceful environment during and after the elections.
The students from Goglme parish took on the march starting from Yombai at the foot of Sigewage range to Goglme and ended at Kawar market at the boarder of Goglme and Womatne, beating close to kilometers of the newly sealed road.
With chants of peace to sustain the normal flow of social services like education, health, economic activities and normal way of life in the communities the students beat the heat of the midday sun to 4pm.
In response, the chief of the seven clans of Goglme area, John Kimbe Kegemar said what the students actions echoed the voice of the silent majority.
Mr Kegemar said tribal conflicts, roadblocks, and causing violence in the name of election campaigns and polling causes disturbances to the learning of young people who are leaders of tomorrow.
He also commended the students and the Catholic Church with the partners in taking the approach in preparing the people for the coming 2022 NGE.