Take funds out of health & education says minister

KEITH JACKSON

JUST WHAT IS Papua New Guinea trade minister Richard Maru (pictured) on about?

He’s just given some gratuitous advice to the New Zealand government that less of its aid should be directed to education and health in PNG and more to economic development.

Does Mr Maru, until recently chief of PNG’s National Development Bank, which has been rated by the Asian Development Bank as one of the worst in the Pacific, believe that education and health have nothing to do with economic development?

Radio New Zealand International reports Mr Maru, elected at this year’s national polls and shoehorned straight into the ministry, saying that if New Zealand geared more of its aid assistance toward economic development it would earn greater recognition.

“So people would start to say, ‘Oh, now we know what New Zealand is donating to Papua New Guinea. It’s been helping us with these sectors which will have a major economic impact on this country.’ So you generate goodwill that way,” he offered by way of advice.

New Zealand, which has economic problems of its own, provides $US22 million in aid to PNG, much of it going into the health and education sectors.

But Mr Maru says that, given the big spending from Australia, Japan and China, this contribution is not noticed by Papua New Guineans.

He says New Zealand would gain more notice if it put the money into geothermal power development or the dairy and sheep farming sectors.

And this in a country where child mortality, far from declining, is on the increase and significant health problems abound.

Mr Maru ought to get his priorities right.

Comments

[Jeff Febi]

Let us assume he meant good but just didn't have time or the skills to put ideas and words in their correct order when his time was up to take the podium.

Nevertheless, no one, and I mean no one, should in his or her right frame of mind atttempt to ignore the importance of education and health and their direct connection to positive human developent and prosperity.

[Michael Dom]

Also, I thought that NZ Aid money is from the people of New Zealand to the people of Papua New Guinea NOT the government of NZ to the government of PNG.

Preventable diseases are killing our rural folk. So they end up not having the strength or numbers to survive on a daily basis let alone to produce sheep and dairy. That's what concerns our Kiwi friends.

Besides, development of PNG is the business of the government of PNG - of the people, for the people.

And our development plans must be realistic.

[Michael Dom]

Bernard, we had sheep but that didn't work out. Dairy farming is not as straight forward, and we have only one existing in Lae which is not government supported, as far as I know.

Heck, we couldn't even get the local beef farming under control - Ramu and Trukai are company run.

Besides sheep and dairy, in fact meat and milk products in general, are a high value product. They may not necessarily be cheaper to produce in-country.

Lamb flaps is a cheap commodity, whereas lamb cutlets are far more costly; take a look in your local supermarket fresh meat section.

Current reasoning is to work with what we have, namely pigs and poultry, which has both large scale and small scale production well established in the country, has real potential for expansion and the resources to do so at both levels.

There is much development aid support already for pig and poultry work, being the livestock and meat source of preference in PNG.

Finally, I'm afraid that Minister Maru may be envious of the New Zealand sheep and dairy farming, but has less knowledge of what it takes to produce sheep and dairy.

There are two lessons to be learned from New Zealand farming in general. Firstly, while PNG boasts to have agriculture as its backbone, New Zealand farming contributes about 65% to the gross domestic product.

Secondly, there is no government support for farming in New Zealand; no aid, no loans, no tax exemptions, nada. In fact the farmers own their own bank and the government loans from them. (Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.)

[Chalapi Pomat]

Another minister for bagarapment. Maybe putting the money into economic development bucket would makes it easier for him to put his hand in and buy a house in Cains. He needs to go back to the elementary school.

Number one priority for PNG is education & health. Full Stop.

Peter O'Neill has made matters much easier now for parents to send their children to school by helping out with the school fees compared to the previous government. A good start.

Clearly Mr Maru can't see the link. Unfortunately people like Mr Maru are born every day.

[Phil Fitzpatrick]

That's probably what the poor hapless fellow meant to say Bernard.

[Bernard Yegiora]

Wait, maybe there is merit to what he is saying.

If we start these economic projects like sheep and dairy farming it will put more money into the people's pocket. This will help them to access health and education services leading to a decrease in infant mortality and illiteracy rates.

That is my understanding.

[Joe Boine]

It's very difficult to describe with words Mr Maru's speech. How do people with such obvious judgmental flaws make it to the top of seemingly successful corporations and ended up giving a bad rating?

The trait of poor judgment and failure to learn by experience is blooming!

[Tony Flynn]

Mr Maru has always been full of gas. The Kokopo meeting was so full of gas that nobody's feet were on the ground. The gas has propelled him into parliament.

The question is; will it sustain him there?

[Michael Dom]

It's all gas, Keith, but none of it geothermal.

I think we can rely on New Zealand to ignore this opinion.

[Mark Schubert]

Mouth, brain, reality ........... seriously out of sync here!

Links in the society and economy between education, health and development not reflective of necessary links elsewhere!