A challenge for the legions of nameless bloggers

BY JOHN FOWKE

REMEMBER HOW WE DRANK to the future and sang Papua New Guinea’s praises in 1975? Who has a view and a plan now?

I have. But after reading this piece, yupela ol lain autspoken intelektual but nogat nem [you group of outspoken intellectuals without names], try to restrain the vomit-like flow of anti-Australian abuse which would normally be your reaction to a posting by John Fowke the redneck ex-Masta.

Then tell the blog what, as an individual and as the member of an extended family and clan, you, an educated and opinionated and thinking citizen, are doing, actively, day by day, to try to influence the path your country may take in future which is obviously full of hazard generated from within its own political and empowered class.

Papua New Guinea’s “poorest” region, the resource rich Western Province, home to the multi billion kina Ok Tedi mine, ranks just above Zimbabwe but below the Democratic Republic of Congo in terms of human development.

This is according to new data unveiled by Deakin University’s expert in international development, Professor Mark McGillivray, at the recent PNG: Securing a Prosperous Future Conference.

“If PNG’s Western Province was a country there would be an international outcry about their plight, given its appalling low levels of human development,” McGillivray said.

Prof McGillivray’s analysis used the principles of the Human Development Index (HDI) to create a new measure which specifically looked at the districts and provinces in Papua New Guinea. This has not been done before.

The HDI “is well-known and widely used in research and policy circles,” Prof McGillivray explained. “It combines achievements in health, education and income and is primarily used to compare levels of human development between countries.

“The Human Development Index is typically applied at the level of countries, not to parts of countries. This means that it is blind to achievements and disparities within countries.

“When we apply the principles of the Index to provinces and districts within PNG, we find not only huge disparities but levels of human development that are extremely low by international standards.”

Prof McGillivray said, based on one version of the HDI, PNG is ranked 121 out of 137 countries, so down towards the bottom.

“Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe has the lowest level of human development and is ranked 137, at the very bottom,” Prof McGillivray said. “The conflict-affected Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked 136.

“Yet if the resource rich Western Province was a country it would be ranked in between Zimbabwe and Congo and as such among the three very poorest in the world in terms of human development.”

And that’s just the Western Province. What about my dear, poor old Gulf? What about populous but forgotten places like Gumine, Baiyer River, all of the Sepik apart from Wewak? Inland Morobe?

To say nothing of the outpatients department at the nations largest hospital at Taurama? What the hell is wrong?

If you don’t know, I’ll be pleased to give you a few clues.

Comments

[Harry Topham]

So the pollies got a gong each whilst the remainder of us got a one-way ticket home.

Excuse my sarcasm but at the moment I have a rather bitter taste in my mouth after viewing a recent contribution to the ex kiap site which raised the issue of the deaths of two young patrol officers, Szarki and Harris, along with Constables Buritori and Purari who were murdered whilst on patrol in the Telefomin area in 1953.

What a sad memorial to young men’s lives lost for naught.
No memorial services, commissions of enquiry given for closure, medals or recognition for these poor unfortunate souls the only reminder of their lives being a vandalised and neglected plaque existing in a long forgotten isolated place.

The words on the plaque say it all - not murdered but died and no mention that they died on duty for the Crown.

Shame on those who have conveniently forgotten those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for only doing their duty for their country.

[Phil Fitzpatrick]

It would be interesting if all the people in Western Province left for greener pastures.

It would give the petroleum and mining companies a freer hand and make room for the Indonesians to move in and plant rice. Make a good base for people smugglers too.

I remember talking to a Malaysian logger in Western Province and he told me that once they'd got rid of all the pesky trees the place would be perfect for rice paddies.

I personally like the Western Province and its wonderful people and hope they stay put and don't change.

[Harry Topham]

Much has been said over the years on how PNG might evolve into a successful homogeneous society with the fruits of the nation reinvested towards improving the social and economic conditions of its citizens.

Nationalism is a strange concept and in most cases occurs when society is faced with calamities and disasters and for self-survival human beings come together in unity to defeat their common foes.

PNG in its history has had more than its fair share of calamities and disasters however the poor leadership shown in these matters had tended to fragment rather than unite those affected.

