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PNG Constitution - Preamble
Note: This document is to be used as a guide only.
It has been provided as an uncertified, unverified copy. Please consult
the relevant people to obtain a genuine copy of the PNG Constitution.
Preamble to the PNG Constitution
Adoption of Constitution.
WE, THE PEOPLE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
·pay homage to the memory of our ancestors—the
source of our strength and origin of our combined heritage
·acknowledge the worthy customs and traditional
wisdoms of our people—which have come down to us from
generation to generation
·pledge ourselves to guard and pass on to those
who come after us our noble traditions and the Christian
principles that are ours now.
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By authority of our inherent right
as ancient, free and independent peoples
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WE, THE PEOPLE, do now establish
this sovereign nation and declare ourselves, under the guiding
hand of God, to be the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.
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AND WE ASSERT, by virtue of that
authority
·that all power belongs to the people—acting
through their duly elected representatives
·that respect for the dignity of the individual
and community interdependence are basic principles of our
society
·that we guard with our lives our national identity,
integrity and self respect
·that we reject violence and seek consensus as
a means of solving our common problems
·that our national wealth, won by honest, hard
work be equitably shared by all
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WE DO NOW THEREFORE DECLARE
that we, having resolved to enact a Constitution for the
Independent State of Papua New Guinea
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AND ACTING through our Constituent
Assembly on 15 August 1975
HEREBY ESTABLISH, ADOPT and GIVE TO OURSELVES this Constitution
to come into effect on Independence Day, that is 16 September
1975.
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IN SO DOING WE, THE PEOPLE OF PAPUA
NEW GUINEA, SET BEFORE OURSELVES THESE NATIONAL GOALS AND
DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES THAT UNDERLIE OUR CONSTITUTION:–
National Goals and Directive Principles.
WE HEREBY PROCLAIM the following aims as our National
Goals, and direct all persons and bodies, corporate and
unincorporate, to be guided by these our declared Directives
in pursuing and achieving our aims:–
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1. Integral human development.
We declare our first goal to be for every person
to be dynamically involved in the process of freeing
himself or herself from every form of domination or oppression
so that each man or woman will have the opportunity to
develop as a whole person in relationship with others.
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(1) everyone to be involved in our endeavours
to achieve integral human development of the whole person
for every person and to seek fulfilment through his or her
contribution to the common good; and
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(2) education to be based on mutual respect
and dialogue, and to promote awareness of our human potential
and motivation to achieve our National Goals through self-reliant
effort; and
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(3) all forms of beneficial creativity,
including sciences and cultures, to be actively encouraged;
and
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(4) improvement in the level of nutrition
and the standard of public health to enable our people to
attain self fulfilment; and
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(5) the family unit to be recognized as
the fundamental basis of our society, and for every step
to be taken to promote the moral, cultural, economic and
social standing of the Melanesian family; and
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(6) development to take place primarily
through the use of Papua New Guinean forms of social and
political organization.
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2. Equality and participation
We declare our second goal to be for all citizens
to have an equal opportunity to participate in, and benefit
from, the development of our country.
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(1) an equal opportunity for every citizen
to take part in the political, economic, social, religious
and cultural life of the country; and
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(2) the creation of political structures
that will enable effective, meaningful participation by our
people in that life, and in view of the rich cultural and
ethnic diversity of our people for those structures to provide
for substantial decentralization of all forms of government
activity; and
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(3) every effort to be made to achieve an
equitable distribution of incomes and other benefits of development
among individuals and throughout the various parts of the
country; and
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(4) equalization of services in all parts
of the country, and for every citizen to have equal access
to legal processes and all services, governmental and otherwise,
that are required for the fulfilment of his or her real needs
and aspirations; and
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(5) equal participation by women citizens
in all political, economic, social and religious activities;
and
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(6) the maximization of the number of citizens
participating in every aspect of development; and
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(7) active steps to be taken to facilitate
the organization and legal recognition of all groups engaging
in development activities; and
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(8) means to be provided to ensure that
any citizen can exercise his personal creativity and enterprise
in pursuit of fulfilment that is consistent with the common
good, and for no citizen to be deprived of this opportunity
because of the predominant position of another; and
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(9) every citizen to be able to participate,
either directly or through a representative, in the consideration
of any matter affecting his interests or the interests of
his community; and
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(10) all persons and governmental bodies
of Papua New Guinea to ensure that, as far as possible, political
and official bodies are so composed as to be broadly representative
of citizens from the various areas of the country; and
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(11) all persons and governmental bodies
to endeavour to achieve universal literacy in Pisin, Hiri
Motu or English, and in “tok ples” or “ita
eda tano gado”; and
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(12) recognition of the principles that
a complete relationship in marriage rests on equality of
rights and duties of the partners, and that responsible parenthood
is based on that equality.
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3. National sovereignty and self-reliance
We declare our third goal to be for Papua New Guinea
to be politically and economically independent, and our
economy basically self-reliant.
