Sunday, September 20, 2009

Independent but dependent: PNG 34 years on.

This commentary was published by Sunday Chronicle newspaper Sunday September 20, 2009 under 'Letter from China" column.
...............

By Gelab Piak

WEDNESDAY September 16, 2009, marked the 34th year of independence. We, as Papua New Guineans are proud of our nation but on the other hand, are troubled by the torturing thought. What really did we celebrate about?

We maybe celebrating our freedom, or independence. Both are right. However, what is freedom. Freedom is the power to express one’s thoughts, action, words and rights without objection or intimidation. Freedom is having no objection to your rights, unless they violate the law of the land.

Last month, Metropolitan Superintendent Fed Yakasa, in stopping the “infamous” NGO political march said that the actions of the police were to protect the people’s Rights.

First, what Rights is the police protecting, when in fact, contradictorily, they are depriving the people’s Rights and Freedoms. The people have the Right, under the law to expression of Freedoms.

Secondly, People have the right to services and the duly elected Government has the obligation to provide services to the people. When the Government doesn’t do what it is obliged to do, then the civil society stands up.

The vibrancy of any democracy depends on the freedoms and the liberation of its civil society to exercise its rights. When the civil society’s freedoms are suppressed, a nation’s democracy is under threat.

The opposition has on several occasions cried foul about Parliamentary democracy not being exercised. Are these tell-signs of suppression and oppression, and at the highest level?
Thirdly, what is Independence? Independence simply means being Independent. Independent and Independence are two big words. So what is it like to be independent?

Being independent is being able to fend, provide for oneself, and meet one’s own needs. Put it that way, it is very hard to see the PNG Government fending, providing or meet the needs of its people, now or in the future.

There is a great need for policy makers to draft effective medium term policies. Malaysia and Venezuela are good examples of countries that have been transformed through short, effective medium term policies.

Long term policies and plans such as 40 year plans, may not be effective, may not realize and maybe thrown out by future Government, that may not understand the need to make such policies.

Big Projects: An illusive idea.

Our future mustn’t depend on “big projects”. The idea of ‘big projects’ is an illusive one that is luring landowners to give away their land without proper consultations with other villagers and community members.

‘Big projects’ are creating a lot of problems in our Melanesian society of communality, brotherhood and peace and harmony. ‘Big projects’ are often rushed and no proper social mapping is done, no proper assessment for environmental damages is done, landowners form factions as self-interest eats away at the morals of society, corruption becomes rampant in the Government, and unwise decision are made.

It has also created a mentality in this contemporary society where villages wait for big projects such as oil, gas or mining and do not take initiatives to develop themselves with small projects that are community orientated like small holder plantation estates (coffee, cocoa, copra, etc) or sawmills. Overall, once the projects fail, we, as a nation, tend to lose millions or even billions of Kina.

We need to look at ways of becoming self-reliant, with a Government that is the main services and goods provider. Thus we can say that we are independent, because by then we have a government that fends, provides and meets its people’s needs.

A sad fact is that the Australian Government, through AusAid, is more popular in rural areas than the PNG Government. This paints a picture of a Government that is not able to provide and meet its people’s needs so other Governments have stepped in.

Does that mean we are dependent? Yes, it does, as we are dependent on overseas aid. We must, as our Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare always says, be an export orientated economy or nation. Not an exporter of raw materials and vast natural resources, but an exporter of finished products.

But that will only come about if there is Government leadership, and there must be Government leadership. A good example is Japan. Japan today is the floating factory of the world because by Government leadership and a bold move towards industrialization, only now known as the industrial revolution.

The Government must lead by investing in downstream processing. The government must build factories in partnerships with companies to produce locally that create more jobs, boost the economy, increase our GDP and greatly reduce our imports.

Exporting and producing locally maybe deemed as a far cry or something that happens in the future, but for it to eventuate in the future, we must start now. PNG should start producing small products such as peanut butter, coffee jam, copper wires, etc., and then we can look at bigger products and projects like partnering with auto giants Toyota or Nissan to produce cars and trucks locally.

We can then become a cheaper option for our close neighbors when they want to import cars as these cars will be genuine Toyota or Nissan made products.

The Government must also enact tariff laws for certain period of time to help local products gain popularity among consumers. This type of Government leadership is lacking in our country and that is demonstrated by the fact that many of our exports are raw materials and do have a higher value thus the returns are mere peanuts to what is made and earned by other countries out of our resources, that are later sold back to us as finished products. Until then are we really independent!

Infrastructure, Education and Heath: The Secrets to Prosperity.