At independence amidst much fanfare the leading political party PANGU espoused the battle cry of bung wantaim
Alas the ideals espoused by the leaders of the time soon were replaced by the more pragmatic approach of bung mitaim.

All kinds of different ideas have been floated on how PNG might find its true destiny however like most ideas have floated upwards into the stratosphere where they have drifted away unnoticed.

As any one who has a knowledge of PNG matters would know the country was developed from the grass roots through the establishment of the many administration areas created in the rural areas of PNG in earlier times which then became economic units in their own right and hence the Country’s development did not emanate from a central base in Port Moresby.

In their some what tunnel vision approach, the central government in PNG has tried to shore up the outer frameworks of the system as internal pressures built up threatening to explode rather than looking inwards to tend to the kernel of its true existence.

This centralised concept of power distribution now in place for the country has, in the writer’s opinion, been on of the main reasons for the collapse of good governance in PNG in particular the collapse of the original vehicles of self management i.e. the Local Government system which was at its time of inception provided a democratic voice for the people.

Another problem, which also has lead to the breakdown of social cohesion in PNG, has been the philosophy of greed that has been the main driving force behind the ambitions of the country’s leaders, which appears to have roots in previous cargo cult mindsets.

In its mindless drive to wealth creation the fruits of the assets have not been reinvested to the people to provide the required added value required to adequately provide an economic base forward.

A few shrewder loan voices like Macduff have identified the problems and pinpointed the tangible solutions however his cries remain unheard.

As any old ex PNG hand would know to engender pride a sense of ownership is needed.

So what are the answers one may ask?

Accepting the fact that PNG’s diverse linguistic and social groupings could bee seen, as a barrier to unity one could also see that is factor may also be its hidden strength.

If the current government was prepared to share its decision making processes through devolution of power to the numerous local government councils located throughout the country then real growth and development might then occur.

If the government reinvested its wealth back to the grassroots then perhaps those peoples living in remote areas might feel that they had a positive future and would not then feel the need to migrate to greener grasses in the major town centres for a perceived better future.

[Mrs Barbara Short]

John - You write a lot about the Western Province.

I remember taking a young Western Province man "under my wing" when I was at Keravat NHS. It used to take him two weeks to get home for his annual holiday and two weeks to get back to Keravat, so he only had two weeks with his family.

Surely, in any country there are parts of the country which are hard to develop, and the Western Province in PNG is one of them.

Mining companies can come into these areas and mine and provide royalties for the country as a whole but the country might not feel it is worth their while trying to develop the province as it is so full of problems, e.g. swamps, difficulties in building up a good transport system, etc,

Parts of PNG are obviously good for development and development is taking place there.

As the country becomes a place less divided by local loyalties, with more "mixed marriages", and educated people willing to move to work in any province, surely people from the Western Province, who want a better life for their children, will move from the Western Province to other parts of PNG which are more "developed" and so raise their family's HDI ranking.

I would hope that might have happened for my former Western Province student.

[John Fowke]

Thanks, Leonard. I should explain that this piece was written for and directed to PNGBLOGS.COM, which is a very good barometer of many aspects of present-day PNG, up to date and never afraid of controversy.

However much of the discourse - well-written and in some cases erudite - is, just like almost all letters-to-the-editor published in PNG's four good, well-managed newspapers - signed with noms de plume.

This strips the value from this stream of opinion; weakening it and also providing an example for many who descend into sheer ranting and expressions of hate, doing so from a shelter from which none ever emerges.

Among his other strengths, his willingness to stand up and be counted is what makes Martyn Namarong a gem among a litter of opinionated quarry-dust.

I copied the piece to KJ simply for his information, not imagining he would publish it.

As for my mentioned "cure" - regular Attituders will be fully aware of what this comprises.

My obsession with the positioning of the local government system as the basis from which people-power and citizen-equity in PNG's national wealth is restored is well-known.

[Leonard Roka]

Fowke - Good job. PNG is so good at denying that 'the boat is sinking'.We point fingers this way and that way without redesigning our governing mechanisms to something that can bring in tangible outcomes.

He really is right that we have that attitude of flying into Port Moresby, for example, and leave Sepik to the dogs. Very bad.

That means we've got no plans for a country of this size and conflicting cultures. We sit like fools conning ourselves and narrating the national pledge as if a god will come and save us.

Let's sit and watch...