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(1) our leaders to be committed to these
National Goals and Directive Principles, to ensure that their
freedom to make decisions is not restricted by obligations
to or relationship with others, and to make all of their
decisions in the national interest; and
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(2) all governmental bodies to base their
planning for political, economic and social development on
these Goals and Principles; and
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(3) internal interdependence and solidarity
among citizens, and between provinces, to be actively promoted;
and
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(4) citizens and governmental bodies to
have control of the bulk of economic enterprise and production;
and
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(5) strict control of foreign investment
capital and wise assessment of foreign ideas and values so
that these will be subordinate to the goal of national sovereignty
and self-reliance, and in particular for the entry
of foreign capital to be geared to internal social and economic
policies and to the integrity of the Nation and the People;
and
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(6) the State to take effective measures
to control and actively participate in the national economy,
and in particular to control major enterprises engaged
in the exploitation of natural resources; and
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(7) economic development to take place primarily
by the use of skills and resources available in the country
either from citizens or the State and not in dependence on
imported skills and resources; and
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(8) the constant recognition of our sovereignty,
which must not be undermined by dependence on foreign assistance
of any sort, and in particular for no investment,
military or foreign-aid agreement or understanding to be
entered into that imperils our self-reliance and self-respect,
or our commitment to these National Goals and Directive
Principles, or that may lead to substantial dependence
upon or influence by any country, investor, lender or donor.
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4. Natural resources and environment
We declare our fourth goal to be for Papua New Guinea’s
natural resources and environment to be conserved and
used for the collective benefit of us all, and be replenished
for the benefit of future generations.
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(1) wise use to be made of our natural resources
and the environment in and on the land or seabed, in the
sea, under the land, and in the air, in the interests of
our development and in trust for future generations; and
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(2) the conservation and replenishment,
for the benefit of ourselves and posterity, of the environment
and its sacred, scenic, and historical qualities; and
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(3) all necessary steps to be taken to give
adequate protection to our valued birds, animals, fish, insects,
plants and trees.
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5. Papua New Guinean ways
We declare our fifth goal to be to achieve development
primarily through the use of Papua New Guinean forms
of social, political and economic organization.
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(1) a fundamental re-orientation of our
attitudes and the institutions of government, commerce, education
and religion towards Papua New Guinean forms of participation,
consultation, and consensus, and a continuous renewal of
the responsiveness of these institutions to the needs and
attitudes of the People; and
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(2) particular emphasis in our economic
development to be placed on small-scale artisan, service
and business activity; and
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(3) recognition that the cultural, commercial
and ethnic diversity of our people is a positive strength,
and for the fostering of a respect for, and appreciation
of, traditional ways of life and culture, including language,
in all their richness and variety, as well as for a willingness
to apply these ways dynamically and creatively for the tasks
of development; and
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(4) traditional villages and communities
to remain as viable units of Papua New Guinean society, and
for active steps to be taken to improve their cultural, social,
economic and ethical quality.
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Basic Rights.
WE HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE that, subject to any restrictions
imposed by law on non-citizens, all persons in our country
are entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms of
the individual, that is to say, the right, whatever their
race, tribe, places of origin, political opinion, colour,
creed or sex, but subject to respect for the rights and
freedoms of others and for the legitimate public interest,
to each of the following:–
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(a) life, liberty, security of the person
and the protection of the law; and
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(b) the right to take part in political
activities; and
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(c) freedom from inhuman treatment and forced
labour; and
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(d) freedom of conscience, of expression,
of information and of assembly and association; and
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(e) freedom of employment and freedom of
movement; and
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(f) protection for the privacy of their
homes and other property and from unjust deprivation of property,
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and have accordingly included in
this Constitution provisions designed to afford protection
to those rights and freedoms, subject to such limitations on
that protection as are contained in those provisions, being
limitations primarily designed to ensure that the enjoyment
of the acknowledged rights and freedoms by an individual does
not prejudice the rights and freedoms of others or the legitimate
public interest.
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Basic Social Obligations.
WE HEREBY DECLARE that all persons in our country have
the following basic obligations to themselves and their
descendants, to each other, and to the Nation:–
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(a) to respect, and to act in the spirit
of, this Constitution; and
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(b) to recognize that they can fully develop
their capabilities and advance their true interests only
by active participation in the development of the national
community as a whole; and
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(c) to exercise the rights guaranteed or
conferred by this Constitution, and to use the opportunities
made available to them under it to participate fully in the
government of the Nation; and
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(d) to protect Papua New Guinea and to safeguard
the national wealth, resources and environment in the interests
not only of the present generation but also of future generations;
and
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(e) to work according to their talents in
socially useful employment, and if necessary to create for
themselves legitimate opportunities for such employment;
and
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(f) to respect the rights and freedoms of
others, and to co-operate fully with others in the interests
of interdependence and solidarity; and
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(g) to contribute, as required by law, according
to their means to the revenues required for the advancement
of the Nation and the purposes of Papua New Guinea; and
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(h) in the case of parents, to support,
assist and educate their children (whether born in or out
of wedlock), and in particular to give them a true understanding
of their basic rights and obligations and of the National
Goals and Directive Principles; and
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(i) in the case of the children, to respect
their parents.
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IN ADDITION, WE HEREBY DECLARE that
all citizens have an obligation to themselves and their descendants,
to each other and to the Nation to use profits from economic
activities in the advancement of our country and our people,
and that the law may impose a similar obligation on non-citizens
carrying on economic activities in or from our country.
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