The numbers are in, the analysis is done and the conclusions have been reached.
After years of receiving aid, the PNG people are worse off than before independence.
How can this have been allowed to happen?
Can it be that those in AusAID managing
Or has the political relationship been more important than the development relationship so precise arrangements aren’t important so long as the money flows?
The Australian PM declared after his visit to PNG last year that there’d be a change to the current aid program and this year Michael Somare has said it’ll be all over red rover by 2015.
But until then, what benchmarks exist for PNG aid deployment to be measured as successful before programs are renewed or re-financed?
And what outcomes are expected for the forecast Australian Federal Police assistance program? Will these be enunciated before any boots hit the ground?
US President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said 'The buck stops here'. In US vernacular this declared that Truman was ultimately responsible for decisions and that there would be no blame shifting.
Where does the buck stop in PNG?
The buck seems to stop nowhere. There is no buck passing or blame shifting because no-one takes responsibility for failure.
Before the last PNG election, Michael Thomas Somare promised many things to many people.
Could these now be labelled ‘MT promises’?
PM Somare is so spoilt by foreign leaders money that he has in the past 43 years found it so difficult to say no when it comes to free money.
When the Australian government tightens the screw on AusAid he will run to the Chinese or the Taiwanese if not the Malaysians to keep begging until the end is near...
What a wasted life doing the same job that he has still not mastered the art to save his poor suffering people from poverty, hunger, corruption , crime, unemployment, poor health and a very disunited country of many different people who will kill each other off after Somare is not around any more.
A sad ending for PNG.
Posted by: Jim Forova | 26 April 2010 at 08:51 PM
Yes Paul, the MT promises will go on until the next national elections in 2012. The buck stops with the PM but he also does not show that he has his finger on the pulse.
The level of AusAID funding needs to be urgently reviewed with a jointly agreed percentage on a discounting basis over the next 10-20 years by both Australia and PNG. With the LNG production online after the elections, GDP growth may fluctuate between 7.5% and 10%. But we will still need the Australian grant to act as a long-term hedging strategy for the economy.
The PM has no idea when the Australian handout will end. He has not done any accurate calculations to be able to speak off the cuff and say it will be all over by 2015. What is his premise here - a pure guestimate?
There is no government 'fudge-factor' . I assess PNG will still need some slack in future to guard against sharp global market deviations.
Posted by: Reginald Renagi | 26 April 2010 at 07:52 PM