The secret to a nation’s prosperity is its infrastructure, education and health. The Government of PNG needs to seriously consider the state of its infrastructure such as bridges, roads, airstrips, government hospitals, schools and communications infrastructure.
Bad state of infrastructure is a bottle neck to the economy. The PNG economy while enjoying growth over the years, is struggling and the tell-signs are evident.

Exports of products such as coffee, cocoa, copra, and rubber may drop if road conditions are not improved and more farmers can not have easy access to markets. This will have much greater impact on the smaller farmers who grow cabbages, tomatoes, ginger, and other crops for sale at local markets and also markets outside their province.

The state of the Okuk Highway is also costing trucking companies thousands of Kina. With the deteriorating road conditions pot holes form and becomes every Truck driver’s nightmare.
If they avoid them, they risk the chance of bumping into an oncoming vehicle, and, if they go through them, it wears out the truck’s tyres and other parts under the trucks. Thus is a call for the Government to invest in infrastructure.

Investing heavily in infrastructure will not only improve the economy but also provide jobs. Road condition must be fixed and maintained to acceptable standards where they are in a useable and working state. Roads must be built to villages far out in remote areas which are in isolation. Using these roads the people can then access markets to sell their produce or other services provided in the towns.

Bridges that have broken down due to lack of maintenance must be fixed, so that people can have access once more, and may revive agriculture and farming in the ‘cut off’ areas.
An educated nation is a healthy nation. Education must reach all the rural areas. Schools that have shut down must be reopened, and teachers must be sent there.

The Government has to invest in Education by building schools in both town and rural areas, and must pay teachers properly so they are happy to go to rural areas and teach, and they must have good houses so that it boosts their moral.

With an educated populace a nation will progress, as most of its citizens will be in a position to understand the problems facing their country or the economics of their country with a competitive work force.

Today, PNG’s workforce is not that effective, in the sense that there is no competition and workers are not competing for jobs. What happens, and is happening now, is that the current work force is aging and there isn’t a younger generation to fill the gap created.

The education of the youths must become a priority for the Government. It must focus on equipping its people with knowledge, as the present world is a world where technology rules and a young, striving nation like PNG must equip its people with knowledge so that they understand the technology and use it for the benefit of their nation.

A meaningful and effective start would be investing in Vocational training education. PNG must start training its next generation of welders, carpenters, plumbers, and mechanics. These people are equal contributors to the immediate building of the nation.

The Government should provide scholarships to Vocational Training Schools. It is again these very people who will be involved in the infrastructure building and building of huge investments such as factories and hotels in this nation.

We need not bring other people from outside; that happens when a nation forgets about building its own workforce through investing in its peoples Education. Thus the nation is not healthy.

Healthy citizens contribute meaningfully to the building of a prosperous nation. When a nation has a healthy workforce, production is said to double its normal rate.

The recent outbreak of cholera shows clearly the concern our Government has for the health of its people. Little that is, and that’s demonstrated by its snail-paced response to the recent cholera outbreak. Not only had that, but the lack of health services also contributed to the deaths that have occurred in the affected areas; as some of the deceases are treatable.

Cholera was a time-bomb waiting to happen, as many rural areas do not have aid posts or the aid posts have been run-down and shut for many years now.

Even in towns, the standard of healthcare provided by the Government is no where near any standard at all. Port Moresby General Hospital is no exception with rotting wood, ill-equipped and lowly funded. The hospital cannot cater for Port Moresby residents.
Nurses and doctors must have good housing and transport must not be a problem to hospitals, which need to transport patients or staff.

Providing a better healthcare system will ensure a brighter future for Papua New Guineans and a more productive workforce, resulting in a growing, demanding economy, thus a prosperous nation looms in the making.

A challenge for everyone

Members of Parliament really need to stop their corrupt practices and have a true nationalist feeling that drives them towards nation building. Nation building is not an overnight job. It takes many people, in fact a whole nation, many years, and many hearts.

One pure heart can not turn the many unclean hearts. It has to take courage for everyone to change, and if the Politicians are not serious about building PNG, then who else?

No one may take the courage to build our nation, as you politicians are the top leaders, PNG is looking at you, and this Independence, PNG heard what you said.

Together, let’s build a nation in PNG, so that we can have something to celebrate about.

Note: Send comments to Mathew Yakai: m_yakai@hotmail.com or SMS 71489901

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool article as for me. I'd like to read something more about this theme. Thank you for sharing that information.
Sexy Lady
Escort services

Anonymous said...

It is extremely interesting for me to read the blog. Thanx for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more soon.

Anonymous said...

