Graduate lawyers urged to maintain integrity

Caption:   Dux of LTI’s 2013 graduation, Mek Tumul (centre), with fellow graduates, Maino Saroa (left), Tolidemi Yalapan (right). 

By MATTHEW VARI

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)

GRADUATING lawyers were urged by the various guests during the 8^th Graduation Ceremony of the Legal Training Institute (LTI), to maintain their integrity and professionalism beyond the confines of the courts, last week in Port Moresby.

A total of 78 trainee lawyers graduated to become fully fledged lawyers from the only legal post-graduate institution in the country.

Guest speakers at the graduation included the Attorney-General and Justice Minister Kerenga Kua, who is also the PNG Law Society President, and the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Religion Loujaya Kouza.

LTI Director Pauline Mogish encouraged all her graduating trainees to put into practice the theme of the graduation, which was, courage to serve with integrity.

“It is an important message that embodies the core values that will form the layer you want to be.”

“The key word here is integrity, the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles,” she told the graduates.

She reminded them of the uniqueness of the constitution that they would be practicing under, emphasising it being the second largest constitution after India.

“Our constitution is so unique that it had withstood challenging turmoils like in 2011, and the 78 of you must maintain it.”

She paid tribute to the past directors before her and said that since 2001; a lot of changes had occurred that had left a quality image since independence, which had paved the way for the institution’s total graduates of nearly 2000 lawyers so far.

Minister Loujaya Kouza reminded the graduates of the immense duty they had as law practitioners.

“We are all blessed beyond our understanding, and the 78 of you have been crafted, imparted, and absorbed beyond that.”

“You must ask yourself what you have to give to this nation that is above and beyond.”

“You will be law givers, judges, practitioners, and teachers of law- it is a calling that is almost at the face of God, being a law giver,” she told them.

She said that there was so much lawlessness in the country, because of the complexities of the many cultures and the unwritten nature of them all.

“Be prepared to be set apart and stand alone for what is right and what is good, and I look forward to seeing you make your mark.”

The Attorney General Kerenga Kua reminded the graduates on how far they had traveled to get to graduating and praised the efforts of the families and guardians who had stuck by their loved ones.

“Without your commitment and support we wouldn’t be here today, 17 years is a long time to commit to education so I pay tribute to the families,” he said.

The 78 graduates were then admitted to the National and Supreme Court in Waigani to practice law in the country, last Friday.