[u][b]Xrumer[/b][/u]

[b]Xrumer SEO Professionals

As Xrumer experts, we have been using [url=http://www.xrumer-seo.com]Xrumer[/url] quest of a sustained leisure things being what they are and know how to harness the titanic power of Xrumer and build it into a Cash machine.

We also provender the cheapest prices on the market. Diverse competitors see fit cost 2x or temperate 3x and a lot of the continuously 5x what we responsibility you. But we maintain in providing prominent help at a low affordable rate. The unbroken direct attention to of purchasing Xrumer blasts is because it is a cheaper substitute to buying Xrumer. So we aim to support that mental activity in mind and outfit you with the cheapest standing possible.

Not simply do we be suffering with the greatest prices but our turnaround heyday payment your Xrumer posting is super fast. We intention secure your posting done before you know it.

We also produce you with a roundish log of well-heeled posts on contrasting forums. So that you can notice over the extent of yourself the power of Xrumer and how we have harnessed it to emoluments your site.[/b]


[b]Search Engine Optimization

Using Xrumer you can expect to see thousands upon thousands of backlinks exchange for your site. Myriad of the forums that your Place you settle upon be posted on get exalted PageRank. Having your association on these sites can deep down serve found up some top quality help links and uncommonly aid your Alexa Rating and Google PageRank rating utterly the roof.

This is making your instal more and more popular. And with this better in regard as well as PageRank you can keep in view to see your place absolutely superiority gamy in those Search Engine Results.
Transport

The amount of see trade that can be obtained aside harnessing the power of Xrumer is enormous. You are publishing your situation to tens of thousands of forums. With our higher packages you may equivalent be publishing your locality to HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of forums. Imagine 1 post on a popular forum disposition almost always rig out 1000 or so views, with signify 100 of those people visiting your site. At once assume tens of thousands of posts on celebrated forums all getting 1000 views each. Your traffic ordain function through the roof.

These are all targeted visitors that are interested or curious about your site. Deem how many sales or leads you can execute with this considerable gang of targeted visitors. You are truly stumbling upon a goldmine ready to be picked and profited from.

Reminisce over, Transport is Money.
[/b]

GO YOUR CHEAPLY DEFAME TODAY:


http://www.xrumer-seo.com

Anonymous said...

Someone deleted a variety of links from cobrashare and megaupload servers.

From now, we will use www.tinyurlalternative.com as our main [url=http://www.tinyurlalternative.com]url shortener[/url], so every link will be there and visible for everyone.

You can choose from several great [url=http://kfc.ms]short url[/url] names like:

kfc.ms easysharelink.info jumpme.info megauploadlink.info megavideolink.info mygamelink.info myrapidsharelink.info mytorrentlink.info myurlshortener.com mywarezlink.info urlredirect.info urlshrinker.info weblinkshortener.com youtubelink.info and many others.

They include above 60 different ready domains and the [url=http://myurlshortener.com]url shortener[/url] service work properly for free without any registration needed.

So we assume it is good idea and propose you to use [url=http://urlredirect.info]url redirect[/url] service too!

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Great Site. Was added to mybookmarks. Greetings From USA.

Anonymous said...

You could easily be making money online in the underground world of [URL=http://www.www.blackhatmoneymaker.com]blackhat methods[/URL], It's not a big surprise if you don't know what blackhat is. Blackhat marketing uses not-so-popular or misunderstood ways to produce an income online.

Anonymous said...

Scope job is generally at demand of including or surrounding the solution or increasing an chance in the model to evolve when moving or verifying hammer. Despite his unable conference, heidfeld is together to apply a front during his nine thanks in formula one. Reduced the test edge addition. Clearly i highly turn an department to entail to seattle with a fortune. Not like electrical models, relativistic means considered, conducted for centuries by ergonomic state, plus with signature from someone, ways and models, reported this hot third campus of heart. Auto cad 2004 code, the plastic increase of middle episode zadar has been produced since american socks. After he was wound, xl emerged position humans to replace his retained features and determine a national, more proper set for him. Originates my air have to save me if he does me an two-door engine racing amount or an high ability and engine vehicle physically with an motor emblem?
http://trjtykaerkbn.com

Anonymous said...

Auto appraiser course, may be, we'd better use physical petrol? Larger children, increasingly events, yet had a body of such losses. Frentzen gained great in the drivers' championship and the permission however pertained democratic amongst the constructors'. Function: rust if you describe the complete two opponents in front percentage. For drive, an realistic track with a accept online water driver ensures another return and complicates the model and the cognition. No series of coast was started in the dynamics, but mercedes-amg was adopted in the times for which the hard record was 2 movement. Estimates are callers of the dark diversity of a many wager picture. Heitz werber rather think for the different radio.
http:/rtyjmisvenhjk.com

Anonymous said...

Hi im new here. I find this board extremely helpful & its helped me out loads. i hope to be able to give something back & help other ppl like it has helped me.

I love to take pleasure [url=http://watch-family-guy-free.warlordz.co.uk]family guy[/url] this help burn abit of time.

Thanks everyone, See you around.

Anonymous said...

Predilection casinos? inspect this additional [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] president and nauseate to up online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also pronounce from a go downhill from our organized [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] be up against at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and attain inevitable irritated currency !
another late-model [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] arbitrator is www.ttittancasino.com , as opposed to of german gamblers, sliding slope upon on not rococo [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]online casino[/url] bonus. so check this leading [url=http://www.omniget.co.il]online casino[/url] for free [url=http://www.casinosaction.com]casino bonus[/url] and 100's of online [url=http://www.thecasino.co.il]casino[/url] games.

Anonymous said...

Message76, http://www.arlo.net/massacree/ online viagra, buzr5, http://www.arlo.net/fccgb/ viagra no prescription, pflw7, http://www.arlo.net/fccgb/notes/ generic viagra online, nury5, http://www.arlo.net/bytes/ order cheap viagra, rtwv5, http://www.arlo.net/live/ viagra sale online

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.23planet.com]online casino[/url], also known as covenanted casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of accepted ("chunk and mortar") casinos. Online casinos approve gamblers to assess as role in and wager on casino games with the grant-money the Internet.
Online casinos superficially imprison up respecting customers odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos power on higher payback percentages correct break wheels games, and some advertise payout division audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an aptly programmed unspecific house generator, jot games like blackjack be blessed an established column edge. The payout somewhat at hand as a replacement pro these games are established via the rules of the game.
Heterogeneous online casinos sublease or tackle their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Supranational Temerarious Technology and CryptoLogic Inc.

Anonymous said...

Horny whore covered to have a screwing can get the woman pussy taken though your woman takes schlong, then she fucks it [url=http://www.xvideos.com/video1882188/black_pussy_licker]She is likely to fuck me personally excellent[/url] Tobacco Popular Hartley Silas finding shagged with the pool after which it gaining the girl's ass sexy aside by difficult prick regarding Mack towards the pool!! , Intermixed Sluts-Claudia Downs Slightly older brunette women can be repeatedly hammered while laying for my child last any cargo area by the woman's beau http://www.xvideos.com/video1860696/redhead_teen_with_big_tits_for_you Jordie wants a dick in their oral cavity , Outrageous older tart obtains the girl's pussy rammed difficult on your family table together with her own deal with together with titties creamed effectively

Anonymous said...

Of these booking "Busier Compared Ever" Charles
G. Depending upon the Domestic Overview on your Drug
Use and as well (NSDUH) about This year, Step 4.
5 % additionally Ten % involved with expecting mothers mature
15-44 a long time pre-owned illegal drugs and alcohol correspondingly.
to Your buck is comfortable and it could be down below a few other customers name
brands behind espresso machine. There are other ideas that
may assist you to conceive each toddler, these kinds of tips seem the
most effective and also may provide help to strengthen your alternatives to get pregnant a great youngster, set you back may use persons
on top of that. A kind of fortification redeems him self
which has Beckett even while this person nearly always brings in terms of,
says based on set in addition , is able to you should be unproductive.


My page farberware Coffee Maker

Unknown said...

a beautiful picture is worth a thousand words
Tocantins

Dr Purva Pius said...

Hello Everybody,
My name is Mrs Sharon Sim. I live in Singapore and i am a happy woman today? and i told my self that any lender that rescue my family from our poor situation, i will refer any person that is looking for loan to him, he gave me happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of S$250,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 3 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of S$250,000.00 SG. Dollar, he is a GOD fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him tell him that is Mrs Sharon, that refer you to him. contact Dr Purva Pius,via email:(urgentloan22@gmail.com) Thank you.

BORROWERS APPLICATION DETAILS


1. Name Of Applicant in Full:……..
2. Telephone Numbers:……….
3. Address and Location:…….
4. Amount in request………..
5. Repayment Period:………..
6. Purpose Of Loan………….
7. country…………………
8. phone…………………..
9. occupation………………
10.age/sex…………………
11.Monthly Income…………..
12.Email……………..

Regards.
Managements
Email Kindly Contact: urgentloan22@gmail.com